working hard, playing hard

 (♥)

 

[The following post was written by the very insightful Diggy, creator of Upgrade Reality, one of my favorite sites to visit for great information on self improvement. If you have a chance, definitely check out Diggy's site. There's a lot to gain from his words of wisdom! And if you enjoy this post, please support Diggy by subscribing to his RSS feed. Thank you, Diggy, for taking the time to give us all a bit of advice today on how to work hard and play hard.]

 

This is for those times when you start something with incredible enthusiasm, work hard at it, but only get it done for 80% or 50% or 30% and then get distracted or start something else, thinking you will complete the project you started sometime soon. I can't tell you how many times I've done this. I've bought so many domains and started so many sites and ideas and projects, only to not see them through and start a new one when the previous one was only half way done. I've read so many books 3/4 of the way through and then put them down thinking I will finish them soon and I never have. I have learnt my lessons from this though, and I want to share those lessons with you today. 

 

Lessons for Working Hard, Playing Hard


Don't work on more than 3 projects at a time.

Preferably two projects, but depending on the projects you can do up to three efficiently. There is also a difference if the project has been established and requires minimal maintenance to run efficiently versus a new project that needs all your hands on attention to build it up and promote it. For example, what I do now is I have:

1. A blog, Upgrade Reality, which I write two posts a week for but I am putting a lot of time in promoting it, writing guest posts and connecting with bloggers and readers to build relationships.
   
   

2. A new site which I'm starting with a friend that seems like a lot of fun and has a lot of potential.
   
   

3. A program I'm having developed with a friend that we are going to promote and hopefully make popular.

This is all, and my hands are full if I want to do this properly and focus on getting something done. All other projects I have either turned into minimal maintenance or abandoned and put up for sale. I highly recommend choosing one or two projects that you are passionate about and see potential in, and work on those two only.

Drop everything else that is taking from your focus and creativity and do not start anything new unless you can clearly see it has much more potential than your current project and then you will have to replace your current project with the higher potential one. Work on those two projects with your full attention until they are either requiring minimal maintenance to bring in good money, or until they are big enough that you can sell them and move on to the next project.

 

Work first; money and play come later.

There is no such thing as a free lunch. To be successful it requires hard work, effort, dedication and a little luck always helps. You cannot expect something to grow massive or make millions if you do not spend hours, days and weeks if not years working hard at it. That is not to say it cannot happen, because there are always exceptions, but don't count on it. What makes the hard work worth it? Well...the reward at the end does.

A small period of hard work and focused effort can often lead to a multiple of that period in freedom, being both time and money. You can do something half, and have fun while doing it, go out partying and play around, and maybe build up something mediocre over time, but chances are that it will never get really big. Then on the other hand, you have the choice to work hard first, of course allowing yourself a little playtime and relaxation time, but very limited, for the sole purpose of building something up to a level where the reward will be great and allow you to do whatever you like for a long period of time. (For example building up a website that will bring in a few thousand dollars a month pretty passively and thus allow you to travel the world and follow your passions.)

 

Just do it.

This is the best mind-set to adopt when you are going to work hard first and play later. Don't think about it too much, there is no easy way, and no way around it. Just do it. Plug in your iPod with your favourite songs and sit down and work on your project. Wake up earlier and sleep later, work on weekends, go the extra mile and do the things others are not willing to do. Yes it is a sacrifice, and can be unpleasant at times, but it is also fun to work hard, to build something up, to get ahead of others, and to reap the rewards from your hard work at the end.

Don't give up.

While working hard, often it will initially seem like you are putting in way more than you are getting out, and this is indeed the case. This is the crucial period that you need to get through. Many people give up just before they make it through and before they can reap the rewards from their hard work. This is the momentum building stage and is often the first 6-12 months. You will see results, do not give up, keep working hard!

To sum it up... Resist the temptation to start a new project when you are already working on more than one. Limit your projects to three and, if possible, two. Work first, play later. How do you do this? Just do it. Sit down and work. No excuses. The sooner you start, the sooner you finish. Do not give up and keep working hard even if there are little results for your effort! After work comes play, and the benefits of your hard work should be well worth it with the time and resources you will have to play just as hard as you worked.

