The Life-Changing Power of Just 60 Minutes a Day

Making this one easy step can change your life for the better, yet most people don’t

 Ali Lashari

An hour – sixty minutes or 3,560 milliseconds. Everybody has the same amount of time in a day, but most individuals find the thought of devoting even an hour to expanding their knowledge to be a huge undertaking.

It’s crazy to think about, yet one hour is all it takes to idly peruse social media, watch a TV show, or surf the web. Still, many individuals fail miserably when it comes to making the most of this little window of opportunity.

Just why is this happening?

Just because an hour seems “optional”, doesn’t make the response any less meaningful.  This isn’t something that needs doing every single day, like eating, sleeping, or going to work. Time that we must to be using for something, but once in a while actually do. The effect, however, can be philosophical if that hour is yoked daily. A new skill, a passion, or the groundwork for a life-altering effort can be laid in just one hour.

The Basic Math of Change

Though it may not seem like much now, just one hour a day adds up to a lot:

1. Seven hours a week—that’s almost an entire workday—devoted to expanding one’s knowledge.
2. Thirty hours a month equates to the completion of one complete subject in a university course.
3. There are 365 hours in a year, which gives you more than 15 full days to devote to improvement.

However, let us contemplate on a grander scale.  The assertion is that mastering a talent requires 10,000 hours, a notion popularized by Malcolm Gladwell in his work, Outliers.  Although mastery may require a prolonged commitment, investing one hour daily results in an accumulation of over 350 hours’ year towards any talent.  This is sufficient to achieve substantial advancement — not merely to experiment, but to genuinely elevate one’s capabilities.

And what about the beauty?  Learning is a compounding process.  When I made the decision to teach myself how to program, I experienced a process that began quite slowly but eventually gained significant velocity. This is exactly what happened to me.

What I Did to Teach Myself to Program or code in Just Three Months?

As of three months ago, I had absolutely no prior experience with coding.  Nothing at all.  I had no idea what a “variable” was or what a “function” was, and the idea of gazing at a screen that displayed an infinite number of lines of code made me feel as though I was looking into the Matrix.

On the other hand, I found myself intrigued.  These days, you can find coding in automated tools, websites, and apps.  I came to the realization that it wasn’t limited to “tech people”—it was a talent that everyone could learn.  So, I set a modest goal for myself: to work out for an hour every day for three months.

It moved at a snail’s pace at first. For the first few weeks, I mainly relied on tutorials and beginner-friendly guidance. My mind was racing with syntax mistakes, loops, and arrays, and I felt like I was making no headway. The truth of learning, though, is that it’s never easy. If you can overcome the initial unease, you will be pleasantly surprised.

Things began to fall into place during the second month. It all started when I started programming simple programs, experimenting with logic, and seeing the big picture. The hour I set aside every day went from being a hassle to something I looked forward to. I was able to create my first basic to manage guest check-ins and check-outs as well as room access tracking by the third month. Even while there is no shortage of visitor management software, nothing beats the sensation of accomplishment.

I learnt a significant lesson from the process: talent is not necessary.  No prior knowledge is required. Just be patient, consistent, and give it time.

I had a whole new perspective on myself after just one hour a day, or 3,600 seconds. I went from thinking, “I’m not good at coding,” to wondering, “What else can I learn if I put in an hour a day?”

For what reasons isn’t this more common?

Why doesn’t everyone spend an hour every day expanding their knowledge if it’s so easy?  A couple of causes for this are:

1. Most of us are fixated on immediate gratification, so we tend to overlook the importance of baby steps. We automatically conclude it isn’t functioning if we don’t observe a dramatic improvement right away. It takes time and baby steps to make a major difference, though.
2. Because of the Familiar’s Comfort Zone, it’s unpleasant to spend an hour studying anything new. When faced with a task, it’s easy to just give in and watch Netflix or scroll aimlessly. Making an effort isn’t always fun, but it’s necessary for growth.
3. The thought of trying something new and failing miserably is enough to make us quake with fear. The thought of “wasting time” or appearing stupid is terrifying to us. All greatness, however, has its humble beginnings. You can’t just wake up and be a fluent Spanish speaker or pianist; you have to make a conscious effort to practice and improve every day.
4. The most typical justification is that we simply do not have the time. But come on, if you’re going to spend your time on social media, watching endless amounts of TV, or browsing memes, you definitely have the time. The only thing left to do is decide how to spend it.

What Would Your Life Be Like After a Year of Education?

This is when things start to get interesting.  Consider the following scenario: you make the decision today to devote one hour of your time each day to learning something, any subject.  When you think of yourself a year from now:

• Strength, health, appearance, and self-assurance would all improve if you dedicated that hour to exercise.
• You could carry on natural conversations in a foreign language if you studied it.
• Your favorite music would be playing in the background if you took up an instrument.
• A more relaxed, focused, and resilient you would be the result of consistent meditation sessions.

You can become someone you never imagined possible with just one hour a day.  Just decide to show up, put in the time, and have faith in the process. That’s all it takes.

A Return on Investment That Is Unrivalled

Time is the most important thing we have, so be careful with how you spend it.  One of the finest ways to invest in yourself is to dedicate an hour a day to learning something new.  Gaining knowledge, self-assurance, and the conviction that you can achieve far more than you think is an incalculable return on investment.

The excuses “I don’t have time” and “it’s too late to start” are convenient, to be sure. Keep in mind that the following 3,600 seconds will elapse regardless of your actions. Your decision on how to use them is the sole variation.

Imagine yourself in a year’s time realizing you were inaction. Or think about how far you’ve gone just because you gave yourself that little hour each day.

Take baby steps. Please, choose a skill. Research resources such as books, courses, videos, or mentors can be helpful. Then, dedicate one hour every day to learning, practicing, and getting better. Showing up and trying your best are more important than trying to be flawless.

Believe me when I say that just 3,600 seconds every day has the potential to completely transform your life.

The One Last Closing Thoughts

I didn’t intend to become a researcher when I first started learning the philological. I just wanted to show myself that I was capable of learning something new. Yes, I did. I am not an expert researcher; I am simply someone who has given myself the gift of one hour each day.

Now I pose this challenge: What is that one skill or knowledge that you have always wished you could acquire? Maybe it’s creating art, penning a book, preparing a meal, or launching a company. You should give it a go, whatever it is.  If at all possible, begin immediately. Pull out that guide, put on that video, or stretch out that yoga mat.  Give it an hour and observe the results.

The transformation may go unnoticed at first, but the end outcome will astound you.  That’s the power of regular, little work: it may transform ordinary into remarkable.

Setting up an hour every day is more than simply a commitment; it’s a declaration of confidence in your ability to develop into the person you aspire to be.

How then are you going to spend the following 3,600 seconds?

Read: Fiction – One of the best ways to depict factual stories

___________

 Ali Lashari is Assistant Director (Excavation & Exploration), Directorate of Archaeology & Antiquities Wing, Culture, Tourism, Antiquities & Archives Department, Government of Sindh.