Have you ever thought about the real power of an hour?
How much do you think an hour is actually worth?
Most of the time, we actors don’t think of our worth in terms of time. Because let’s be honest, if we actually added up all the time we spend auditioning, performing, training, learning material, rushing to a coaching, keeping up with our social media and thank you notes, etc… we would probably make about 2¢ an hour.
I’m exaggerating, of course. #butactually
But, the power of an hour well-spent can make or break your success in any business and in life.
For actors though, I often find that it is difficult to find a full #uninterrupted hour because of all the things we have to juggle, including a day job or side business and all the myriad of things I listed above. The concept of finding a full hour at the gym, a full hour working on audition material, a full hour writing that screenplay, a full hour sending out photos and resumes is a ridiculous commitment to make. And that is why actors often feel overwhelmed and fail to start anything. The feeling that your time is not your own literally “owns” you.
So that’s why I created my Power Hour™ Tracking System.
A Power Hour™ is one hour, broken into four tasks that are in the direct line of your goals, that you are going to commit to doing every single day for only 15 minutes. #4tasks15minutes #powerhour
Now here’s the cool thing.
You can EITHER create one hour in your day where you do all four tasks in a row for 15 minutes each. OR, you can break those tasks up and do them at four different times during your busy day. After all, it is far easier to find 15 minutes in your day, than it is to find a full uninterrupted hour.
In addition, here are the other reasons your Power Hour™ can be so effective.
1. Often starting is the hardest thing because if you don’t have what you think is “enough time” to do it, you don’t do it at all. But, if you only actually commit to 15 minutes, you are far more apt to begin than if you have to commit to an hour.
2. Your first 15 minutes is just to get the motor running, and it often leads to more time spent on that particular task. BUT, the cool thing is, if you only do have 15 minutes in your day, you have still held yourself accountable to what you committed to. #integrity
3. It is consistency over time that breeds results, so it is far better to do the same task over and over every single day than it is to do that task for hours on Monday, then not do it again for two weeks. Think of it as compound interest on your time and your life. #consistency
Here’s how you create your Power Hour™.
Think about your goals (or better yet, look at them in your copy of The Organized Actor®), and decide on a task that, if you did it for 15 minutes every day, would bring you way closer to that goal. Some sample tasks are… vocalize, write a blog post, sit-ups, yoga, meditate, practice a monologue, write a page on your screenplay, etc. These are baby steps that when done consistently will breed massive results!
Once you’ve chosen the first task that aligns with your goals, then do that for three more goals and voila! You have your Power Hour™. Make sure you choose tasks that are DIRECTLY RELATED TO YOUR GOALS, and then watch them come to fruition in no time! If you need help tracking your progress, you can use my handy Power Hour™ Tracking System by downloading it for free here.
Four tasks for 15 minutes every single day. That’s it.
So, how much is an hour worth? I’d say, it’s worth your whole life.
Tell me what your PowerHour™ tasks are in the comments below!
Leslie Becker is an award-winning Broadway actress, writer, and creator of The Organized Actor® and is passionate about inspiring, entertaining and educating others. Sign up below for more tips for workin’ your acting career and your life. www.OrganizedActor.com.
