24 Usable Hours in Everyday

Empire Records played a huge role in my life as a teenager.  I wanted Deb's edginess, with the shaved head and dark, twisty side.  I wanted Gina's voice and sex appeal.  Most of all, I wanted to be Corey, with the perfect plaid skirt and the boundless energy, which as we learn, is supported by a nasty little addiction to speed. What I didn't recognize at the time is that going for 24 hours of the day is not a sustainable way to live or work.

Despite growing up and accepting the boundaries on time spent awake, I still admonish myself for anything less than about 90% productivity, which has made the past 6 months difficult.  When I relocated, I assumed that I would indeed be able to balance a full time job, training for marathons and building my own business.  (And no, I don't take speed.  A lot of coffee and sugar, but no speed.) I'll let you guess what of those efforts has slipped.  I am still gainfully employed, so there goes 40 hours a week.  I am back to running full time after an unexpected surgery this winter, so there go another 12 hours a week to training.  I do sleep 6 hours a night, so subtract another 42 hours a week.  Oh, did I mention that I'm taking Chemistry with a Lab for another 7 hours a week in class, plus studying time?

Obviously, the building of my business has slipped.  Every Friday at around 2 pm, I vow that this weekend, I am going to catch up.  I am going to write a blog entry, build my Twitter profile and start networking.  I am going to send out prospect letters and locate leads. And every Sunday at about 5, I am frustrated to find that it's time to plan meals, review my schedule and get ready for another week.

So my question to fellow do-it-allers is this: How did you/do you balance that start up phase of your business where you need to seemingly have an extra few hours every day? Is it just a matter of rearranging priorities?  Is it less sleep?  Is it some combination of luck and faith when you leave the full time job behind to focus on your business? 

And for those who haven't seen the movie, if you're 20 to 40, I imagine you'll appreciate it.


http://www.amazon.com/Empire-Records-Remix-Special-Fan/dp/B00008WJEQ/ref=pd_sim_m_1