Introducing The 5,000 Hour Plan

Results from 2024 and Lessons Learned

Below this section is my original post from last year, where I first published the 5,000 Hour Plan framework. Since I love to practice things and not just put theories out there, I actually used the 5,000 Hour Plan as described below and here are the results:

• Much more efficient use of my time overall. I tracked 4,100 hours of activity using Google Sheets, all allocated based on my priorities. This was a forcing function for me to think through every action. While I tried doing this daily, as the year went on I realized that weekly updates were totally fine, even monthly works. And through this discipline my mentality changed from, "what am I going to do with my time?" to, "I am 100% sure this is the top priority today."
• Quicker course corrections: I also saw red flags in meeting my objectives throughout the year, which allowed me to course correct and reallocate time in certain areas, to better feed areas that were in need.
• 5,000 Hours is an aspiration. Considering that I only accounted for 4,100 hours, I didn't accurately predict my available time. The truth is, 5,000 hours is an aspiration. It's not totally unrealistic, but it's very, very challenging. Next year, I hope to increase this to 4,250 hours of time tracking.
• Reduced # of Key Results in future planning. As I enter 2025, my new 2025 5,000 Hour Plan is much more refined. I kept 5 buckets, but I reduced the number of Key Results in each bucket by about 50%. I realized that in 2024 I had too much sub-KR's to track, and ended up reducing this in half because it helps me focus more.
• More distributed % allocations in future planning. My overall objectives are still a total of five. However, my distribution of time across those five is much more distributed. This means that I will enter the year with a new mindset and I'm challenging myself to enter into new terrain by leaving my previous priorities.
• Mission and Vision is a living and breathing statement. Another realization is that our Life Mission and Vision constantly needs evaluation. I updated my Mission and Vision to be more in line with what I "stand for", getting closer to my purpose and living a more fulfilled life overall. We aren't robots – we need to be more integrated across the key areas of life.

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