For much of my fighting career, I traveled and traveled and traveled. The vast majority of the time, the traveling was justified by the high level of training I was receiving. There were times though, that I wondered if a good workout near my town was equal to or better than a really good workout three hours away. It was a constant battle of deciphering the total value of each experience.
One thing I began to notice through all of this was my view on productivity. I would think to myself, “I’m putting in the time traveling, thus, I’m being as productive as I possibly can.” I equated overall time invested to overall productivity. I was doing something (driving), so that must be better than doing nothing.
This brings us to the idea of busyness vs. productivity. When I hear myself say how I’m too busy or I don’t have enough time for something, I have to remind myself that the most successful people in the world have the most things going on in their lives. Billionaire Richard Branson (Virgin Records/Virgin Airways) has a multitude of businesse responsibilities, Mark Zuckerberg (Facebook), Jeff Bezos (Amazon) all have TONS more responsibilities than I do.
The key here is weeding out the unimportant.
In Tim Ferriss’ book, The 4-Hour Workweek, he states that “lack of time is actually lack of priorities.” I know this to be true 1st-hand.
Identify your priorities, watch the time-wasters disappear, and watch your time miraculously increase. I still falter, but when I’m on point, I get so much more done in so much less time. Sure, I’ve given up some short-term-satisfaction activities (Netflix, Internet surfing), but I spend much more time on the things that matter.
Take an inventory of your time and see how much of it is spent on being busy vs. being productive.
I’d love to hear your thoughts via comments below or via my email list. I’m all ears!
-Spaniard
About the author : cbrenneman
Three days after the birth of his second child, The Spaniard discusses Fathership (a Spaniard term): his gratitude, his hopes, his plans, and how little he and his wife are sleeping. What does this mean for you? The tale involving Sheetz will make you think about the power of example. The discussion of summer camp and iffy acquaintances will help you watch for good and bad influences. The story in the hospital will alert you to opportunities to make simple, difficult decisions for growth. Whatever your relationship to parenting—past, present, future, never—there are thoughts here to help you put your arms around what matters most to you. Also: The three inspirations for the new baby’s name!
Three days after the birth of his second child, The Spaniard discusses Fathership (a Spaniard term): his gratitude, his hopes, his plans, and how little he and his wife are sleeping. What does this mean for you? The tale involving Sheetz will make you think about the power of example. The discussion of summer camp and iffy acquaintances will help you watch for good and bad influences. The story in the hospital will alert you to opportunities to make simple, difficult decisions for growth. Whatever your relationship to parenting—past, present, future, never—there are thoughts here to help you put your arms around what matters most to you. Also: The three inspirations for the new baby’s name!
Latest videos
It’s host versus co-host. The Spaniard finds competition essential while Dread questions that. The Spaniard gives a wrestler’s and fighter’s appreciation of flesh-and-blood opponents: how they have shaped him, how they have often obsessed him, and how he sometimes has to search for their equivalents. The conversation highlights how competitors personify high standards and how the highest performance might require a winner and a loser. Also: Will baby Rocky let The Spaniard work out?
It’s host versus co-host. The Spaniard finds competition essential while Dread questions that. The Spaniard gives a wrestler’s and fighter’s appreciation of flesh-and-blood opponents: how they have shaped him, how they have often obsessed him, and how he sometimes has to search for their equivalents. The conversation highlights how competitors personify high standards and how the highest performance might require a winner and a loser. Also: Will baby Rocky let The Spaniard work out?
It’s host versus co-host. The Spaniard finds competition essential while Dread questions that. The Spaniard gives a wrestler’s and fighter’s appreciation of flesh-and-blood opponents: how they have shaped him, how they have often obsessed him, and how he sometimes has to search for their equivalents. The conversation highlights how competitors personify high standards and how the highest performance might require a winner and a loser. Also: Will baby Rocky let The Spaniard work out?
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