“The man who has begun to live more serious within begins to live more simply without.” – Ernest Hemingway
It’s always fascinated me how history’s most respected and successful figures have created rhythm in their life. From Churchill’s late nights and long baths, to Kennedy’s naps, or Rockefeller’s daily golf rounds, observing these rhythms and habits is educating.
Yesterday was Labor Day and there was some interesting chatter on Twitter about work-life balance. I started imagining a day that was perfectly balanced between work-life. Today I decided to do it and write about it with commentary. The following is a perfectly balanced day.
7:30 Wake up, shower, dress.
7:50 Fix myself eggs, cereal, fruit while checking email.
8:00 Read major articles in AJC, WSJ, and NYT.
I find great perspective in reading the paper — there is a much bigger world than the one I live in. Also, I read the paper in a very reflective way. I always ask my argument, side, and opinion on each piece. e.g. If I was the decision maker in whatever scenario, what would I do with the limited amount of information I have.
8:30 Check email.
9:00 Arrive at work and go hard for an hour and a half. Limited talking, no distractions.
10:10 Rivalry’s Daily Check: 3 Biggest Accomplishments Yesterday, 3 Biggest Accomplishments Set for Today and any road blocks. This helps make sure the entire team’s vision is being executed.
10:30 Daily check-in with Atlanta Ventures CEO’s.
The 10:30 daily check-in is a very exciting 10-15 minutes — if there was a Situation Room in the Atlanta Tech Village, this is where we’d go. All the Atlanta Venture CEO’s go through the 3 Biggest Accomplishments Yesterday, 3 Biggest Accomplishments Set for Today, any road blocks. This is so exciting because it’s a time where everyone is held accountable for executing on the day-to-day level while still learning from everyone on ways they’re pushing each respective company forward.
10:45 Back to executing.
12:30 Lunch – I try to keep lunch short. 20-30 minutes is perfect.
1:00 Back to executing. Calls, emails, demos, visiting prospects. Whatever it takes to get Rivalry in front of the right people.
5:00 Head to Ansley GC. Lift weights for 30 minutes. (I live right across the street so it’s very easy to get there)
5:30 Bike through Piedmont Park and run the Beltline.
Getting out in front of other Atlantans is key. I feed off other people and their energy. It’s great to see other Atlantans do cross-fit, build art on the Beltline, hang out at the dog park and just be around a bunch of active people. I always keep in mind, this is who we’re building Rivalry for: real people.
6:30 Steam and shower at Ansley GC.
If there is ever a time to sit and just think about life, the decisions you’ve made today, the decisions you’ll make in the future, a solitary 15 minutes in a steam room works well for me.
7:00 Dinner with the girlfriend/friends.
This is a great time to just be. No agenda, no expectations. Just hanging out with people I really enjoy being with. This is also a great time to make calls to friends and family out of state.
8:30 Back to execution. More prospecting, emails to VP of Sales, writing, biz dev and more.
11:30 Self improvement – This can be anything from reading a book to watching a documentary on a historical figure.
12:30 Sleep
This is a perfectly balanced day and I’m in the middle of one right now. By the time I’m in bed, I’m mentally spent, physically worn, but excited for the next day to make a positive impact.
Of course, this is perfect world scenario and with meetings, after-work obligations, conferences, and dinners, these days are a rarity, but I’m working on making more of them happen.