Sublime

We have a limited amount of time on this planet and if we don’t learn how to put things in their proper place—financial security, health, family, and so on—we’re never going to get past square one.

Here’s a great general framework for how to do this: Decide on your values and priorities in life. What three things matter most to you? Observe for a week the way you spend the time available to you. Log every hour and what you do with it. Analyze this data: where do you spend the most time? And least time? Finally, look to see if how you actually

Start by creating a two-hour Founder Time block on your calendar that recurs weekly, during a time of day when you are most energetic. As they say in personal finance, “pay yourself first.” Do not look for small segments sandwiched between others’ requests; reserve windows that suit you best. During that window, you can tackle strategies from this

Shifting family to number two didn’t mean ignoring them; it just meant being honest with myself about where I most needed to focus.

Instead of checking off as many to-dos as possible or racing to clear my inbox before heading home, I focused on accomplishments that were satisfying and important.

If this isn’t possible in your life today, start with the 3M plan: devote 15 percent of your time to a project that aligns with your core passion and purpose. Fifteen percent is about an afternoon a week, though you can easily split this into a pair of two-and-a-half-hour blocks and get similar results.

Practice 18 Win at What Matters

Mark up this table with how you use the 168 hours in a typical week. Each square represents one hour. Things to add might include work, sleep, travel, exercise, learning, chores, childcare, hobbies, social life/hanging out with friends and family, and weekend loafing.