We all each have the same 24 hours in a day, but there are so many different ways to determine how to use it. Many of us spend 8 hours per day working or adhere to a similar arrangement. Then there are other important responsibilities to focus on as well.
If you’ve ever felt like you were spinning your wheels and just not getting certain things accomplished, you’re not alone. Last year, I went to a conference and attended a private session with one of the mentors from my mastermind group. He’s someone who’s built a million-dollar business in just a few years so I was definitely on the edge of my seat waiting for anything tips or strategies he could share about productivity.
This mentor shared that one of the keys to getting more accomplished is having less on your schedule and truly focusing in on specific areas. Great advice. But, we all know that right? The next advice he gave was the 4-hour rule for productivity and it pretty much blew me away.
What is the 4 Hour Rules For Productivity?
According to the mentor in my mastermind, the 4-hour rule actually involves blocking out 4 hours of your day to focus on mastering a specific task. Yes, you read that correctly – 4 hours each day.
For him, he woke up at 5 am and focused in on mastering one task until 9 am. Whether it was marketing, sales, or product creation the 4 hour rule encourages you to dedicate your energy, focus and time to just one area until you master it. Then, you can move on to the next thing.
Carving out 4 hours per day seems like quite the sacrifice, but it’s worth it. I think about all the ways this rule can help me finally learn and start implementing certain things in my business. I haven’t always been a morning person, but I do love the feeling of getting a ton of stuff accomplished before noon. It’s just a great day to set yourself up for success.
If you’re interested in using the 4-hour rule for productivity as well, here are a few ways to make it work with your schedule.
Start Prioritizing
Sticking with the 4 hour rule requires a major commitment on your end. You’ll have to focus in on one task for several hours per day which means it’s important to prioritize your life.
Go back to your goals for the year or even your 5 or 10-year goal plan. Work your way backward to determine what you need to learn and prioritize this year. I brainstorm a lot so I use systems like Evernote and the notes app on my phone to jot down ideas. Go through your brainstorm list and pick out priorities that you want to focus on now. Realize you will have to say no to some things in your life for the moment.
Try to narrow down 3-5 things and start adding the first task to your 4 hours per day rule. Realize that once you start implementing this rule, you’ll get results much faster. Imagine spending 20 hours per week focusing on mastering just one task. In a short amount of time, you’ll become an expert and start getting better results.
Set Yourself Up For Success
If you’re going to stick with a 5 am to 9 am time block like my mentor did each day, be sure to set yourself up for success by improving your morning and evening routines. A successful day starts the night before with proper planning. Make sure you know what you plan to do in the morning and what you can do the evening before to prepare.
My evening routine consists of doing simple things around the house to get organized. I plan my day and check my calendar. I also pick out my clothes for the morning and prep meals and lunches. Having a neat and tidy home and workspace is also important to help declutter my mind so I spend about 15 minutes straightening things up.
When the morning comes, I feel much more prepared to tackle the day and focus on my core priorities.
Break It Up
While the 4-hour rule for productivity is best implemented when there are no distractions to deter you, it’s understandable to realize that not everyone can chunk up their day in a nice even 4-hour window.
This means you may have to break the 4 hours up by doing 2 hours of intense focus during the morning followed by 2 hours of intense focus during the evening. This is what I’m doing currently and it still works.
The key is to focus not on the timeframe, but dedicate your undivided attention to focusing on the task at hand and getting results. By the end of each, you should have some tangible things accomplished. Remember, productivity is not all about time and effort, it’s about the results you end up with.
Take the Concept Into Account
You may be thinking: the 4-hour rule for productivity sounds great and all but I have no idea how I’m going to carve out time to do this. I get it. Life can be busy and hectic at times. You may or may not be in a place to dedicate a solid 4 hours per day to high-level learning, implementing and overall productivity for just one specific area of focus.
However, just consider the concept and make it your own. I saw an article a few years back about how successful people like Oprah, Bill Gates, and Elon Musk have all done this one thing to contribute to their success.
This involved them taking 1 hour each weekday to devote to deliberate learning and practice. It’s so similar to the 4 hour rule, only spend just 1 hour per day from Monday to Friday. This is very doable and will still get you results.
Everyone should be able to carve out one hour per day to focus on their priorities. When you think about it, if you can’t spend one hour per day on yourself and something that’s important to you, it’s time to audit your schedule and how your time is being spent
What are your thoughts on the 4-hour rule for productivity? This is a very high-level method but it definitely works!
Choncé Maddox
Choncé Maddox is a professional writer who recently left her job in the web design industry to produce killer content and manage her own writing business full time. She is passionate about helping entrepreneurs be more productive and create a life they love by doing fulfilling work. On the side, she runs a podcast and blogs about getting out of debt at MyDebtEpiphany.com.