One Hundred Hours of Work and Ten Hours of Time

There is so much more to do than there is time. Every day, we think about all the things that have to get done and as soon as my mind wanders to all we have to do, it seems like a daunting task.

Every entrepreneur, at some point, will face some pretty harsh math. You have one hundred hours of work and ten hours of time to get it done. It is an impossible equation, right? Some tasks are big picture, some are tactical, some are immediate and some are longer term. For many entrepreneurs, you are years from revenue. Regardless, there are many daily items that need to get done and the ratio of tasks to time can be daunting.

It is not surprising then that entrepreneurs come to work, and instead of focusing on the tasks of the day, we worry about what is not getting done, or the big picture items must occur for the business to succeed. This is counterproductive. Focusing on the ninety-nine things that you can’t do that day or mentally jumping ahead to task that require multiple days is wasted time and effort.

“If you continue to prioritize each day’s list, your sense of accomplishment will grow exponentially.”

Your Change In Perspective

So how do you actually stay on track for the day?

  • Choose and Go. Once you have decided on your tasks for the day, stop worrying about other tasks and finish the ones in front of you.

In the movie Apollo 13, the spacecraft suffers damage and the astronauts move through a series of procedures to prepare the spacecraft for reentry into the Earth’s atmosphere. Given the damage, success is hardly assured. While they are working, Bill Paxton (who plays astronaut Fred Haise Sr.) questions whether Mission Control in Houston is giving the astronauts accurate information. Tom Hanks (who plays captain Jim Lovell) says: “All right, there’s a thousand things that have to happen in order. We are on number eight. You’re talking about number six hundred and ninety-two… We’re not going to go bouncing off the walls for ten minutes, because we’re just going to end up back here with the same problems!”

  • Work the Problem. Don’t spend your time thinking about what it. Spent your time and energy on the issue in front of you.
  • Focus. Focus on the items you have determined require your attention that day. The entrepreneur’s path to success is rarely built with “giant leaps for mankind” but steadily won with, determined, daily progress. When we chip away at today’s to-do list, we build powerful momentum for our business.

The more time you spend on the ninety items not on your list, the more you stunt the growth of the business. First, you are still not getting the ninety done. Second, you probably are doing a bad job with the ten you need to and actually can get done.

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