For the longest time in my life, I’ve struggled with finding balance. I was always the guy that would get ridiculously excited about something and then let my world revolve around it until I lose interest. This has happened with everything from golf and rock climbing (which I usually get reinvigorated on about once a year) to business start up ideas. Oh the business ideas. I could go on for days with things that I was convinced would be the best businesses ever, only to lose interest a week later.
The point here is that rather than staying level headed and continuing to live a balanced life amidst the new found obsessions, I’d let them dictate how my life went. It is a very unflattering trait considering the lack of follow through on all of these things. It may not be so bad if in the process I became a scratch golfer and a millionaire 20 times over after selling so many successful businesses. But alas, this is not the case.
It can be even more difficult to find balance in an entrepreneurial and/or location independent situation. At least in a 9 to 5, you know that work is (hopefully) only going to take up those hours of the day. You have a convenient one hour window during lunch where you can work out, and then the rest of the time is spent doing whatever it is you want to be doing.
Well now I have 24 hours in a day to do whatever it is I want to be doing. Things aren’t so convenient anymore, and without a little discipline I end up letting Mr. Tropical MBA buy me buckets of beers every night.
NOTE: I should probably mention I’m at a bar drinking beer right now…well hey, I’m getting better at balance already! But I digress.
Manila as seen from the Helipad of my apartment
Now I have to force myself to structure my life in a way that I will be productive, and it has taken a lot of trial and error to figure out what that magical formula is. Even now that I know what it is, it certainly isn’t always easy to follow through. Much of this relates back to my post about Pretending to Have a Boss. I’m usually most successful when I plan in advance, and treat my life as though I have “real” job; although there are definitely people who disagree with this as evidenced by some of the comments.
If I don’t plan, I fail. Simple as that.
The days I’m most productive are the ones where I set a schedule the night before. I have a to-do list, which is set in stone. Meaning, once I finish something, I don’t add more stuff to the list. In an environment where you are thinking about work or projects 24/7 it allows you to remember to take some time to enjoy life! I should clarify that most of what I do I don’t consider work, since it excites me and I enjoy doing it. But sometimes even that isn’t enough to let procrastination slip in.
There are also a few key bullet points I’ve found to be absolutely vital to the idea of maintaining a balanced life:
- Get Enough Sleep. This week I got my first cold since I’ve been in Asia. I think the biggest reason for this was not getting enough sleep. I’m not gonna lie, when buckets of beer are only 3 bucks, it makes it really easy to stay out way too late. Especially considering that drinking seems to be about all people do in this country. You think I’m joking…
Note: I am not the alcoholic that this post is making me out to be.
- Exercise and Eat Well. I’ve never been very good at either of these things. Sure there have been periods of time where I’ve stuck to a fairly diligent workout schedule and ordered a salad instead of a cheeseburger, but let’s face it, it is way easier to be lazy and eat like it’s going out of style. This is a huge issue here in the Philippines. You are surrounded by American fast food joints, and Filipino food is even MORE unhealthy than that, if you can believe it. I think I’ve gained about 10 pounds in a week and a half. Since I finally made a vow to eat fruit, drink water, and swim 20 laps a day, I’ve felt better than I have in a long time. Well, at least I do today – the first day in weeks that I combined tips 1 and 2 together…I’ll let you know how tomorrow goes.
- Forget About Work. As I mentioned earlier, work can have a tendency to consume you if you let it. SO DON’T LET IT. Make time for all the things you really want to be doing. This goes for those of you in jobs too. I know a ton of people who have months of vacation time saved up, but feel too bad about using them. Take your vacations. Go to Bali with me.
- Ignore the Fact that these are Really Generic Tips. Because you know what? They are absolutely true. This is one of those posts that I’ll go back and review once a month when I forget all of the stuff that I am talking about here. Sometimes the answers are simple, you just need a good reminder.
Balance is essential to success in life. If you over indulge in one aspect or completely ignore another, it’s going to catch up with you eventually. That’s something I know you can all attest to as well. It doesn’t matter if it is drinking too much, working too much, not working enough, or even not having enough fun - life is a balancing act, so join the circus.
I’ve really gained perspective on this lately. Sometimes it takes being out of your element for a bit to bring things back to the basics of what is important and how to achieve that.
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Well you earned your beer today partner! Great post, agreed its so tough to keep disciplined. I think part of the reason I set up an office here in Manila is to impose that discipline that is required to hit some much bigger goals. Looking forward to seeing that stuff through with you on the team
@Dan Looking forward to seeing the stuff through as well!
@Christiaan Waking up early is really important for me, as it is between 7 and 12 that I usually feel most productive. The hard part is actually getting out of bed. They make snooze buttons way to convenient! And glad that I’m not the only one who is like that!
@Floreta Hows the vegetarian thing coming along? I don’t think I could handle it, especially not in this country!
@Simon I haven’t read a ton of Seth Godin’s stuff but that one book always stood out in my mind for some reason, and its one I actually picked up this week. Hopefully it lives up to expectations!
@Larry I’ve never heard of that before, but that sounds like exactly what I am!
@Joel It can be a really tough thing to overcome! I’m interested to check out your post on the topic.
@Lou I absolutely agree that you can’t sustain a lifestyle like that long term. Sure there are definitely times when you need to make sacrifices for the sake of the business, but you have to keep things in perspective and not turn it into a permanent habit.
