How can I balance my life with a startup?

[MVProduct]

I'm no longer in university and I don't work a job. Needless to say, I have a substantial amount of free time on my hands to do what I want.

There are so many aspects of my life that I want to build:

• Bodybuilding (one of my goals is to put on weight and increase my muscle mass. This requires about 2 hours per day- which includes going to the gym and food preparation time.)
• Social skills/confidence (ideally I'd like to put time and effort into improving my social skills and building relationships with people. This requires reading books, watching video courses, and socializing with people. This can take 1-2 hours per day, with some days taking 3-4 hours.)
• Toastmasters/public speaking (I'm also looking to improve my public speaking. This can take around 2 hours per week.)
• Salsa dancing (this is a new skill I'm learning and am willing to put in time and effort to learn and improve. This, I imagine, would take around 1 hour per day.)
• Guitar/drums (these are instruments I already play, but I'm still looking to put in a couple hours per week to practice. 1 hour per day.).

Any idea on how to juggle all these areas of self-improvement WHILE building a startup? Could anybody give me some tips on keeping a balance? Is it even possible to have a balance?

Some of the advice I've currently been given:
The only thing you should do is work on your startup, eat, exercise, and sleep.
You should give up on your hobbies if you're committed to succeeding with your startup.

Cheers for any advice given!

 

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[Dark Water]

So 2 hours per day for bodybuilding, 3 hours for socializing, and 1 hour for guitar / drums. That's a total of 6 hours per day. With salsa and public speaking, some days this routine will take 8 hours. But one doesn't also go to the gym every single day, so if you do salsa / public dancing on days you'd normally go to the gym, this means that the total for everything is still 6 hours a day.

So with 6 hours of your day doing all that good stuff (basically a full time job), you still got another 8-10 hours to work on your fastlane.

Track everything, balance and budget your time, practice Miracle Morning routines, wake up early, go to sleep early, work in Pomodoros.

Its so easy to do what you're talking about.. This is the smallest problem you're going to run into. Seriously what does your day currently look like if you cannot fit all of that in as well as your fast lane?

 

[RazorCut]

A lot depends on where your priorities lie. That is a lot to pack in AND build a start-up which normally consumes a great deal of time. I’m all for keeping a balance but you have to be realistic. If you can fit it all in without sacrificing the energy, the quality and time needed then all well and good. If not look at your priority list and cut the one at the bottom.

Of course you could dedicate the time and energy to your start-up and pick up the others (apart from exercise) at a later date.

Also you do not need up to 4 hours a day watching video’s and reading books and socializing. Building your business will give you social skills and confidence you desire.

However most of what you have listed are or could be evening activities. Toastmasters, Salsa dancing, playing guitar/drums. So do what Choate suggested. Practice the Miracle Morning. Get up and 5am like a lot of us do. You could then fit in a whole 12 hours of dedication to your start-up and it would still only be 5pm.

Track everything, balance and budget your time, practice Miracle Morning routines, wake up early, go to sleep early, work in Pomodoros.

 

[tafy]

You should be an employee, you can do all these little activities your thinking about.

A startup is going to be all consuming and thats the point, startups dont scale at first. You will be lucky to get a few hours a day to do your own thing. Your already worrying about your free time before you do anything?

 

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[FastlaneTiger]

1. Don't overtrain
2. Go for strength, not for size!

I would advise you 5x5 with proper form.
There is a great 30min youtube video about it.

Oh and it if you do 5x5 you can save some time.

 

[Mike Kavanagh]

Your goals

@snowbank

This podcast episode made me think hard about What do I really want?
Do you want to be ripped?
Do you want to be great at music?
Want to meet a lot of great people?

or do you want to build a business?

If you only give half you're only going to get half (or less!)

Also read The One Thing by Gary Keller. I bought two copies (one physical, one digital)
Probably going to buy the audio version too.

 

[theag]

Seems like you dont want it bad enough.

 

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[Iwokeup]

* What @Mike Kavanagh posted.
* If you try to change everything at once, you'll change nothing at all.

Look at it this way: it takes a LOT to change a lifetime of habits and human beings are awful at changing more than one thing at a time. So, you have to prioritize.

o What's the MOST IMPORTANT thing to you right now? A startup? A killer body? Speaking skills?

o What is your CLEAR PATH to acheive that MOST IMPORTANT GOAL?

- if the startup, what minimum skill set do you need?
- How are you going to get them?
- What are your minimum living expenses?

o Once you have your CLEAR PATH, then FOCUS 90% of your (gloriously unburdened) time on TAKING ACTION EVERY DAY, even if it's a little step at a time.

o THEN, decide what the NEXT MOST IMPORTANT thing is.
- Read this article by MJ.
- DO and IMPLEMENT the process that he lays out (it works, it's not unique to MJ, but it works) in the remaining 10% of your time.

o ONLY AFTER you have MASTERED and integrated that SECOND thing may you consider going after the THIRD thing, etc.

Rinse and Repeat.

 

[OVOvince]

1. Don't overtrain
2. Go for strength, not for size!

I would advise you 5x5 with proper form.
There is a great 30min youtube video about it.

Oh and it if you do 5x5 you can save some time.

As someone who is an aspiring college athlete, this is the best advice you will get regarding your training. GO FOR STRENGTH.

As a beginner, you will gain as much muscle as someone on a bodybuilding routine over a period of time, IF NOT THEN MORE because you will plateau less if your diet is correct. And an added bonus is less time needed, most beginner and intermediate strength training programs are 3 days a week, and you will be wrecked physically, but feel good. Not to mention, you will prevent injuries to your body. This is the beauty of strength training. Your quality of life will be enhanced, due to explosive athleticism, great endurance base, and just plain and simply being able to move a bunch of heavy weight with ease.


I recommend you at least look into a world class program like "starting strength" by Mark Rippetoe with a 5-10% calorie surplus. Then when your body adjusts to it (it will take a LONG time like at least 6-9 months), switch to a 5x5 like texas method or bill starr's program. I also recommend doing pullups, chinups, and dips (add weight) for arm size, and then later on add 1 more isolation exercise like curls and tricep skull crushers or something. but trust me, your arms will blow up from the chins and dips alone in the beginning so make use of that potential, then add more to shock your muscles later on.

Okay enough on that haha, but seriously look into it. It will shave off hours and hours of time you put in the gym with almost every single benefit. every time i get done lifting I feel as if I took a hit of coke or some sort of euphoric drug that helps me look at my life in a different perspective and helps me adjust for the better.

Good luck!

 

[OVOvince]

Also regarding everything else in your time management, I can't say I am a time management guru, but one thing that has helped me go towards the direction of time management and getting things done especially with a bunch of stress on me, is zen or mindfulness meditation. it has single handedly had the most significant positive impact in my overall life. I really mean what I just said in that last sentence. Please take what I said seriously.

Seriously look at scholarly articles written on the benefits on it. I know you will be quick to write it off as being "too good to be true" but seriously man, what do you have to lose if you practice it for 10 minutes as soon as you wake up and brush your teeth and shower or right before you go to bed? twice a day for 20 minutes total, or do 10 minutes total a day. Do it for 2 weeks correctly, with the right technique, and decide for yourself.


http://www.do-meditation.com/Mindfulness-Meditation.html#sthash.zttVCQ8X.dpbs

 

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