Early in August this year, I observed a peculiar behaviour — I woke up at 4:30 am every single day but didn’t start my work before 5:45 or 6 am. Guess what was I doing in between? Checking emails, messages, and watching YouTube videos!
For some reason, wasting my time, energy, and attention to the stupid activities above felt important. Even watching those instructional videos on how to do a proper Kesa Gatame choke felt important — knowing all that helps me improve my jujutsu game after all.
But losing out 60-90 minutes every day on low priority activities cost me 30-45 hours that month! That’s like a whole work week! I could’ve done so much more at that time.
Of course, whining about lost time seldom helps. So, I made a change — after turning off the alarm, I put my phone right back on the bedside and go to my study. This simple hack has helped me reclaim those lost hours in the morning. More than anything else I’ve tried in the past!
The big lesson I learned was this — you don’t let the world dictate your agenda, you do. And that might mean distancing yourself from the phone during the wee hours of the morning when you want to focus on your highest leverage activities.
If you’re using your phone as an alarm clock, buy a dedicated alarm clock. It costs less than $6, which is peanuts compared to the 30-45 hours of your life you will end up wasting each month doing absolutely nothing. Last I heard, our time is still limited. Please don’t waste it.