How I find time for EVERYTHING (even with a full time job)
Summary
TLDRMike, a former full-time doctor, shares how he overcame burnout and developed a time-management system that prioritizes health, relationships, and productivity. He explains that time management isn't just about managing time, but also energy and focus. By aligning these elements and using strategies like identifying focus windows, managing circadian rhythms, and living life in seasons, Mike transformed his life. He now teaches this system to others through his Study Quest program, offering actionable steps to regain control of time and achieve a balanced, fulfilling life.
Takeaways
- 💼 Mike used to work as a full-time doctor with 12-hour shifts, working 60 to 80 hours per week, which led to burnout and lack of balance in his life.
- ⚡ He realized that time management alone wasn’t enough; effective productivity requires managing time, energy, and focus together.
- 🧠 Mike identified that focusing on ‘windows of focus’ rather than ‘windows of time’ helped him prioritize cognitively intensive tasks like studying.
- 🌅 Morning focus windows, when the mind is fresh, work well for many people, but Mike stresses finding the personal ‘golden pocket of focus’ for each individual.
- 📋 Keeping a focus log for 5 to 7 days helps track how well your focus is being used and spot areas where it could be optimized.
- 🌞 Managing energy through alignment with circadian rhythms is key, including adjusting sleep patterns and exposure to sunlight to maintain alertness.
- ⏳ Time management is about setting priorities—often, people claim they lack time when it’s really a question of focus and priority alignment.
- ✂️ The AED method—Automate, Eliminate, Delegate—helps free up time by cutting out unnecessary tasks or delegating them to others.
- 🗓 Mike advocates living life in seasons, focusing on different priorities depending on the season of life, and allowing flexibility for changing focus over time.
- 🚫 Saying 'no' to things today doesn’t mean it’s forever—it just helps you focus on what matters most in the current season, allowing growth for future opportunities.
Q & A
What was the main issue Mike faced when managing his time?
-Mike initially believed time management was only about time, but he later realized it involves aligning time, energy, and focus management.
How did Mike's work schedule contribute to his burnout?
-Mike worked 12-hour shifts, often 60 to 80 hours a week, and also had to study for his boards, leaving him no time for self-care, health, hobbies, or social connections.
What does Mike mean by a 'window of focus'?
-A 'window of focus' refers to a period during the day when a person’s focus is naturally high, allowing them to concentrate better on cognitively demanding tasks.
Why is identifying a 'golden pocket of focus' important for time management?
-Finding a golden pocket of focus ensures that you are using your mental energy during the most productive time of the day, making it easier to stay on task and resist distractions.
What strategy did Mike use to improve his energy levels after long shifts?
-Mike adjusted his sleep schedule and exposure to sunlight, aligning his circadian rhythms by setting both a wake-up alarm and a bedtime alarm to ensure 7-8 hours of sleep.
How did Mike learn to align his circadian rhythms?
-He learned about ultradian rhythms, the natural cycles of alertness during the day, and shifted his sleep and wake times to align his energy and focus.
What does Mike recommend for improving focus during monotonous tasks?
-Mike suggests using a focus log, where you track your focus throughout the day and intentionally direct it to productive activities, even during routine tasks like commuting or waiting.
What are Mike’s two main strategies for time management?
-Mike uses two main strategies: AED (Automate, Eliminate, Delegate) to free up time and living life in 'seasons,' where you prioritize goals relevant to your current stage in life.
How does Mike suggest managing priorities when feeling overwhelmed?
-Mike suggests saying no to certain activities during a specific season of life to focus on what truly matters, knowing that opportunities may reappear in future seasons.
What role does energy management play in Mike's time management system?
-Energy management is crucial because, without sufficient energy, it’s impossible to maintain focus or take action, regardless of how much time you have.
Outlines
😫 Struggles with Burnout as a Doctor
Mike shares his experience as a full-time doctor working long hours, often 60 to 80 hours a week, while preparing for his board exams. His intense schedule left him burnt out, with no time for personal care, hobbies, or friends. He realized that if he didn’t make a change, it could impact his well-being and even the safety of his patients. After years of learning, he discovered a time management system that helped him prioritize his health, relationships, and business growth alongside his demanding medical career. He now teaches this system in his Study Quest program, helping others regain control of their time.
🧠 The Importance of Time, Energy, and Focus Alignment
Mike explains why his initial time management failures stemmed from thinking time was the only factor. He learned that time, energy, and focus must all align to be effective. He compares focus to a battery, which drains throughout the day, making it harder to resist temptations like relaxing after work or socializing. By identifying 'windows of focus,' such as early mornings when the mind is fresh, Mike adjusted his schedule to focus better. He stresses that everyone has different windows of focus and suggests keeping a focus log for 5-7 days to track and optimize these periods.
