How to create your own 4-hour day (instead of 8)

by Sean Foster | July 16, 2021 | Newsletter

Everyone wants more time, but no one can make more of it.

As a coach, one of the biggest challenges I help clients overcome is time management.
How do we become more time-efficient in our day to day work?

You can say I will do this or that but what happens when it doesn’t happen?
We fail, that’s what happens.

What’s it costing you?

In monetary terms, what is that worth to you?

Over the years I have tried dozens of techniques, but only recently did I do the research behind time management.

The epiphany I had was that sometimes it takes effort and energy to make a gain.
This required me to commit to doing things differently myself.

A testing situation arose, and it went like this: I committed to a client that I would complete a fairly complex worksheet for them. I know from the past that it takes close to a day for me to do this. The problem I created was that with this specific client, I thought I still had a day up my sleeve to complete, this but instead realized I had less than 4 hours!!

Panic!!

I had been doing some research on time management and efficiency and had taken a liking to the Pomodoro technique, so this was the time to demonstrate it.

Wham bam, I completed the complex worksheet with over an hour to spare! Not only did I complete the worksheet, but I felt pretty chuffed as well 🙂

Here’s what I learned, and this is how it can help you as well.

We all differ, but did you know the human brain can only really concentrate for about 5 to 10 minutes at a time? Think about you employing someone for an eight-hour day and they can only effectively concentrate for 10-minute bursts!

How we structure our days doesn’t match what the science suggests.

It is no wonder that should you set the systems and training in place, the likes of Perpetual Guardian (and many others) have reduced their workweek to 4 days and at the same pay rate. It is simply about productivity gains.

Simple. Practical. Doable.

I found the Pomodoro technique a little more practical than just doing 10-minute sprints, and it absolutely worked for me: in a nutshell, it suggests periods of high focus and no distractions for 25-minutes, followed by a 5-minute break.

I am absolutely convinced that this technique will work for you as well. If you would like to know a little more about the Pomodoro technique, then download this 1-page guide.

So, I know that you struggle with exactly the same challenges, i.e you simply don't have enough hours in the day. Have you got a go-to technique that works for you? Have you tried the Pomodoro technique? Let me know, I would love to hear about your experience.

PS. It took me 3 Pomodoros to write this email as well as the linked-to resource 🙂

PPS. When you are ready to work on your business profitability, to scale your business and to improve your productivity - reach out.