Challenge Session2013-12-20

Get Alignment In Life - 5 Minute Proven Exercise

Eben Pagan reveals how inner conflicts drain energy like a misaligned car and teaches a powerful 5-minute exercise to identify where your priorities and time don't match. This simple two-column assessment exposes the gaps between what matters most to you and how you actually spend your time.

productivity optimization alignment assessmentinner conflictstime misallocation

Key Moments

How to assess your life alignment in 5 minutes -- A simple two-column exercise to identify gaps between your priorities and time allocation

Why How You Make Money Matters More Than How Much

Get a blank paper and draw a line down the middle. Left side: write 5 things most important to you in life. Right side: write 5 activities you spend most time doing. Be honest about time allocation and compare the lists.

▶ 1:05

Two-Column Life Alignment Exercise in Five Minutes

Draw a line down the middle of a paper. On the left, write 5 things most important to you in life. On the right, write the 5 activities you spend the most time doing. Compare the lists to see misalignment.

▶ 1:12

Alignment Creates Freedom Flow and Natural Momentum

Getting into alignment creates feelings of freedom, flow, and things working as they need to work

▶ 0:52

Honest Time Audits Include Worry Not Just Work

Honest assessment of time allocation includes activities like worrying and working hard, not just productive tasks

▶ 1:48

Two-Column Assessment Reveals Priority-Time Misalignment

The two-column assessment reveals massive gaps between priorities and actual time allocation

Relevant Clips10

How-To
How to assess your life alignment in 5 minutes -- A simple two-column exercise to identify gaps between your priorities and time allocation
Teaching▶ 1:05
Why How You Make Money Matters More Than How Much
Get a blank paper and draw a line down the middle. Left side: write 5 things most important to you in life. Right side: write 5 activities you spend most time doing. Be honest about time allocation and compare the lists.
→ Canonical teaching
Teaching▶ 1:12
Two-Column Life Alignment Exercise in Five Minutes
Draw a line down the middle of a paper. On the left, write 5 things most important to you in life. On the right, write the 5 activities you spend the most time doing. Compare the lists to see misalignment.
→ Canonical teaching
Teaching
How Inner Friction Drains Energy and Reduces Effectiveness
Inner friction and conflicts act like misaligned car wheels, draining energy and reducing effectiveness. Being out of alignment robs you of energy, while alignment creates freedom and flow.
→ Canonical teaching
Teaching▶ 1:48
Honest Time Audits Include Worry Not Just Work
Honest assessment of time allocation includes activities like worrying and working hard, not just productive tasks
→ Canonical teaching
Teaching▶ 0:52
Alignment Creates Freedom Flow and Natural Momentum
Getting into alignment creates feelings of freedom, flow, and things working as they need to work
→ Canonical teaching
Teaching
Two-Column Assessment Reveals Priority-Time Misalignment
The two-column assessment reveals massive gaps between priorities and actual time allocation
→ Canonical teaching
Teaching
Inner Conflicts Drain Energy Like Misaligned Wheels
Inner friction and conflicts create energy drain similar to a car with misaligned wheels
→ Canonical teaching
Quotable▶ 0:44
Being Out of Alignment Robs You of Energy and Flow
As a person, being out of alignment really robs you of a lot of energy. And when you get yourself into alignment, you start to feel this feeling of freedom of flow of things just working the way that they need to work.
Quotable▶ 2:24
Two Lists From Two Different People — That's Misalignment
In a lot of cases, when you look at your list, you'll see that it's almost as if these two lists came from two completely different people because they're that far out of alignment.

Entities Touched

Concepts

Alignment Assessment Productivity Optimization Mastery Self-Management Three Daily Priorities Attention Management Focus Inner Butterfly Effect Clean Focus Inner Game Mastery personal success ritual High-Leverage Activities

Questions

How do I develop consistent wealth-building habits?How do I make my work sessions more productive and meaningful?How do I prioritize tasks when everything feels urgent?

Canonical Teachings

The two-column assessment reveals massive gaps between priorities and actual time allocation Inner friction and conflicts create energy drain similar to a car with misaligned wheels Honest assessment of time allocation includes activities like worrying and working hard, not just productive tasks Draw a line down the middle of a paper. On the left, write 5 things most important to you in life. On the right, write the 5 activities you spend the most time doing. Compare the lists to see misalignment.Getting into alignment creates feelings of freedom, flow, and things working as they need to work

Summary

The Hidden Cost of Inner Misalignment

Eben reveals that most people carry more inner friction and conflicts than they realize, comparing this to a car with misaligned wheels. Just as wheel misalignment causes faster tire wear, reduced control, and decreased efficiency, personal misalignment drains energy and reduces effectiveness in life.

The Power of Getting Into Alignment

When you achieve alignment, you experience freedom, flow, and things working naturally. Eben introduces a practical exercise to identify misalignment by comparing your stated priorities with how you actually spend your time.

The Two-Column Assessment Exercise

The exercise requires drawing a line down paper and listing your 5 most important life priorities on the left and your 5 most time-consuming activities on the right. Eben emphasizes complete honesty, noting that time-consuming activities might include worrying or unfocused work, and that the resulting lists often appear to come from completely different people.