TICK – TICK – TICK
On New Years Eve 1999 as a crowd counted down the final seconds of the 20th century, my bro-in-law Ted was struggling to wrap his mind around how fast time flies. He shook his head in disbelief. “Wow, here we are at the threshold of a brand new millennium.”
Where were you that night? Remember the hysteria? The media was in a frenzy over Y2K. The sky was falling, all the computers in the world were going to stop, the electrical grid was gonna shut down and we were all storing up fruit cans and bottled water.
Snap your fingers, a decade has flown by. Four days left before 2010.
How do you feel about how you’ve invested these last 10 years?
Most people feel life is too short, there’s not enough time to do what you want to do. Most folks come to the end of their life feeling like they never did most of the things they hoped. There just wasn’t enough time.
I say there IS enough time. I say time is *plentiful* for those who act purposefully.
Why do I say that?
Because of the 80/20 rule. 80/20 says: 50% of what gets accomplished happens in 1% of your time.
Which means if you replace ONE hour per day of mindlessly checking email, channel surfing and Facebooking…. or if you just DELEGATE one hour per day of $10 per hour tasks and tackle $1000 per hour projects instead – you’ll double your productivity.
First you must put a HIGH value on your time.
You need to say NO to more people.
You need to unsubscribe from more time-wasting emails.
You must move more and more $10/hour tasks off your plate to make room for the big stuff.
You plan your work every day, and work your plan. Get that stuff checked off your list.
Do you have a “bucket list”? A list of things you wanna do before you kick the bucket? I bet you can get 25% of that list crossed off in 2010 if you get serious about it.
Oddly, another secret to super productivity is taking time OFF.
I generally make it a habit to do no work on Sundays. I feel no guilt whatsoever about taking a 2 hour nap or doing some completely mindless or stupid activity. One day a week I say NO to all work.
Saying “NO” is one of the most powerful things you do in business, or in life.
Taking one day off every week and just enjoying yourself, taking a spiritual break and being with your family is one of the secrets to squeezing ALL the juice out of this orange called life.
There’s plenty of time. As long as you prize it highly.
TICK – TICK – TICK.
Perry Marshall
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About the Author
Perry Marshall has launched two revolutions in sales and marketing. In Pay-Per-Click advertising, he pioneered best practices and wrote the world's best selling book on Google advertising. And he's driven the 80/20 Principle deeper than any other author, creating a new movement in business.
He is referenced across the Internet and by Harvard Business Review, The New York Times, INC and Forbes Magazine.
19 Comments on “Time Flies…. and yes, there's enough”
Most likely the most helpful in addition to up-to-date information I got here throughout on this topic. I’m positive lucky that I saw your article by chance. I’ll be subscribing to your individual rss feed in order that I can have the newest posts. Get pleasure from every part here.
Thanks Perry, I’m totally in agreement. Time away from whatever you are working on is time well spent. Heres why..
– Frustration, anticipation, and expectations are always lurking with any new project and it pays to let those ‘good in small dose’ anxieties relax once in a while.
– It always seems to be a burden having to organize something ‘out side the box’ from the regular routine. The fact is, that it pays to allow the mind have something new to think about rather than fumbling over the same problem day in day out. A new outlook to on an old problem can be radically refreshing, and even ultra productive!
– Increasing energy levels. Even the most committed student will at times feel exhausted. I must admit that I am obsessively determined. When I am presented with a challenge that I accept, I make sure it’s done, even if it seems totally out of my depth at the time and a huge weight on my shoulders. I will persevere until the goal is reached and that could be anything from a one line strike through a line on my note pad list or a business goal that will probably take up the best part of years to see any results. Regardless, taking time out ultimately refreshes the mind, body and soul and that’s the truth. Return to those projects with a new outlook and perception to the same problems but with a fresh new outlook. If this sounds corny, then just try it yourself. Turn off the laptop, plan a break or a holiday for just two or three days and relax. Because we all deserve a little rest now and again and that results in optimum performance and a fresh new outlook on those old business problems that used to be.