@Tony Agreed about the to do list. Everyone has their own schedule that works, I always wish I was able to work out in the morning, but it always makes me more tired than when I woke up. Its cool that you found what works for you, that will go a long ways just getting out of school.
@Tate That was TOTALLY a good idea. Still is. psh.
@Natasha Thanks for stopping by! Anything I should be checking out in Manila while I am here?
“always the guy that would get ridiculously excited about something and then let my world revolve around it until I lose interest”
Thanks God! Here I was thinking that I was the only one on earth suffering from that condition.
Getting enough sleep every night (and preferably, get some of that sleep before midnight) is very important for balance indeed. Getting up at normal hours (say 6:30-7:30) is just as vital. Of course followed by a descent breakfast.
“Failure to plan is planning to fail” Keep that one in mind every day you wake up and you’ll do just fine. Once you know what it is you should plan anyways.
You know I’m jealous about the view from that helipad right? Nice blogpost yet again Sean, looking forward to your reviews of it.
ahhh the food here is so unhealthy for sure! I love Filipino food, usually, but coming back this year has kind of grossed me out since I tend to eat healthier in the states… Losing my taste for meat here too. Glad I’m experimenting as a vegetarian.
Nice one, Sean. You’re not the only who lacks motivation after their first burst of excitement. It’s starts when the ‘easy progress’ is over and where the hard work kicks in (I’m sure you dealt with this during your blogging). It’s called The Dip (credits to Seth Godin) one must pass before finding true mastery.
I think one import lessons is that everyone who starts out actively chasing their dream and building their empire must be prepared for The Dip and an essential part of your strategy must comprehend how to stay motivated during The Dip. Be ready and kick his ass!
Peace,
Sean
The first paragraph of this post describes someone that is a “victim” of a “scanner” type personality. I know because I have done the same thing myself. I tend to get really fired up about a new business idea, but within a week or two, I’ve moved on, leaving a trail of domain names in my path. I read some interesting stuff about scanners somewhere on the net, but I can’t remember where. I think just google “scanner type personality” and I think theres a lady named Barbara Scher (sp?) who writes about it. It’s very interesting stuff.
The to-do list the night before is golden. I like to balance my day with a work out in the morning and enjoy the rest of the morning reading articles, getting a good breakfast in, and just relaxing for a bit. Once the clock hits 10am its game time and I tackle my to-do list. I’m still working on the finding the balance but I’ve noticed its just trial and error. You need to find out what works for you and toss out the rest.
Remember when you thought buying that run down cruise ship was a good idea? I’m glad you never went through with that one! Haha
Say it with me Sean –
“My Name is Sean & I’m an Alcoholic” – Haha
I know exactly how you feel -the balance part, not the alcoholism
. Finding something you’re passionate about and willing to work hard at even when you don’t “feel” like it is tough (I actually just wrote a post on it today =) our minds must think alike).
I think there is a school of thought when it comes to business-building that says you have to focus all of your energy and efforts on building the business. That means working late into the night, poor eating habits, sacrificing family time, and neglecting your health. This philosophy is willing to trade a very unbalanced life in the short term for a much better life in the long term.
I tried this philosophy and I don’t think it works, at least not in the long term. If you sacrifice your life to get the business started, chances are you are going to sacrifice your life to keep the business going. And truthfully, how long can you maintain a horribly unbalanced life?
I much prefer to be balanced, although I will admit that it can be hard to do. When you are completely in control of the 24 hours you have each day, you have to be disciplined in the way you use those hours. I’ll admit to struggling with this myself. I’m better now than I was previously, but it is an ongoing struggle.
Thanks for bringing this up, Sean. It was something I really needed to re-visit in my own life.
Hi Sean,
I’ve recently subscribed to your RSS and glad you’ve made your way to Manila! My hometown of 19 years. Definitely glad you’re havin a blast and I get the drinking for less than $3 part (makes for a long night!). Anyway, just dropping a line and hope your time is good there. Lookin forward to posts and more of that well-thought insight!
Sean, it is great you get to drink a lot.
Do you ever worry about saving enough money for retirement?
BTW, what’s up with the pop up Sign Up thing? Gotta say, it’s bothersome.
@FS It will only pop up once, so you should never see it again.
As far as retirement is concerned, I haven’t dipped into my savings at all since I’ve been here, and my investments are still diversified and have been growing nicely since I’ve been here. Sure I am not putting as much towards savings as I would like to, but at the same time I also firmly believe that the business I am building is going to continue to see some tremendous growth over the next few years, allowing me to be much more vigilant in terms of savings. That said, any entrepreneur goes through a phase like this when they are getting started, and I think I’ve been better than most as it relates to saving and continuing to invest.
Great post, Sean, and just what I needed this week. I’ve been running on very little sleep and very little planning the last week or so and it shows. Thanks for this timely reminder. Off to bed I go!
@Tate~ cruise ship? I must’ve missed that phase.
@Sean~ let’s see. Tennis pro. World wide food critic. House painter. T-shirt mogul. Bazillionaire finacial analyst. Have I missed anything? I love that you are so diverse! But, I have to say, I like this phase the best!
Great post Sean, I too suffer from the ‘initial over-excitement syndrome’ and then lose interest in days. I am slowly learning how absolutely important it is to set actionable goals in the excitement stage and then follow them through.
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