Last night, I was relaxing in the backyard and dozed off for a few minutes. I had a strange dream: I was sitting cross-legged on the ground, watching an alarm clock go off. When I woke up, my mind began spinning, searching for meaning behind the dream. I came up with many ideas—most of them revolving around my ongoing struggle with scheduling, calendaring, and the constant pressure to get things done on time.
However, after some deeper reflection, I had a brainstorm. The idea stuck with me, and I worked on it for the rest of the evening. This morning, I put it into practice. I’ll explain it here—try it at your own risk.
I have a list of things I’d love to get done every day, but I rarely have time for all of them. On a perfect day, everything slips neatly into place. I feel efficient, and it seems like God—or the Universe—is magnifying my efforts. On those days, I get it all done. But most days, I fall short. I get bogged down and distracted. I end up doing just the seven core habits I maintain, while everything else falls by the wayside.
So instead—what if I got everything I wanted done in just one hour?
Immediately upon waking, I would throw on some clothes, head downstairs, and be ready for the clock to strike 5:00 a.m. Then I could engage in what I’m now calling the “Hour of Power.”
To make this happen, I created a list of the twelve top things I want to do each day:
- Meditation
- Scripture Study
- Prayer
- Stretching
- Run
- Core Exercises
- Weight Exercises
- Chess Practice
- Memory Palace Work
- Writing Brainstorm
- Daily Planning Session
- Reach Out to Someone I Do Not Know
I organized them in a logical sequence. I put the calm, stationary items first. Then came the physical exercises, followed by the tasks involving my phone or computer. This way, I could reduce transition time to almost nothing.
Next, I set up thirteen alarms on my phone. The first was at 4:50 a.m. I timed myself: if I get out of bed right away and my clothes are already laid out, I can be downstairs by the treadmill in less than ten minutes. I scheduled the remaining twelve alarms in five-minute increments, using a mild, single-beep tone.
During my preparation, I ensured I had everything I needed to do each task without having to search or set anything up. I created a folder on my phone with six apps I would use: a link to my Chess.com account, a meditation app, an automatic number generator for memory work, and so on.
With everything in place, I went to bed early—excited to see if I could actually pull this off.
This morning, I woke up three minutes before my alarm. I got up, got dressed, and was downstairs waiting two minutes before the first alarm beeped: “Meditation.” I did that for five minutes, then moved on as the next alarm sounded. One by one, I completed each task.
What surprised me was how effective the five-minute windows felt. I was able to dedicate focused effort and genuinely accomplish something in each segment. I ran at a fast pace. I spent my stretch time focusing on a tight hamstring. I read a meaningful scripture that sparked deep thought. During my writing brainstorm, I came up with three or four blog ideas. I even reached out to someone I’ve never met, and now have a meeting scheduled with them this week.
All in all, it was a highly productive hour.
Afterward, I grabbed a drink and promptly fell asleep on the couch for forty minutes. Oh well. At least I accomplished something today. No matter how poorly the rest of the day goes, I can rest assured knowing I got the twelve most important personal things done. Well—maybe not the most important. I have other obligations, of course. But at least those twelve boxes are checked.
I’m going to try again tomorrow and see if I can find some efficiencies in the process. If I keep this up, I’ll return and report my findings.
Incremental power may finally be mine. Muhahahaha.
