What I Learned from Working 13.3 Hours a Day, 6 Days a Week

Eighteen months ago, I decided to chase my passion by taking a great opportunity with an incredible company (When I Work) in Minnesota. This was a huge change for me, since it followed the sale of the company that had been my life and blood for more than five years.

Unfortunately, this move meant that for those 18 months, I’d be living away from my wife (FYI: it sucks) and I’d have quite a bit of time to kill.

I’m the kind of guy that needs to keep busy, so by December 2014, after almost a year of doing pretty much nothing else except going to work (and skydiving on the weekends), I began to get really antsy. The need to be doing something a little different got my creative juices flowing, and I started to think up and work on some new ideas.

The first project I really got my teeth into was the growth hacking eBook I wrote with my good friend Rob Wormley: 100 Days of Growth. Now my latest ebook on Content Marketing is up for pre-order.

Getting the book to completion took around 50 hours each (of my time and Rob’s time), including a whole bunch of time spent testing new marketing tactics.

However, as “that guy” that always needs to be doing something to keep busy, I’m also not the kind of guy to do things halfway. Once I put my mind to something, I work my ass off until it’s finished. This meant that, between my day job and my work on 100 Days of Growth, I spent 6 months working more than 13 hours a day, 6 days a week.

It was tough going, but thankfully, our efforts paid off. The book has been a great success and sold over 10,000 copies, which has given me a ton of confidence as I move forward with other new projects. This is the story of how I did it…

My daily schedule

My (week) days were long, and packed with hard work (luckily, I really like hard work). Here’s what my daily schedule looked like:

5.30am – 6.00am: I’d get up at about 5.30am, and by 6am, I’d be logged on and checking my email.

7.00am – 8.30am: Answering email would take until around 7am, at which point I’d head to the gym for my morning workout.

8.30am – 6.00pm: 8.30 sharp would see me start my day job (the one I moved to Minnesota for) at When I Work.

6.00pm – 8.00pm: I tended to play it by ear a little during this part of the day, but I’d generally spend the time honing business relationships or training clients (either over the phone, via Clarity, in a video chat, or in person), and (most of the time) I’d manage to squeeze in dinner, too.

8.00pm – 11.30pm: This is when I’d be testing, writing blog posts, and working on personal projects; i.e. 100 Days of Growth, my (recently launched) tool Content Marketer and newest ebook: Content Marketing Playbook.

Weekends were a little less rigid but almost as busy.

I’d spend Sundays reviewing everything I’d been testing and proving during the week, and working out how I could apply this stuff to my day job at When I Work.

Some days, I’d find myself absorbed more in my personal projects; on others, my day job took precedence. It would just depend on where my findings led me.

Saturdays were my “day of rest.” At least, sort of. If I hadn’t managed to speak to my wife during the week (I don’t know why, but she never really appreciated my midnight phone calls…), I’d make the time to have a good long chat on the phone or over Skype. If I was really lucky, she might even come and visit me.

Saturday was also my chance to get my adrenaline flowing with some extreme sports. My first choice was always skydiving, but that’s not exactly an option year round in Minnesota. Depending on the time of year, you might catch me snowmobiling, kiteboarding, or racing cars instead.

Basically, it was really, really hard work. But it was well worth it. My life is now better than ever and, along the way, I’ve learned a heck of a lot…

1. Hard work pays off

Working 12+ hours a day may seem like a big sacrifice initially (and it is), but if the work you’re doing is leading to a situation where you can work fewer hours or have more flexibility in your working day (such as by setting up your own company), then it’s so very worth it.

Put it this way: would you rather…

1. Work 12 hours a day for a few years, then 3 hours a day (when you want and from where you want) for the remainder of your working life? Or…
2. Work 8 to 9 hours a day, when and where your boss tells you to, for that same remainder of your working life?

Sounds like a no-brainer to me.

2. Passion is my energy

If you can find something you love doing – as in, not something you don’t mind doing, but something you literally jump out of bed in the mornings for – then that’s what’s going to make you feel that passion and give you the energy you need to be the success you want, and deserve, to be.

So my message to you is: do whatever it takes to find your passion and live your dream. For me, that meant moving halfway across the country, living away from my family and friends, and working very, very long days.

3. Where my weaknesses lie

Personally, I suck at building things – whether it’s flat-pack furniture or a website. I have a lot of good ideas, and I’m great at visualizing them and describing them to others. But when it actually comes to making my ideas come to life, I have to partner with a developer who helps me turn them into a reality.

I’m also not the best organizer. I put this down to me being a creative type rather than someone with a logical, organized mind. However, there are ways around this…

I use Evernote for jotting down the random thoughts I need to remember. For actually organizing my work and collaborating with colleagues, I use Asana.

4. How to stretch time

I became more disciplined with myself. It can be damn difficult (and I’m sure anyone who has ever worked for themselves will agree) to motivate yourself when you don’t have a boss leaning over your shoulder, or targets to hit that aren’t your own.

If anything, that was the toughest thing for me to overcome. I did it by setting small targets (i.e. work solidly for an hour and I can have x as a treat), and by reminding myself that the more I allowed myself to be distracted, the longer I would actually have to work.

These are all things that I’ve carried into my now somewhat-more-relaxed working life (don’t get me wrong, I still work hard – just not “13 hours, 6 days a week” hard).

5. The importance of networking

Over the last 6 months, I’ve spoken to 117 new people (typically, one new person a day).

There was no real agenda to this; I just wanted to exchange ideas, help others where I could, and get help from them where I could. But HOLY CRAP was this monumental to my growth.

The advice I got was incredible. The advice I gave made a few people’s careers. And you know what?

Connecting with people is just fun.

6. Practice makes perfect

It used to take me between 4 and 5 hours to write a blog post, but now, it takes 30-45 minutes.

It’s widely accepted that it takes 10,000 hours to learn a new skill. However, according to Josh Kaufman, author of The Personal MBA, this is actually untrue. And I think I agree with him.

Josh believes it takes 10,000 hours to “become an expert in an ultra-competitive field,” while you can actually become proficient at a new skill in just 20 hours.

My personal experiences in the last 6 months have shown me that we can drastically improve our abilities in certain areas if we put our minds to it, and if we take the time needed to practice, practice, practice.

7. How to turn boredom into productivity

There are many ways to channel boredom. I chose to channel my boredom by using the time to do something that would not only mean big changes in that precise moment, but that would help make big changes in my future too.

So next time you’re bored, don’t try to pass the time playing Candy Crush on your phone or doing something silly that you know you probably shouldn’t be. Launch your website. Start writing an eBook. Learn a new skill.

You’ll kill your boredom and feel great about yourself for it.

But that’s enough about me – I want to hear from you. Have you ever gone through a period of hard work on something you care about deeply? Share your story by leaving a comment below:

=======================================================

Sujan has over 12 years of digital marketing experience and has helped companies like Sales Force, Intuit and many other Fortune 500 caliber companies increase their web traffic, boost user acquisition, and grow their businesses. He’s currently the VP of Marketing at When I Work, the top-rated employee scheduling software.

Nearly half a million people in over 50 countries rely on When I Work for employee scheduling, time clock and communication.

Start a 30-day free trial with When I Work!
When I Work is hiring!