Perry-
Thank you for your e-mails that always seem to ‘hit-the-spot’. You are making a difference in more than one level.
-Deb
Perry, if there was one single thing that you say that makes any sense (and all you say in your e-mails makes a lot of sense) that would be what you said in this post.
After uncountable hours of reading lots of books and materials from self-development experts, this year, even while being the most challenging for me, ever (I’m 31) I started to worry less (specially about money) and stopped doing things by myself.
I started to delegate tasks that didn’t add too much “value” to my life (probably they added some money, probably most of my income, actually, but I was missing the big stuff) and started to focus on more relevant things, things that not necesarily gave me more money at first, but now things seem to start changing.
My business (a software development company) started to gain mommentum after a tough year, my employees are working better now (not harder but better), I’m selling more, I’m doing less of the “hard work”, I’m having more fun and future looks so much clear now.
I’ve applied some of your concepts, not directly in an adwords campaign (because what you teach can be aplied in different aspects of a business). And I’m not saying all has been solved and I’m rich now, I would be a liar if I said such a thing, but I’ve changed the negative trend and I feel I’m in more control than before.
I just wanted to share this with you, I hope you all to achieve their dreams and goals. Stop working hard and start working better and having more fun. It’ll pay back in the near future.
Sincerely
Miguel
Miguel,
I’m proud of your progress and you should be too. You should celebrate every victory and don’t be ashamed of your misadventures.
Perry
Hi Perry,
Thank you for another uplifting and insightful email.
I always save reading your messages for a nice bit of quiet time to appreciate them fully.
I too, have been attacking the learning of IM for some years now, and find myself in a similar position as Rocky; lots of learning with little tangible returns, as yet. Thank you for your reply to him, “Also, remember that evolution in almost all endeavors tends to happen in fairly big jumps once in awhile, not so much in a steady, continuous upward path.” I’d forgotten that one!
Happy new year and decade to you and your family Perry :o)
Sincerely,
Sylvana
In biology they call it “Puntuated Equilibrium.”
While I like the 1-full-day-off idea, I employ it myself a little differently. Instead, for personal reasons I kinda need to take a 2-3 hours off each day, so I work 7 days but get regular cool-down time in 1 or 2 large chunks daily.
While taking this “vegging out” time relaxing on a park bench or people-watching in Starbucks, not only does it help me get centered in a personal way, but I’ve found it’s great for business reasons as well. It’s the only time of the day when I’m not actively directing my mind to do anything. As a result my mind gets to unwind on its own accord, and I find that loose ends in my work and life bubble up to the surface and get quickly tied up (resolved).
Moreover, I often get some of my best business ideas and (often simple!) solutions during these downtime sessions when I’ve made the space to relax and allow parts of my subconscious to bubble up into conscious awareness, sometimes offering some subtle-yet-helpful capacities like a relaxed intuition and/or foresight.
-Jake
I completely agree with your thoughts Perry, 1 day of no work is essential. However, the other 6 days you must dedicate yourself to your work. As a web marketer, i’m not ashamed that i dont have facebook. I stopped using it couple of years ago. I am shocked by how people waste their time on farmville and checking other people’s photos every single day. Instead i spend an extra hour daily studying/working on web marketing. I know i am on the right track. Maybe i will have my own farm one day…
Minutes after reading this I unsubscribed from some time-wasting emails. Thanks for the reminder!
I’m developing the list of $10/hr tasks I can delegate to others…then I just have to go out and find people to do them so I can focus on the bigger stuff.
Looking forward to the Mastermind Call tomorrow on time management…
Hi Perry and all readers. Season’s Greetings to you all.
Everything you said in your post was 100 percent spot on, but that’s to be expected. If people keep doing what they’re currently doing, ANOTHER decade will pass them by and they will STILL be where they are today!
