Behind the Beard | November 18, 2021

Something I'm Reading:

I just finished “The 5am Club” (which I mentioned last week). I’ve been reading “4,000 Weeks: Time Management for Mortals” by Oliver Burkeman which I’m really enjoying. It takes a more “philosophical” approach to time management.

Something I Teach:

Income is like a thermostat. There’s a number that you feel comfortable at, and when you earn less, you turn it up. When you earn more, we tend to work less - or work on lower-per-hour tasks. That’s why most people - even commission-based, earn roughly the same each year. Therefore, if you want to increase your income, you’ve got a.) to recognize you have that thermostat and b.) raise it by identifying your goal AND getting around people who have that thermostat setting.

Something Cool I Own:

I have this “Swurfer” (stand up tree swing) hanging in my living room for the kids to play on, but I admit, I probably spend more time on it than they do!

Something I Photographed:

Each week I share a photo I snapped in the previous week. Sometimes serious. Sometimes random and funny. Maybe a selfie once in a while. Just because.

I used to be a “not until after thanksgiving” Christmas guy.  But then - I saw the joy that my kids got from Christmas and now I’m a “as soon as it’s not completely crazy” Christmas guy. Why not have an extra 3 weeks of extra joy in the house?

Something I'm Excited About:

Recently purchased another condo out here in Maui and it’s closing tomorrow! I’ll use this either as a short term rental or for my new Month in Maui business.

P.S. We just made a Month in Maui Instagram account so give it a follow (no content yet but it’s coming soon and would love your follow 😉).

Something I Can Answer:

Each week, I'll be answering one question from someone on my BehindTheBeard textletter! Want your question answered? Submit it by simply replying to this text!

Question:  “What are some good systems you implement for time management? I have a lot going on and need a good system to tackle it.”

First, I’d recommend reading the book I mentioned above (“4,000 Weeks: Time Management for Mortals”) because it’s a really unique way of looking at time management. But more specifically, the way I time manage is what Jay Papasan and Gary Keller call “goal setting to the now”. This is starting with your 5-10 year goal. Ask yourself what needs to be done this year to be on track to hit your 5-10 year goal. Then determine what needs to be done this quarter to hit your one year goal. Then ask yourself what needs to be done this week to be on track to hit your quarterly goal. Then every Sunday, I do a “battle planning session” where I look at my long term goals and align my actions for the week to those goals - including identifying what the number one, most important thing for the week is.

The reason I would call this time management is because - at the end of the day - we will never get everything on our list done. For me, time management isn’t getting everything done but getting the most important things done. Therefore, identifying what the most important thing is and scheduling it on my calendar is the key to time management. To do this, I use the “Intentional Journal” which I originally made for myself but we now sell it on BiggerPockets or Amazon.

Your Friend,

P.S. Have a question you want answered by me? Reply to this text with your question - I pick one to answer each week in Behind the Beard and do my best to reply to others directly via text.