Good morning {{first_name}},
Last week was probably one of the busiest weeks I’ve had in a long time.
I had college from 9am to 2pm, which meant being up early and out of the house by 7:45.
On top of that, I had coursework, a mandatory gym session, meetings and, of course, my business.
And somehow, I managed to fit it all in.
The reason it felt so manageable was actually quite simple.
I prepared for it.
Every night, I packed my bag for the next morning.
I laid out my clothes.
I even put my coffee and mug next to the kettle.
It sounds ridiculously simple, but when you’re waking up early and have a lot to do, removing those tiny decisions makes a difference.
I’d get into the city centre a little earlier than I needed to and go for a walk before college. It gave me some time to wake up, clear my head and get ready for the day.
Then I’d go into college.
This week especially, I wanted to make the most of every minute.
When the teacher gave us a task, I wanted to get it done quickly, make sure it was good, and then use whatever time I had left to work on my business.
I didn’t want to sit around waiting for the next thing to happen.
If I had spare time, I wanted to use it.
After college, I’d walk to the gym, do my session and then leave for a meeting.
By then, it was around 5pm.
After the meeting, I’d work some more before eventually heading home.
When I got home, I’d unpack my bag, get everything ready for the next day and then actually enjoy my evening.
Then I’d do it all again.
Five days in a row.
There were a couple of days where I pushed it further and ended up working until midnight.
Not because I think working until midnight every night is something to aim for.
It isn’t.
But sometimes, you do have to go further than what’s comfortable.
Sometimes you have to sacrifice a bit of your time now because there’s something you care about building later.
The important part is knowing the difference between going above and beyond and simply being badly organised.
If you’re constantly staying up late because you left everything until the last minute, that isn’t ambition.
That’s poor preparation.
I could push myself when I needed to because I had already done the work of preparing for the week.
I knew where I needed to be.
I knew what I was doing after college.
I knew when I was going to the gym.
I knew what needed to get done when I got home.
I wasn’t making those decisions five minutes before I needed to make them.
I had already made them.
And when you repeat something enough, it starts to become automatic.
For me, at the moment, it’s pretty much:
Wake up.
Get ready.
College.
Gym.
Work.
Home.
Repeat.
That routine made a week that looked completely packed on paper feel surprisingly normal.
And I think that’s the part people miss.
Being organised isn’t necessarily about having a perfect colour-coded calendar or planning every minute of your life.
Sometimes, it’s just knowing what you’re doing before you have to do it.
Because when the busy weeks come around, you don’t have to panic.
You don’t have to constantly ask yourself what comes next.
You just follow the plan.
And when you’ve prepared properly, going above and beyond becomes a choice rather than a crisis.
That’s the difference.
You shouldn’t have to rely on working harder just to keep up with your life.
Prepare properly, and when the moment comes to push harder, you can actually choose to.
– Talk Soon
Yousaf