Comments

[Hilary]

Hi Dani and Diggy .. so very simply put. As you rightly say we often don't complete something and then everything gets out of kilter.

Work first, just do it and never give up - absolutely .. one step at a time .. and step out of your comfort zone.

Well said - thanks
Hilary Melton-Butcher
Positive Letters Inspirational Stories

[Beth]

Thanks so much for this post :D i'm just starting out the 'working hard' to get things rolling - There's a lot ahead of me, but I know it will be worth it. Thanks for the timely inspiration!

[Peggy (aka Tool Box Girl)]

I'm eye ball deep in the "working smarter" phase (hard work reminds me of digging ditches, and while the work I'm doing has plenty of heavy mental lifting, it's not 'hard' if you get what I mean.)

I've been going full throttle and full steam ahead since I got amazingly clear about who and what I wanted to be. It's starting to pay off in ways I never dreamed of.

If you can dream it, you can do it. Boldness has greatness in it. Begin it Now (to paraphrase Goethe!)

[Ideas With A Kick]

I like the "work hard play hard" philosophy especially because of one thing I notice with me: when I work hard and do something I'm really proud of, I get in this mental space where I'm more authentic, expressive, tired yet energized and relaxed at the same time. From this state, playing hard comes natural and is sooo much fun. A don't know how people who work hard then watch TV do it!

[Positively Present]

Hilary - I'm glad you enjoyed reading Diggy's post. As you said, he addressed some very important points in a simple, direct fashion, which is always wonderful.

Beth - So happy that Diggy's post inspired you. I felt the same way as you when I read it!

Peggy - Working smarter is a great phrase and such an important concept. I'm with you on moving ahead full steam when you figure out what it is you really want to do. That's an important first step!

IWAK - I completely know what you're saying about the "tired yet energized" concept. When I'm working hard doing something I love I feel the same way and it's a wonderful way to feel.

[Hayden Tompkins]

The gap between motivation and action can sometimes seem like the biggest one to bridge!

I like what you've said about keeping the end game in mind to stay focused.

[Syd]

Good information here. I think that the work hard philosophy was where I was during college and graduate school. In fact, I had a tendency to work hard all the time. Lately I've let myself slack up a bit. I'm glad about that. I am winding down with 6 months until retirement so relaxing a bit feels good.

[Diggy - Upgradereality.com]

Dani :)

Thanks so much for letting me guest post on Positively Present! I really appreaciate it and hope that your readers will enjoy the post!

Have an amazing weekend miss :)
Ciao
Diggy

[Positively Present]

Hayden - You're so right. I'm often very motivated and excited about things but that's a long way from taking action. I'm glad you enjoyed Diggy's insights.

Syd - I agree. Diggy shared some good stuff in this post. It's important, as you noted, to have a balance between working hard and relaxing.

Diggy - You're welcome! Thank YOU for taking the time to write this fantastic post. So far, everyone seems to really enjoy it!

[David Turnbull]

The "Don't Give Up" part is what I've struggled with in the past. But really what's making the big difference is caring about my work. I really love it, and I could see myself in 5, 10, 15, 20 years doing essentially the same thing (most likely with some other projects as well though). And knowing that keeps me going. :)

[Char (PSI Tutor:Mentor)]

I identified my need for control was being expressed in taking on too much. Whilst I enjoy variety I realise that others are relying on me to follow through. The future me is relying on me now to follow through.

Life is short, I could be dead in an hour. To live in the here and now, I need to be in the here and now, not caught up in my ego about what I'm "gonna" do.

[Karen Chaffee]

What excellent advice, Dani. Earlier in the year, I had at least a dozen projects I tried to attend each and every day. After a few months of this comes "the crash." Talk about burnout!

I find I accomplish as much (or more) by being selective and pacing myself.

