On a recent Q&A call, a student came to me, intrigued. She asked, “how do you get so much done?”
Case in point, on the day of that Q&A call…
I was traveling with my kids, meeting associates, managing my business, AND mentoring my students.
Grant and I always say that if you want something done… give it to a busy person. Why?
Because busy people know how to get stuff done!
Back in the day, I worked as a server in a restaurant. On days when the restaurant was empty, you’d see me constantly dropping balls.
But on days when we were slammed…
I delivered the right meals to the right people, 100% of the time. I cleared tables within seconds of patrons leaving.
If there was a spilled drink, or a dropped fork – I was on it.
A team of researchers at Columbia University wanted to prove that busy-ness really does boost productivity.
Here’s what they found after studying over 25,000 people:
Participants who juggled the most tasks… completed their tasks the quickest.
On average, the non-busy people took 32% more time to complete their tasks than busy people.
So, let’s say it takes me 45 minutes to write you this email on a busy day. And I write to you 5 times per week.
Based on the research I just mentioned, a non-busy person would spend 32% longer on the same task.
That’s another 15 minutes per email.
Multiply that by 5… and a non-busy person loses over an hour every week on this one, simple task.
Just think what you could do with that hour!
Then, think about how many hours non-busy people waste during bigger projects or other day-to-day tasks.
You can see how minutes of lost time can very quickly add up to lost hours, days, or even weeks!
Going back to my student’s question about how I get so much done…
I use my 10X planner.
Inside my planner, I plan my day by the hour. If you were to look inside my planner, you’d see I have almost zero blank space in my day.
To be clear…
I do work hard. But my day is not all about work.
I also schedule many non-work commitments like workouts and meaningful time with my kids.
There are reasons why I schedule my non-work commitments as diligently as my work activities. First, if I schedule these activities, I know I will complete them.
That’s very important!
Second, I need to stay motivated. It’s one thing to pack your planner with work tasks.
But at some point there has to be a payoff. For me, that payoff must align with my purpose and my values – like family, community, and joy.
If I worked 24/7, I would not be living my values. I would lose motivation. And I would fail to achieve my purpose.
And that’s why I schedule everything!
If you’re new to planning your day by the hour… you might not know how to pack your day with productive and motivating activities.
So start with the most obvious tasks first. These are your work projects, important phone calls, and meetings.
Then, look at your blank spaces and ask yourself:
How could I fill this time with activities that will serve my higher purpose?
You could do this by scheduling a game night with your family. Or volunteering in your community.
You could sign up for a gym class.
Or you could fill your blank spaces by expanding your mind through courses – like Build an Empire University.
I designed Build an Empire University so you can fit it neatly into your day.
When you log into your dashboard… you’ll see that each training video covers a specific mindset or behavior shift.
Each shift will help you move closer to your potential, while taking just 5-10 minutes of your time!
You’ll also find a short but powerful exercise to go with each lesson.
In less than 20 minutes per day, you could make huge leaps forward in your life, career, and relationships.
Wouldn’t you say that’s a better way to fill your schedule than scrolling on TikTok or watching reality TV?
Build an empire,
Elena Cardone
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