Why Do You Wake Up in the Morning
I'm pretty young and recently started a summer job for the first time, and I've been working 12+ hours a day. I know that isn't a crazy number of hours, but it's been enough for it to be hard to make plans with friends, relax, and other things that I used to look forward to in the morning when I wasn't working. I get that work should be a significant motivator, but it does often feel like an endless grind.
I understand these are things I need to sacrifice, but does anyone have advice for small things in the day they do that they can look forward to? I don't want to lose motivation,
A significant other really helps when you're grinding. Want to take a date to the baseball game on Saturday? Better work your butt off earlier in the week.
When I joined the workforce, I remember complaining to a relative that the bank required me to be on site at 7:00 A.M. despite our hotel being 1.5 hours away. They just shrugged and said "yep, that's a job." .....really put me in my place.
12hrs a day at the desk is what 8am - 8pm? Lets say so in this scenario.
If you're doing this 5x per week, you need to start to develop routines and also be well aware of the chemicals in your body and caffeine levels.
Here's what I would recommend:
0600 - Wake up / Coffee 0615 - 30 min cardio (if no gym could do 15 min core then 15 min run) 0645 - Coffee / Shower / Change 0730 - Leave for work 0800 - Work - now start chugging water and cold brew green tea at your desk 1200 - Light lunch 2030 - Light dinner 2100 - 2200 - Gym 2200 - Heavier dinner
You should be looking forward to crushing it at the gym. Think about everyday how you're going to be faster, stronger, you'll have more experience in the workplace. You're becoming the best version of yourself.
Hardo dieter spotted.
What works for me is having something to look forward to. I usually plan fun events with my friends on Fridays and Saturdays and live it up. When there's light at the end of the tunnel, that also helps. Also look forward to the paycheck
To go back to bed at night.
I'd be dead if I didn't wake up so...
This is normal, although your title makes it sound like you need counseling. A couple things:
12+ hours a day most definitely is a crazy number of hours. Perspective is skewed dramatically on WSO because of the banking focus, but normal people don't work 10 hours a day, much less 12+. A 8-8 workday for me is rare, but when it does happen you better believe I'm exhausted. Feeling a bit down from endless time in the office, especially if you're an intern and not doing particularly meaningful activities, gets to you.
This leads into my next point, which is the further up the ladder you reach, the more knowledge you have, more responsibility you have, and the more impact you are given. For me at least, that impact is why I go to work in the morning. (Why I wake up is because...I would die if I didn't?) I enjoy what I do now more than I enjoy what I did two years ago and I believe I will enjoy what I do in 2-4 years more than I enjoy what I do now. It feels cool to do something effortlessly and with various level of nuance that a year or two ago you struggled with, or didn't even know existed.
Finally, you need to learn to take advantage of the time you have, whether that's for activities or just for vegging out and letting your brain reboot. I work out in the mornings and watch Netflix/HBO, read, play video games, etc. after work. Sometimes I'll grab a beer or go out to dinner, but most of the time during the week I'm in work mode and any energy I have goes to that. On the weekends though, I work out, golf, dick around outside, travel, or just lay around for two days and relax. Weekends in real life are much cooler than weekends in college, by comparison.
A lot of times I have to piss.
....good thing you only have 45 more years of working before you can retire.
You need large goals to work towards that go beyond money. That's the only way long hours are sustainable and you'll survive long-term shit eating.
It's the one thing I've found in common with all the successful people I've met whether they are entrepreneurs I've met through YPO, execs, or even accomplished musicians.... To be clear by successful I mean 8/9 figure net worth under 40 or well known for what they do not some drone slaving away for a mid 6 figure salary in their 40s.
Maybe you have a charitable cause you're passionate about that you'd like to take up and find at some point? For me it's biotech and pumping capital into a deal I've been working on for a long long time...
I don't think "little things" do much personally. YMMV but you'll likely get more out of having big goals and knowing you're one step closer every day.
I can't think every single minute about "goals", because those bring me some strong but short-lived motivation. They don't help sustain my efforts. What works for me is self-reflection once in a while, supported by readings/movies/music/art whatever. And once I feel good about what I'm doing and what I should do, what the future could look like and how I can bend reality to what feels right: I build a plan. I map everything out and I go for it. So I turn this plan or vision into detailed habits and short-term targets, I go military about it in terms of agenda and organization and I just hit it for X days/weeks/months.
Est blanditiis neque qui consectetur ad qui. Provident dolorem nulla labore. Maxime et asperiores pariatur aut ut esse voluptas.
Velit eos temporibus minus aut. Repellendus enim neque quam non sunt ut rerum molestiae.
Facilis rerum exercitationem odit ipsum et eveniet. Dolores ut ipsum laudantium. Minus velit et cum voluptatum et enim quas.
See All Comments - 100% Free
WSO depends on everyone being able to pitch in when they know something. Unlock with your email and get bonus: 6 financial modeling lessons free ($199 value)
or Unlock with your social account...