Everything takes time.
Working on your most important project takes time
Processing email and attending meetings takes time
Having dinner with your family takes time
Playing with your kids or going on a family vacation takes time
Writing this email takes time
You see, we all have the same 24 hours. You, me, and everyone else.
Time is the great equalizer.
Time — not motivation — is your bottleneck.
And because you have limited time, there’s only so much you can do.
So the question is not: do you have time?
But rather: what are you investing your time on?
You see…
Time management isn't really about "managing" time.
It’s about trade-off management.
You either pick A or B.
If you’re working at 6 PM, you’re not making time to play with your kids.
If you’re working at 8 PM, you’re not making time to have dinner with your family.
And if you’re still working at 10 PM, you’re not making time to tuck your kids in or spend time with your partner.
You can have one or the other.
But not both.
Most of the time, you’re not making a conscious decision.
If I asked you right now:
“Would you rather spend more time with your kids before dinner or processing email?”
Which one would you pick?
Easy, right?
But which one do you actually end up doing most of the time?
The same happens at work:
“Would you rather spend your time working on your most important project or attending meetings?”
Again, you know your preference.
But is that what you’re doing on your days, on your weeks?
That’s why:
Time management = Trade-off management.
When you say “no”, you say “no” to one thing.
But when you say “yes”, you say “no” to a thousand things.
Say “no” to merely good options so you have the time to say “yes” to amazing opportunities.
So you can make time to play with your kids, have dinner with your family, and spend time with your partner.
And during work hours, so that you can work on your most important projects and develop your skills.
P.S.
I’m closing down access to 5 PM Freedom tomorrow.
For this group - I’ve included a 1-1 call where you'll get crystal clear on your goals & plan to get home by 5 PM without dropping the ball at work.
If you want in before I close it down, reply “LAST CHANCE” to this email and I’ll enroll you.
Dan