I watched a video on a day of a West Point Military Academy student, and I was enamored with the school. West Point gives rise to some of the most influential people in the United States, including Mike Pompeo, who held positions as Director of the CIA and Trump’s Secretary of State. West Point students spend years learning systems and routines. And employers know that West Point graduates don’t spend their days at Tim Horton’s watching the river go by.
West Point Military Cadets get stuff done; they are people movers. For instance, say we employ five people. These cadets know how to motivate our employees, get them moving, and structure their every moment. These West Point graduates are not sitting idly, waiting for the phone to ring. They bust and move.
I never knew my academic potential until I watched the West Point cadet’s video on his weekly routine. On average, he gets seven hours of sleep unless he studies later in the evening. He makes a perfect bed and has a well-groomed uniform and coiffed hair. His room is spotless and is inspected in the morning. He goes to breakfast early and then begins classes. His classes include respectfully saluting his instructors and engaging in earnest learning. No one in his class seemed the slightest bit distracted. He then does weights in the gym or goes for a run, trains hard, and studies throughout the evening. Not once does he ever complain. He is studious, disciplined, tidy, strong, and responsible.
That struck me as the perfect lifestyle for academic and career success. So, I aim to integrate the cadet’s highly structured routine into my life. I’m not as structured as this West Point cadet. And that suggests room for improvement. We all have room for improvement. And that striving is what makes life fun, rich, and meaningful.
So, here is my strategy for improving my lifestyle. I downloaded an app called Simple Time Tracker for Android. I then entered all my different activities during the day and color-coded them. I only do a few activities outside of sleep: eat, clean, shower, work, study, and exercise. With the app, I click on the task I’m currently working on, and a timer starts recording how long I take with each task. The timer also records untracked time (wasted time). So, this is step one: I see how much time I spend on tasks and how much time I waste. Wasted time is a growth opportunity.
After that, I will schedule these tasks in an app based on the time they take to complete. I still need to choose a scheduling app, however. Then, in my career, I plan on marking down all my work tasks in my company’s Time Sheet. That way, I’m hyper-focused and provide transparency for my employer. I will also map out each week’s and day’s activities in advance.
My challenge for all of us is to assess how long tasks take us. For instance, how many hours a week does it take us to write an essay? How long does our essay research take versus the actual essay writing? I recommend recording all our activities in an app, as I’m doing. And then map out a tight daily schedule filled with productive activities–as if we’re cadets at West Point.
We can all rise to the top in our professions, academics, or other ambitions. A regimented schedule filled with productive activities is critical. If we aren’t heading for West Point, we can still create a highly structured routine at AU using apps such as the Simple Time Tracker. There is a reason why the biggest companies in the world have a unique application field for veterans. They’re in demand! And we deserve to rise to the top, too! A highly structured routine is one way to skyrocket our infinite potential.
