Hey everyone, sorry for the lack of blogs recently. I took a few days off to go to the beach, put in some long MTT sessions, and had a ton of lessons - didn't have a ton of time to post blogs.

I'll be finishing this series within the next few days. Thank you to all my readers who read each one and sent me so many emails. You guys really inspire me.

You can read this blog on it's own but the last entry can be read here:

http://www.pokerheadrush.com/2012/06...alistic-goals/

A couple blogs back I made a list of a bunch of things I would like to pursue, and last blog I made a list of rough plans with rough goals in mind. There was a bunch of analysis behind the number of hours needed and when it could be made. Now, to put it in a weekly schedule, I need as simple of a breakdown as possible.

• Two days off for family, friends, and my own sanity
  
• 3 hours of training videos/study per week
  
• Six 20+ minute runs for my dog
  
• Four hours of lessons each week
  
• Two full days/20+ hours of MTTs minimum
  
• Exercise (combines with runs for the dog): 6 sets per week (20+ minutes of road work, 50 push-ups, 50 sit-ups)
  
• Four hours for non-poker related writing
  
• Two Blogs/Articles per week (3 hour maximum typically)
  
• Four hours of Spanish Study per week

Assuming the minimum amount of time required for each goal, and assuming I play only 20 hours of poker, that's a 40 hour work week over five days, for an average work day of eight hours a day.

Right now I'm working sixty hours a week every week at least, so this is actually a fair reduction in my work. It might seem like I'm going backwards, accepting less than my best, but this plan is more balanced, and if I'm working thirty solid hours and 20 halfhearted hours it's not as good as 40 hours in every goal I want to achieve.

This also accounts for what won't be the easiest - spending time on things that require more study and focus, and aren't second nature to me, like creative writing and Spanish. Eight hours of poker is nothing to me, and since I'm addicted to grinding far more than bettering myself its really easy to get that kind of work in. While I'm diversifying myself I should start with a solid but manageable work load and expand from there.

As far as scheduling, I think its a good idea to come up with some test schedules to see if it works out, but I think its better to have the big things planned out and then fit in the rest flexibly. I find I get everything done and more when I have a little choice over what I can do.

I don't like set schedules because if you're really feeling it you should just get a ton done in a couple days, and then decide what area you want to commit more hours to. If you're not feeling it you can have a bit of a road map as to what you usually do and get your goals done each week.

I think that's a big deal. On your worst week can you get all your goals done? On my worst week 40 hours will be attainable, and I can feel good about putting in a solid 40, even if I should be going for much more.

In my test schedule Monday is a half day off, Thursday is a half day off, and Friday is completely off (except for a work out...which I enjoy, and maybe a lesson). Tuesday and Sunday I play everything. On the mornings of Monday through Saturday I go for my fifty push-ups and sit-ups, and do at least twenty minutes of running. More likely every day I'll do an hour - thirty minutes out in the nature with my dog, listening to a Pimsleur series on Spanish, and thirty minutes inside on an exercise machine watching a training video. That's an hour commitment per day, but it will give me six hours of exercise per week (more than required), three hours of Spanish study, and three hours of poker study.

Right there I have a good base to work off of. Then maybe Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday morning I do lessons. Monday could be my day to study Spanish, and Wednesday and Saturday I could write.

Okay so there's my rough idea in my head, let's do a test schedule.

It would look like this:

Monday:



1 hour lesson

60 minute run (with 30 minutes Spanish/30Training video), Sit-Ups, Push-Ups

2 hours of Spanish Study

Off for the rest of the day



Tuesday:



60 minute run (with 30 minutes Spanish/30Training video), Sit-Ups, Push-Ups

Play the whole day



Wednesday:



1 hour lesson

60 minute run (with 30 minutes Spanish/30 Training video), Sit-Ups, Push-Ups

2 hours of non-poker writing



Thursday:



1 hour lesson

60 minute run (with 30 minutes Spanish/30 Training video), Sit-Ups, Push-Ups

1.5 to 3 hours of poker-related content writing/P5s Training Videos/Extra Lessons

Rest Of The Day Off





Friday:



Completely off



Saturday:



1 hour lesson

60 minute run (with 30 minutes Spanish/30 Training video), Sit-Ups, Push-Ups

2 hours of non-poker writing





Sunday:



60 minute run (with 30 minutes Spanish/30 Training video), Sit-Ups, Push-Ups

Play all day







I know that's 5 hours of Spanish study but I assume I'll fade out while I'm running a good deal of the time so it comes out to four.

This schedule looks kind of sparse I know but that's intentional. I think it's better to start with something balanced and achievable that you can adjust as you see fit, something that has you putting in work almost every day, but gives you space to put in extra work when the time's right. I don't think you can knock anybody putting in at least 40 hours a week, and chances are I'll go longer than 10 hours playing if I only play two days a week, and I'm likely to just study or write for a whole day.

If I really get going on Spanish its on a day where I have room to breathe, and I could put in some more hours. Since writing a book is a goal of mine I give myself two chances/days to get on a roll. If I can't get on a roll there's a minimum to do and I will have gotten more work done anyway than if I was just left to when I feel like it.

Like if I have great week at poker and I want to play more, I can try to put all the writing in on Saturday and put in a Wednesday session.

Since poker and writing are the kind of things you get momentum in you can interchange from week to week. You can take out one writing today to put in one poker day or vice versa, and then the next week do the opposite if you feel the momentum slipping and equal it out.

If you're worried you're going to get unbalanced you can just allow yourself only one unbalanced trade off per month.

I know a lot of this seems overly complex, but I guess it's just my way to do things.

My Plugs: Check out my vids at Pocketfives Training, hit me up for lessons at assassinatocoaching@gmail.com, see other stuff I write with my friends at www.pokerheadrush.com, and follow my Twitter at TheAssassinato