🔋 Managing Energy to Stay Productive
Mike discusses how energy levels can be a missing component in managing productivity, especially after long, exhausting shifts. He recalls his own struggle to balance irregular shifts as a night doctor, which disrupted his sleep patterns. This experience led him to learn about circadian and ultradian rhythms—biological cycles that affect focus and energy. To align these rhythms, he advises setting both a sleep and wake-up alarm to ensure 7-8 hours of sleep, along with exposure to sunlight (or artificial light) to boost alertness. He provides tips for managing energy, which he covers in more depth in another video.
⏳ Creating More Time by Shifting Priorities
Mike challenges the common belief that there isn’t enough time in the day, explaining that time management is more about prioritizing tasks. He recommends two strategies: AED (Automate, Eliminate, Delegate) and living life in seasons. AED helps free up time by automating tasks, delegating them, or cutting them out altogether. He acknowledges how hard it can be to say no, especially to people or opportunities you care about, but stresses that saying no to less important things now allows focus on what truly matters. Life seasons, such as becoming a doctor or growing a business, require different priorities, and accepting that helps manage time better.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Time Management
💡Energy Management
💡Focus Management
💡Circadian Rhythms
💡Ultradian Rhythms
💡Burnout
💡Prioritization
💡Focus Log
💡Automate, Eliminate, Delegate (AED)
💡Seasons of Life
Highlights
Burnout from overworking led to prioritizing a better work-life balance.
A time management system was developed to align time, energy, and focus, improving productivity.
The realization that time management isn’t just about managing time but also energy and focus.
Focus works like a battery: it drains over time, making it harder to resist distractions.
Scheduling focus windows based on when focus is highest (e.g., early mornings) can significantly improve productivity.
Different people have different focus windows based on their brain types (e.g., early risers vs. night owls).
Keeping a 'focus log' for 5-7 days can help track and improve how you direct your focus throughout the day.
Mindful use of focus, like during monotonous tasks, can unlock more productive time (e.g., commuting time).
Energy management is essential: after a long shift, it's harder to focus and work effectively.
Learning about circadian and ultradian rhythms can help align focus with natural energy cycles.
Shifting sleep patterns and incorporating sunlight exposure can help reset and optimize circadian rhythms.
Time constraints are often due to prioritization rather than actual lack of time.
Automate, eliminate, and delegate tasks to free up time for more important activities.
Labeling your life into seasons (e.g., career, family) helps align focus with current priorities.
Saying no to non-priorities in one season allows you to say yes to what really matters in that period.
Transcripts
hey I'm Mike and I used to work
full-time as a doctor I had 12- hour
shifts I worked 60 to 80 hours a week
and I worked overnight my work absorbed
my entire life and to make things worse
I also needed to study for my boards and
because of this I had no time to take
care of myself I let go of my health my
hobbies my friends and I was completely
burnt out and I knew that if something
didn't change that my life would fall
apart or worse I could harm a patient
and so after years of learning and
experimentation I found a simple
system that completely changed how I
manage my time it's what allowed me to
prioritize my health my relationships
and even grow a business while working
full-time as a doctor but I know this
system works because I've taught it to
hundreds of students in my study Quest
program so no matter how busy life gets
you can understand these principles you
can regain control of your time but to
understand why this system works I want
to explain what it was that I got so
wrong when it came to time management in
the first place the reason I kept
failing to manage my time was because I
thought it was only about time but it's
not you actually need time energy and
focus management to all be aligned if
you're missing one of these three things
and it's not going to work and that's
why it often feels so hard to make time
outside of work because you need the
plan is to be in perfect alignment but
once I understood the simple shift
things became so much easier so what
happens when we're missing Focus think
of your ability to focus like a battery
when we're well rested the battery is
full full but over the course of a day
that WI a 12-hour shift at the hospital
the battery is going to drain and what
happens when the battery is drained
we're not going to have the willpower to
resist Temptations when I get home from
work and I see a cozy couch and Netflix
or even when I get off of work and my
friends want to grab a drink or grab
some food even though I know I need to
study I'm not going to be able to resist
that Temptation and go hang out with
them so then I thought how do I avoid
getting into these situations in the
first place because there are moments in
the day where it's easier to focus so
what I mean is instead of scheduling a
window of time to study I'll schedule a
window of focus this window I know my
focus will be high a great window focus
is early in the morning when her battery
is fully charged from a good night's
rest plus when everyone else is sleeping
there's no one to bother you or distract
you so for me instead of studying an
hour after work I move my window to wake
up and study an hour before work but
it's not always that simple I'm not
telling everyone to just wake up earlier
right that's not the point the point is
to find that golden pocket of focus in
your day if you need to make time to do
something cognitively intense like
studying or working on your business or
side hustle or writing anything that
uses your brain then you need absolute
Focus for many people it will be early
in the morning but for others like if
you're a night owl or some different
brain type then your pocket of focus
might be different and if you're
interested we've already made videos
about the brain types here check it out
to learn more about your unique brain
now what you can do is also keep a focus
log a focus log log is where you pay
attention to where your focus is at all
times and I'd recommend you doing this
for about 5 to 7 days so what I do is I
run through in my head from the moment I
wake up that day to the moment I go to
bed where is my focus pointing at all
times then I ask myself is my focus
being used wisely here so when I'm
sitting on the toilet am I throwing my
focus away to Tik Tok or can I better
aim that focus at maybe watching a study
Quest lesson when I'm commuting to work
or sitting on the train I can direct my
focus to either listen to music or
listen to a business podcast and level
up my business right just because your
body is occupied with something doesn't
mean that your focus is occupied it's
kind of like in meditation where you
stay mindful of your breathing well in
this case you're trying to stay mindful
of your focus and by doing this
routinely you can identify that oh
there's this really repetitive or really
monotonous part of my day where I can
actually use my focus more intentionally
so that's Focus now what if the missing
piece of the equation is energy it
doesn't matter how much time I have the
only thing I want to do after a 12-hour
shift at the hospital is sleep so not
having energy is actually a double
whammy right you have no energy and you
have no focus when I first started
trying to wake up early to study I'll
admit that it was really difficult
because your body is still kind of
groggy after just waking up but for me
it was even worse because I was also a
night doctor so some weeks I'd have to
wake up at 6:00 a.m. for work and other
weeks I'd have to wake up at 6:00 p.m.
