Daily chaos to productive calm

CIA strategies to juggle it all with ease [Image](https://) Greetings Everyday Spy, Moving my family to a new state while running a business feels like being deployed to a combat zone. The work never ends. Days blend together in exhaustion. If you've ever felt trapped in your daily grind, you're not alone. My wife and I spent months deployed with CIA, and we appreciated how 'deployed life' simplifies the chaos of 'real life.' The foundation of every deployment is a 'time block' or 'segment' – a set period reserved for a specific activity. For example: - At the US Air Force Academy, my daily schedule was broken into 50 minute segments. - In the Nuclear Missile field, my segments were 120 minutes each. - When I give espionage training courses, I teach in 40 minute increments. Time blocking builds confidence and comfort, [optimizing mental resources and reducing anxiety.]( Our family home-schools, travels, and runs a digital business. We constantly face new challenges, like cultural stressors, technical hurdles, and personal conflicts... - "Sina, stop teasing your sister..." - "Alai, don't pull on Sina's underwear..." - "Jihi, why do you keep moving my notebook?!" And the same tool that helped us optimize our resources in far flung firebases helps us succeed now, in the everyday conflict zone. Here's how to build your own segment schedule: Step 1: Identify Optimal Work when your mind and body are best suited. Consider everyone's natural peak state to make your routine effective and efficient. You can divide blocks anyway you choose – in 5 minute increments or 5 hour increments. But you have to stack them to see where they overlap. In my family, my mind is clearest between 8am-1pm. My son has two prime energy windows: 9am-11am and 3pm-5pm. My daughter is a ticking time bomb that goes off twice a day, at 7am and 3pm. Step 2: Build with Blocks Draw a 24-hour timeline and stack each person's 'optimal' blocks. Schedule resource-intensive activities where blocks overlap the most. Divide time to support one another where optimal hours don't align. When my mind starts to tap out around 1pm, I go rough-house with my son while the nanny puts the baby down for a nap and Jihi keeps working alone. Step 3: Make it Sticky The next biggest mistake people make when they block time is over-correcting their schedule. Trust the process and give your new segments 7 days to settle. In those seven days you will see how the reduced stress and increased energy offsets the initial challenges. Your improved attitude (and the better attitudes of everyone else in the family) gives you the mental resources you need to overcome minor inconveniences that can derail others. Fight the urge to constantly adjust – over-correcting leads to seeing the schedule as a stressor. You can optimize your life the same way elite operators optimize in a warzone. Trust your process and don't 'fix' yourself into a hurt locker. Godspeed, #EverydaySpy P.S. Time blocking is an ultra-effective way to maximize your time and energy. But these are just 2 of your 3 key personal resources. When you learn to use them all most effectively, you can begin taking action like never before and [building a massive edge in both your professional and personal life.]( Andrew Bustamante, Founder of EverydaySpy.com, is a former covert CIA Intelligence officer, decorated US Air Force Combat Veteran, and respected Fortune 500 senior advisor. Learn more from Andrew on his Podcast (The Everyday Espionage Podcast) and by following @EverydaySpy on your favorite social media platform. This email was sent to {EMAIL}. Don't want to receive these emails anymore? [Unsubscribe]( EverydaySpy, 411 Walnut St. #20309, Green Cove Springs, FL 32043