Simple formula: Get off your rear end and get out there and make your mark! Simple, huh?
With the main focus being on the TRENDS concerning the ECOnomy and the ECOlogy, I have already named the working title for the next 10 years as being the ECOTRENDIES! Remember where you heard it – right here and right now!
Don’t ‘go with the flow.’ Create your OWN surging stream of positivity and productivity and reap the rewards. You can thank yourself later.
I wish everyone, EVERY success imaginable. It IS achievable!
John
http://theinnerguru.com
Thanks for the great words of wisdom. Valuing my time, using it wisely and honoring a “sabbath” day. Looking forward to many more years of learning from you.
Happy New Decade,
Dr. George
I’ve noticed just keeping a simple TTD (“things to do”) list for each day helps me be about 3 times more productive. I write about 5 – 10 goals down, and cross them off as I accomplish them throughout the day. Just doing this has help me catch up on projects I’ve been meaning to complete for months.
Perry, thank you. There are many ways to live your life but we need to use our time in the best way we can in order to add value to our life.
Fermin
Thanks Perry for the reminder. If you live your life according to your Governing Values, you will have Long-Range Goals that will give you peace of mind and a North of your life, after your intermediate goals will mark your day by day and finally, your daily tasks. If you live your life like this you will be master of your time and your life. What it is urgent, doesn’t mean it is important.
Rosemarie
Hey Perry,
I remember exactly where I was at the end of the last decade. My daughter was 3 and there seemed to be unlimited potential. Now she’s 13 and I’m stuck in a time warp…
Had some big plans back them and implemented them to the best of my ability. Studied (and spent) hard (including Adwords Bootcamp, PLF, Mass control, and lots more), but the score sheet doesn’t reflect the effort or the 10 years of time I’ve put in.
I make a reasonable living online now, but after 5 failed joint ventures that showed so much promise, another 70k or more spent on learning this stuff, and still not hitting the Jetstream or achieving any of my big goals, I’m just about over it all.
Just needed ONE thing to go right during the decade and the last 10 years would have been worth it. Now I’m just 10 years older…
Maybe 2010 will be the year where I can finally get my act together.
Best wishes for the new year,
Regards
Rocky
Rocky,
The 1990’s were very similar to this for me. Very little “tangible progress” after years of seriously hard work.
I switch jobs and suddenly everything I’m doing begins to bear fruit. Not very many new skills. Just a different context to apply them in.
The most important thing I could say to you is, don’t subject yourself to negative judgment about this. Just looking at the list of courses you’ve taken, I am certain that applied to the right market there’s a lot of success possible without a huge amount of effort. I would guess that you might be a very capable consultant.
Also, remember that evolution in almost all endeavors tends to happen in fairly big jumps once in awhile, not so much in a steady, continuous upward path.
Take courage and I wish you the very best for 2010, Rocky.
Perry
Thank you Perry,
I really appreciate you taking the time to reply. Yes the right opportunity is what I need to find. I’m not the ideas guy; I’m the engineer brained mechanic who works in the background and gets stuff done. I need a system that works in a kot of different applications that I can follow –
This is step 1, this is step 2, etc.
Problem has been that everything has so many variables (especially Adwords) that what works perfectly in one market cannot be easily used in another. The constant testing of stuff has cost me a lot of money, without ever really cracking anything that lasted. I make money for a few weeks, and then the ROI goes to hell when new competitors copy what I’ve been doing.
I’ve read your story of transition to Planet Perry in the Newsletter and I can so relate to your journey. So far I’ve been working very hard, and making everyone else money (sometimes a LOT of money) but I haven’t seen the fruits of that.
Hopefully 2010 will be the year I get it together and create what Dan Kennedy calls ‘The Phenomenon’ – I think I’ve earned it.
Best wishes,
Rocky
The end of the 2oth Century was £1st December 2000, Tock, Tock.
The Media got it wrong.