#1: Sleep

Yes, it’s important to get a lot, but the Internet has swung way too far on the sleep bandwagon. For the most part, 6–6.5 hours is going to get you as far as 8 would.

Get the minimum effective dose and use the extra 90 minutes to change your life.

#2: “Good” hobbies/interests

Before I started my site, I was really into fiction writing. I mean I loved it. At the start of 2015, I had a novel and a sequel draft completed, and was shopping for agents. The start of a different series was in progress. When I started seeing some momentum in my non-fiction writing, it was a tough task to step away. I needed all those characters I’d poured so much love into. But at the end of the day, I chose to go this direction. I haven’t written a page of fiction in 9 months, and I miss it daily.

But I am a chronic non-finisher. I want to explore this part of my life. The part you’re reading right now. Turns out I’m a decent motivator.

If you’re having trouble dropping the good to get to the great say these words to yourself:

“I can always come back to it later”

Because you can.

#3: Your lunch break

When I started my first big corporate job, I couldn’t believe how much time people took for lunch — an hour??? Are you kidding? It was more like 90 minutes on Fridays.

Innocent on their own, these lunches were commonly taken to people who complained about how they could never get ahead at work, were poor, and didn’t see life ever improving.

For the most part, I scarfed my lunch down in 15 minutes and either got back to work or started on one of my side projects. Again, we’re talkingminimum effective doses here. You do need breaks.

Just not as much as you think you do.

#4: Old friends and habits

I hate writing about removing people from your life because most of my peers suggest it’s easy to cut out 10-year relationships from your routine in the name of “getting more done.”

As a matter of fact, I go once a week and drink margaritas and eat Mexican food with some friends and family. I don’t see that as a damaging habit. However, when I’m in full book launch mode later this year, I might not do that.

Be intentional with your time. Don’t get rid of all your friends. Just be aware of who you’re spending it with and how much of it you’re giving away to people who don’t really deserve it.

#5: Old ideas

These usually come in the form of a teacher, parent, or other voice from your past and include (but are not limited to) these:

“Get your head out of the clouds”

“You’ll never be _____”

“The rich just get richer and the poor get poorer”

“Life is hard”

“_____ has to be that way.”

“We weren’t meant for success.”

“Use some common sense”

Part of being successful is changing your self talk. Start by avoiding these phrases.

#6: Control of the unimportant things

Breakfast. Traffic. Mean people. Email. Most of the career-frustrated people I know are obsessed with some or all of those things.

In the last 6 months while I’ve been working on a big project at work, my finances have gotten a little out of control. They became “unimportant” for the time being. While I am now busy cleaning up the mess, ignoring them for a little while did allow me to sew other seeds. (The additional focus also contributed to nearly doubling my salary in the last two years)

This one goes along with the “good” hobbies point. There are only so many hours in the day. How many of them are you spending on things that don’t matter?

#7: Opinions of other people

It’s tempting here to throw some hustle-happy quotes like “Lions do not lose sleep over the opinions of sheep” or “bullfrogs are not concerned with other bullfrogs croaking in different rhythms.” (I made that one up, can you tell?)

Instead, let me just say that other people’s opinions do actually matter. If 6,000 say “you suck,” I would say your chances at success are not terribly good with that audience. It’s time to a) find a new audience or b) get better. BUT you do not control those opinions.

Use them as a compass, but not a ruler.

#8: The Results

Hard-headed grip on the outcome of a project can be a sure-fire way to make sure that project never gets done. At the end of the day, you do the best you can. Everything past that point is out of your control.

#9: Perfection

Boy, was this a tough one for me.

I grew up in the printed news business, which meant every story I wrote went through at least 3 editors before it got to publication. When I became an editor myself I realized something — perfection is impossible. The paper would go to print and we’d all still find problems. Does this mean you should turn in shoddy work? Of course not.

But at times, you may have to slowly loosen your clenched fist…

And let it go.