One lesson I continually learn in my journey of habit formation is the power of small, consistent goals. Achieving startling results can sometimes require herculean efforts. For example, last year, I ran over 1,000 miles. It might sound like a lot, if I only intended to run it in a month. Instead, I broke it down into smaller, more manageable distances. This approach allowed me to hit that considerable number over time.
I’m naturally inclined to try and accomplish goals in one giant leap, but this often leads to failure. For instance, I recently committed to better caring for our front yard. My first task was to weed the planter areas. Initially, it seemed like an overwhelming job. However, by dedicating just 20 minutes a day to it, I found it more manageable. I expect to finish the tendering of our front yard sometime this week without being subjected to a back-breaking, all-day endeavor.
If you need help to achieve your goals or even to get started, consider breaking them down into smaller tasks. The temptation to tackle everything all at once is strong but only sometimes effective. Intellectually, I understand this. Yet, the urge to “do it all now” still pops up.
When setting my goals, I make it a point to remind myself to break them into smaller tasks. I plan to work on these smaller tasks over a more extended period. Starting earlier and extending the timeline can be a safer and more effective approach for various activities.
Every year, I have the most free time from June to December.
One problem is that We’ve been working a lot since our team is small – just five of us in our office, and I’m the only one handling the money matters. Considering we make more than $4M in monthly sales, you can guess how hectic it is. I’ve made a schedule to manage my time better based on what’s most important to me.
My daytime job is like being the captain of a ship in unpredictable weather. As we operate our company with so few members, anything can impact all of us. If you’ve ever worked as an accountant, you might know what I mean – sometimes there’s too much work, and other times, not enough.
To smooth out my workload, I update our templates, do projects to automate some of the tasks, or create queries every month. I also ensure we follow the right rules to stay in line with SOX (a kind of business law). I mostly prepare for our yearly SOX audit, which takes place in July, April, and mid-May, until we start with a quarterly audit, budget, and consolidation report. This keeps me busy all year round, but I get a break from July to December. I will be tied up with Year End and preparing corporate tax returns between January to April.
During this time, I’m always excited about planning how to spend my time till December, when I get swamped again. Here’s what I want to do this year:
Travel: We decided to visit the Grand Canyon in October for about 4-5 days.
Learn about Greek and Roman Literature: I want to do this from July to October.
Earn more credits for my accounting designation by continuing my education from July to December.
Keep November to December open: I might study Greek and Roman Literature or learn about King Arthur.
Here’s what my priority list looks like:
Work: I mostly work from home except for Mondays. During my break, I won’t be working extra unless it’s really, really important.
House chores: I spend about 0.5 to 1 hour on this. We usually clean the house on Saturday mornings unless we’re having a family get-together.
Family gatherings: We don’t have them every day, but when we do, they’re usually on Saturday afternoons till early evenings.
Exercise: I work out for about 0.75 hours each day.
Piano: I practice for about 0.75 hours each day.
Professional education: I dedicate an hour to this every day except Saturdays and Sundays.
Greek & Roman Literature: I spend an hour reading up on this.
Time Schedule for 2023 2nd Half
Last modified on Jun 25, 2023
I’ve blocked out my time for all these activities.
Red blocks are for sleep – I will only change these if it’s a real emergency.
Green blocks are for other tasks. I’ll shuffle these around if something urgent arises based on my priorities.
Yellow blocks are for free time, which I usually spend reading or writing.
I’ve left some time open for writing because I’ve noticed that I struggle when I set aside time for it – it’s just a mental block. Instead, I’ll spend most of my free time writing or reading. I’ll probably use this time to write blog posts or read.
Every Sunday, I’ve blocked out an hour to review my schedule. If it seems too packed, I’ll tweak it. The hardest part for me is to stick to when I sleep and find enough time to read. I’m such a big fan of reading that I feel weird when I don’t get to do it. Whenever I feel stressed, reading is my go-to way to chill out.
I’ve left some wiggle room in my schedule, so I’ll manage just fine.
