24 hours in a day.

Well only 16-18 if you sleep 6-8 hours.

What are you truly getting "done" during this timeframe?!?

If you are new to this list, you may not know my full story, and why I have a huge problem with the corporate world.

I worked my ass off to get a degree in Industrial and Systems Engineering.

At the time, I had to manage my time between being a collegiate athlete, scholar, fraternity member, avid gym goer, and one heck of a partier....I was getting a lot done, and meeting a lot of people from all over. And while I look back and get upset with myself over some of the things I did, and who I was then...I am more upset with the system and where it lead me to.

At least during college I had the ability to DO IT ALL. To be a part of all the things I enjoyed. I had a spark in me...the spark wasn't utilized in the right way, but at least it was there.

And then I graduated. Like everyone else I was herded like a sheep to a desk. They got me there with the promise of high pay, possibility of international travel, and ability to learn from "higher ups"... (seriously just because someone sat at a desk for 10/15/20 + years and understands office politics better than me, makes them "higher" than me...what the fuck world do we live in).

The worst part about all of it...

My schedule was dictated by the company.

My worth started to be determined by when I showed and when I left....

rather than RESULTS.

So if you know me... you know this didn't last long.

^^^ how I felt lol. I knew I wasn't the sheep I was showing up as every day. I just needed some time to formulate my escape.

I started to game the system.

I asked if I could come in earlier and leave earlier.

7AM to 3PM rather than 9 to 5.

Why did I do this?

Because at 7AM barely anyone was there so I could actually get some shit done.... and by 3PM everyone started slacking and turning into zombies so I would bounce and go right to the gym.

The next step I took was leaving for 1.5 hour lunches / mid-day breaks ... sometimes even playing soccer with locals in the middle of the day.

And lastly, I blocked time at 2 points of the day to take 15 minute walks, usually around 930AM and 2PM.

^^^

I did all of this because I was and always have been focused on RESULTS.

I am strict about asking...

1. What the fuck needs to get done?
2. Why does it need to get done?
3. How can it get done as efficiently as possible?

Number 3 is the one that most people fail to do. Most people's ego gets in the way and they bottleneck themselves with a ton of work. Rather, I always ask myself "can someone else do this better than me?" And if so, I shuffle the work off, and make strict deadlines.

Some pro tips ...

1. Pick up the phone more. I can get way more done calling people and then follow up with an email to keep track. Most people write 3 emails, and waste a week of time, when they could have just picked up the phone and been direct PICK UP THE PHONE, USE YOUR VOICE, BE A LEADER, GET YOUR RESULTS NOW... even if you are at the "bottom."
2. TRACK EVERYTHING YOU DO. I legitimately had a weekly word doc of everything I was working on, and the RESULTS I achieved dated. This was one hell of a leverage piece when it came to end of year reviews. NOBODY ELSE DID THIS BUT ME. Most people are "too busy" to track anything they are doing. They just show up and get sucked into the vortex every day.
3. Say NO to meetings, even to "higher ups." A lot of new employees fall into the pressure of sitting in meetings that they don't need to be in. I never cared enough about corporate politics (or any politics in general) to raise my hand to take part in meetings. Unless I thought I was going to be speaking, or had something of value to bring, I literally would duck out of meetings, or not show up at all. Your results are not attached to some joe schmo blabbering for 20 extra minutes about the epic football game he went to last weekend... STOP LETTING JOE SCHMO WASTE YOUR TIME!

Okay this email is getting long, so I will clip it here. Moral of this entire story...

Don't let your results be determined by the number of hours you spend at your desk everyday!

Eventually I quit the corporate world altogether because I realized I could get my "work" done in a gym, out in a sun, chilling in a sauna... tanning on the beach .... my results are not determined by a specific location.

And the fact is, when I took away the corporate BS out of my life, I got 10x + more done in a day... IN LESS TIME.

Let me be clear, I am not telling you to quit your job. I actually believe almost everyone should keep them! However, I am saying that you should start taking control of the results in your life. Stop allowing them to be dictated by the "hours" a company, or other people try to bestow on you. Stand up for yourself!

Have a wonderful Wednesday!

#thriveon

CJ

p.s. today I am grateful for the virtual Small Business Management class I started teaching yesterday for teens. It is worth 6 college credits...it is a dream come true of mine to be a part of the positive change of our the education system.