Hisham Sarwar
Successful people share many attributes in common. They are focused, they have a vision and they execute their tasks perfectly. Talking about wealth, the majority of modern-day millionaires is the first generation, which means they did not inherit the money from their parents.
What makes them special?.
This question was asked of me in my online webinar on freelancing where students from the US, Canada had gathered. I was an internet millionaire under 30. I am a freelancer, a graphic designer who takes a lot of pride in his work.
In the online world of distraction, it is very important for you to focus on your work without wasting time. The amazing tool we are blessed with such as Facebook, Messenger, YouTube, and, WhatsApp can not only soak your time and energy but also substantially decrease your productivity.
So What are the ‘Four Power Hours’?
I came across this amazing formula in 2017. With the growth of social networking apps, I was spending 10+ hours a day, and all of a sudden, my productivity lessened. I was getting irritated, frustrated, to say the least, that despite spending so much time online, I am unable to get my tasks done.
Something had gone wrong, I was the same guy who would get the projects done before the deadline, who loved traveling, spending time with friends and family but somehow, something was wrong, terribly wrong. I was not only unable to work, but sadly, I was also losing money.
I began to miss important deadlines, I was unable to concentrate on the work, and truth be told, I was incapacitated. The efforts needed to keep myself kicking to meet the deadlines were marginalized and I had no idea what is going wrong.
The thoughts of being over fatigued began to knock the head. I consulted a doctor, found out, nothing is wrong and I am just one lazy bum who has gained some weight, raised some cholesterol levels but nothing alarming.
All that long, I was spending time on social media and happily interacting with friends, sharing funny posts and videos, and would go at length to make sure I continue doing it. It was making me happy. Facebook was the first thing I would check when I woke up and the very last thing before going to sleep.
One morning, in curiosity, to see what my friends, world are up to on social media, I came to know that the Facebook site is down. It felt like some part of my body is taken away, I felt helpless, the feeling of missing something you are addicted to began to hurt me.
I searched on the internet to figure out what has happened, turned out — the site had a massive outage worldwide and there are no signs of recovery anytime soon. With nothing else to do, I opened my photoshop and started designing a flyer for one of my clients, a task that was 24 hours overdue, the delay was largely attributed to my procrastination and social media time wastage.
I wrapped up my work within the next 3 hours. On the eve of getting the task done, I realized I was so focused that I forgot to check Facebook and WhatsApp and therefore I did not get distracted. I had closed all the browser tabs so no notification would pop up. I was able to focus on my work.
Bingo, that is where I came up with this 4 power hours theory.
It did wonders for me and ever since, not a single business day has passed by where I have not closed my smartphone for four hours, closed all browser tabs, and focus on my job for 4 hours. I take 3 short breaks in these 4 hours to go out, get some fresh air, eat my lunch. This productivity hack has neutralized all temptations and removed the distractions that were a stumbling block in performing my work.
I came across this five-second rule which instantly pushes you to make a decision, it’s a make or a break moment but what I have realized is, four power hours in a day if utilized properly, can cover the tasks of 10 hours in a day.
Now, I work for 4 hours a day. By removing all distractions, I am able to concentrate on my work and these 4 power hours enable me to think, execute my tasks in a timely manner.
Time is money, we can not win the time back so why not come up with a technique and ways to utilize it to the fullest?
Start using ‘Four Power Hours‘ and see the difference in your daily productivity.