Karen

[Steven]

wow, when you talked about "start something with incredible enthusiasm, work hard at it, but only get it done for 80% or 50% or 30% and then get distracted or start something else, thinking you will complete the project you started sometime soon"...that exactly like me! i mean EXACTLY.

I've been having this trouble for my whole life, which is actually one of the reasons i started my blog - so that I could discipline myself to persist at my goals.

but you are right Diggy, I've always had trouble with organizing my thoughts. I often end up spending most of my energy thinking about my goals and yet never really put much focus into DOING it.

I eventually realized that fact and got out of it (I hope), but we are all still humans, the best thing we could do is just as you said "Never give up".

Anyways, nice post by Diggy, a good ol' reminder.

Steven

[Akshay Kapur]

There's something very rewarding about this post. The instructions are simple and yet motivating.

Sometimes after you read something you have to mull over it and act on it later. Other time, what you read gets you up and doing stuff because of the way it makes you feel. This post is the latter. Awesome stuff!

[Michelle @ Find Your Balance]

That diagram pretty much sums up my life lately! Having my own business is a LOT of work so I'd have to add that "where you want to be" better be something you are totally passionate about or else you'll never be motivated to do the work to get there :-)

[Stephen - Rat Race Trap]

Diggy and Dani - two of my favorites!

"There is no such thing as a free lunch." This is something most people forget. Some people think all you have to do is visualize and attract.

I have had to break the habit of trying to do it all - trying to do too many things at once. I was spreading myself too thin and not doing anything well.

Great job here :-)

[Positively Present]

David - I'm with you on the "don't give up" part. Sometimes it's really hard to stick with something when you don't see instant results! Great point about how important it is to care about your work.

Char - Control is definitely something I struggle with a lot and that's one of the reasons I focus so much on living in the moment. It helps me to let go and be present, making whatever I'm doing in that moment all that much more fulfilling.

Karen - I'm glad you liked Diggy's advice. I really agree that he provided some excellent insights in this post of his and he's helped me to think about how I can better manage my workload.

Steven - So awesome that you could relate to what Diggy wrote about in this post! And you've highlighted a great point about how much time we spend actually thinking about what we're going to do vs. actually doing something. Never giving up really is the key!

Akshay - Great to hear that this post motivated you to take action. That's one of the best things a post can do! :)

Michelle - I would imagine that having your own business is a ton of work, and you've brought up a great point. If you're not passionate about where you want to be, it's going to a lot, lot harder to motivate yourself to get there.

Stephen - You're right -- no such thing as a free lunch! You really have to work hard for the things you want in life and that can be frustrating for a lot of people (myself included!). However, as you said, trying to do too much never works so it's important to focus on what's really important.

[Jen]

Great post :)
I can identify with the unfinished projects and books and like you Diggy, am learning that concentrating on one or a couple of things at a time is more effective than spreading myself too thin. Also the work first, play later motto is great. Something I am learning to do and it makes a big difference.
Thanks Diggy and Dani
Jen

[Positively Present]

Jen - So glad you liked this post. And that's great that you're choosing to focus on a few things -- so much better than spreading yourself too thin!

[Diggy - Upgradereality.com]

Thank you for all the kind comments!
Really glad you enjoyed the post, and I hope the message is one that can help you.

I have learnt that doing many projects at once is not the right way to go about things, and it takes hard work and effort to get results, but as long as you do not give up, the hard work will be rewarded :)

[Kimberly]

I have found my self struggling with multiple projects as of late, alongside with allowing myself to get distracted from creating content for my projects. Thank you for posting this- needed a friendly reminder!

[Positively Present]

Diggy - Thanks again for writing the post. The comments have been great. It's awesome to have tons of feedback on your great insights. Thanks for sharing them!

Kimberly - I'm glad Diggy's guest post served as a reminder for you. As hard as it is to do sometimes, we really do benefit if we focus on only a few things instead of giving many projects little bits of attention.

[Lorenz Sell]

This reminds me of a great keynote by Gary Vaynerchuk on getting what you want: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EhqZ0RU95d4

[Positively Present]

Lorenz - Thanks for posting the link. I'll have to check it out!