The paradox of time management is that the less structure there is to the day, the less that gets done. Corporate training programs like to use the rocks in a pitcher example. If you put the small rocks in, the pitcher overflows before the big rocks can be dropped in. However, if you put in the big rocks first, the small ones find little spaces throughout and the water remains contained. A framework to guide the cadence of our day can be helpful in ensuring we do the right things, and that we have situational awareness throughout the day.

The 75 Hard program is challenging not because it requires an extreme workout load, but because it puts real time demands on your day, every day. You not only have to find time to read and slam a gallon of water, you have to find time in the morning and evening for a 45-minute workout of some kind. The failure point is often when participants are overcome by events. The list is too long when piled on top of their already established one. In truth, the daily requirements are the framework that moves you through your day.

If you wake up with a list of eight nonnegotiable, you have to have a clear strategy, and timing, for when you’ll get them done. Some may not be singular events, like drinking a gallon of water, and those push you forward through the day. Time is a finite resource, so to fit it all in, you have to make choices. That means waking up when the alarm goes off, working when you’re on the clock, and avoiding the endless scrolling. It’s not actually overwhelm, it’s the guardrails that you operate within.

A list of things that you must do every day has a greater intent. The items that make it on the list correspond to some specific objective that you have. For me, a daily walk is on there. Walking helps me maintain my health, but I also just feel better throughout the day when I wake up and get it done. The same goes for prayer. These are the big rocks, the important things that give me more than the time they take. They’re worth doing.

There can be little difference between rest and idleness. Rest is to serve a purpose, to recover from something. Idleness is just not doing anything. Rest is earned when the important things are already accomplished; idleness steals the benefits we sought to obtain.

Momentum is huge in every application. With the right list of nonnegotiables and a cadence that keeps pushing you forward, success is inevitable.