for work and this flip-flopping just
completely wrecked me but it forced me
to learn about the circadian rhythms
most of us have heard about the stages
of sleep right you start in a light
sleep and then you descend into the
deepest stage which is REM sleep and
then it just Cycles back and forth
there's something similar that happens
to you when you're awake right with the
ultradian rhythms it's different levels
of alertness that also cycle back and
forth if this is my focus and this is my
rhythm then I want to shift it so that
they're both in alignment with each
other so how do you shift your circadian
rhythm well there's two quick and easy
strategies here so first you want to
shift your window of sleep right so when
I was trying to wake up earlier Not only
was i setting an earlier alarm clock but
I was also setting an earlier bedtime
alarm to go to sleep an hour earlier and
this was great because I was trying to
make sure to get my 7 to 8 hours of
sleep maximizing on my REM sleep and
waking up feeling well rested and then
the second thing was that when I did
wake up I try to get some sunlight
sunlight sends signals to the brain to
be more awake and if you do this
consistently at the same time every day
day after day then your circadium Rhythm
will start to shift towards that now for
me sometimes when I'm on my night shift
I wake up at 6:00 p.m. and so the sun is
already down so i' use artificial light
instead doesn't feel as cozy as actual
sunlight it does get the job done there
are so many more sleep strategies to
make sure that you're well rested and
you have the energy it's a topic that I
go into detail in this video here if
you're interested now let's look at the
third scenario where we're missing time
from the equation we all have the same
24 hours in a day so why do people have
more time than others and this is not a
trick question I used to always think
that I don't have time for something but
actually it's just that I don't consider
it a priority and priorities are just
how we rank things according to how much
Focus we want to give it so in a very
weird way not having enough time comes
back around to just not being
intentional with your focus the fastest
and easiest way to unlock more time is
to just go into your phone and look at
your screen time if you want to be
spending an hour of your day on Tik Tok
or Instagram that's fine right that's
your priority but it's totally up to you
but there are two strategies that really
help me when it comes to time first is
AED automate eliminate delegate if an
app or AI can do it for you then
automate it if it doesn't need to be
done by you then delegate it and the
most important one here is to eliminate
for me eliminating things from my life
was one of the hardest things to do
especially if it meant letting someone
else down I struggle with this so much
during the early days of my business
people wanting to work on projects and
do Partnerships with us and it's just
really hard to say no to people that you
really like but but if you're able to
stop caring about what people think then
that's the ultimate superpower you'll
unlock so much time now the second
strategy I'd recommend is to live your
life in Seasons I was in a season of my
life where my goal was to become a
doctor and during that time I
prioritized my focus on the things
necessary for becoming a doctor first
the priority was to study and keep my
body and brain healthy so that I could
study that was the focus and any extra
time I had could go wherever else I
wanted to but by labeling our current
season of life either by months or by
years it really helps us see the big
picture of what really matters and now
I'm in the season of my life where I'm
growing my business and soon I'll be in
a season of my life where I'm growing a
family and in each season my priorities
change accordingly so just because we
say no to something today in this
current season doesn't mean that we
can't consider it later in the next
season it's just a no for now but when
you say no to something it innately
means that you're also saying yes to
what really matters I will ignore and
stop doing all the things my life that
aren't helping me grow so that I can
focus on what will help me grow because
if I continue to grow and get better
every day then those opportunities that
I said no to will always be waiting for
me in a different season of life so when
you're unsure of how to manage your time
outside of work and you feel like you
never have time or energy for anything
then just think about the simple
equation think about what's missing here
and then take the simple actions to
start course correcting your life we
teach a lot of science-based strategies
like this one in our program Link in
description if you're interested and if
you want some step-by-step guides on how
to actually schedule your time and be
more productive then I would check out
this video right here
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