Working Towards a Life on Your Own Terms

by Rico on May 3rd, 2007

Based on personal experience, a unique pattern regarding time and its management has become clear. This affects all those who work, including freelancers and contract workers.

The three areas in our lives

There are three things in life that we need to balance: Work, Recreation, and Sleep. All three are important in their own way.

We make a living through work. Aside from putting food on our table, work gives us the satisfaction of having contributed something to the world, that we’re not wasting our days away doing nothing. Not to mention it’s great to earn money for our own efforts. In short, we can only call ourselves freelancers or contract workers because we’re doing freelance or contract work.

Recreation keeps us from getting crazy. The phrase “all work and no play” always ends with something bad. That’s because even hardcore workaholics can’t spend 24 hours working. And those who do end up suffering from extreme stress, lost friends and neglected families.

Sleep makes sure we have the energy to get through the day. It’s so important for our bodies that sleep deprivation taken to the extreme is fatal. Not getting enough sleep also limits our effectiveness throughout the day. A friend with screwed sleep patterns ends up falling asleep whenever he’s sitting down or lying down and not busy. Which is definitely how I don’t want to live.

The Triangle of Time Management

The relationship between these three things is what I call the triangle of time management. Each area represents a corner (vertex) of the triangle, and giving equal focus to all three results in an equilateral (equal-sided) triangle:

Equilateral Triangle of Time Management

Focusing one area means pulling out a corner, meaning the other two areas grow smaller. The triangle is no longer equilateral, and obviously shows which area is concentrated on:

Distorted Triangle of Time Management

The problem is that when starting out, there simply isn’t enough time for all three. Building a career and reputation means more focus on work, and unfortunately either recreation or sleep (or both) suffer.

Not a Long-Term Solution

The sacrifices can’t go on forever, unless you can live with a mediocre career, limited recreation, and sleep deprivation. None of which is an attractable prospect for me. At least there are two things you can do to work towards a future where you’ll be able to enjoy all three areas fully.

First, the biggest obstacle to a sacrifice leading to great returns in the long run is a refusal to accept that it’s needed or even crucial to success. This happens because people make the mistake of thinking that success comes overnight, not from a series of consistent sacrifices. Recognize that the triangle can’t be equilateral in the beginning.

Second, nothing wastes a life more than sacrificing something only to discover that it doesn’t get you anything down the road. Before giving up something, make sure it really is worth it! And while you’re focusing on the long-term, make sure your crucial short-term needs are also addressed, or you may find it hard to stay on track when you realize you’re suffering needlessly. Make sure you’re distorting the triangle for the right reasons.

The reality is that you have to sacrifice some things in the beginning. But make the correct sacrifices while giving focus to the right things, and you’ll reach a point where there’s enough time to do what you want and to truly become a freelancer or contract worker who works on their own terms. This usually involves focusing more on work at the start, while setting things up that work won’t be such a necessity in the future.

Having an equilateral triangle of time management is possible. But it takes a little work and a willingness to distort the triangle a bit.

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