Sparky's Life
Sparky's Life
EP 16 Work-Life Balance & The Power of Hope
On this episode I talk about my return to podcasting in 2025 after a break for 12 months.
Also chat about time management and being your best.
Also I have the Fun Fact of the day.
So sit back and enjoy the show and remember to like and follow the show.
As always I finish my podcasts with some nice music.
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Broadcasting to everyone from coast to coast, top to bottom, from our studios in Warhope on the mid-north coast of New South Wales. It's another episode of Sparky's Live with your fantastic host, grant Ducos. Hello everyone, I'm back to my podcasting in 2025. It's been a while since my last podcast. My last podcast was the end of 2023. Gee, where has the time gone? It's gone too quickly.
Speaker 1:I've been struggling with time management and work overload. Quickly I've been struggling with time management and work overload. Running an electrical contracting business and working on it and in it is so demanding. Getting the balance right has been very challenging. I love producing my podcasts. It's my passion and hobby. It makes me happy and being creative keeps my mind active.
Speaker 1:So finding the time is an ongoing adjustment and it is forever changing. Just like working on a car to keep it running smoothly and maintaining it, you need to do the same on yourself Getting your body into shape and maintaining a healthy diet, keeping your mind in good shape as well with new challenges, being creative and constant learning. Managing yourself and work is like having two or three full-time jobs. It takes a lot of tweaking and different versions to get it right. You don't always get it right, but that's okay. At least we are all trying our best, and if it doesn't work or doesn't quite fit, we make changes and improvements. Nothing stays the same, so we keep evolving, constant upgrading, keeping up with what's current. I also try and find some time in listening to other creators, podcasts and reading self-help and inspirational books, whether it be on hardcover or an e-book, and just recently I've started listening to books on Audible.
Speaker 1:The latest book I'm reading is Arnold Schwarzenegger's new book titled Be Useful Seven Tools for Life. I purchased this book as a hardcover. In the book he talks about, nothing comes easy and you have to work for everything. There is no easy fix or a simple hack to cheat your way through life.
Speaker 2:You have to earn it.
Speaker 1:He also talks about time and how people complain they don't get time to do the things they want to do. So he breaks it down. You have 24 hours in a day, 8 hours top for sleeping, 8 hours work time, which leaves you 8 hours left, and that's plenty of time, arnold says. People come up to him all the time and say what about rest and relaxation? Arnold's typical response is rest is for babies and relaxation is for retired people.
Speaker 1:I've always loved going to the gym and working out with weights, so I've changed the way of thinking to do with my good use of time and time management. Usually I get up at 5 30 in in the morning, have breakfast and get ready for work and leave by 7 am. We try and finish around 3 to 3.30 in the afternoon, but sometimes that doesn't work and it may be the case that we don't walk through the door between 5 and 6 pm. By the time you have a shower, have a feed and it's time for bed by 7.30. So going to the gym after work is out of the question, because being at work is like a crossfit work of the day, which is called a WOD in crossfit circles. It's like a WOD which starts at 7 am and doesn't finish until we walk through the door when we get home. During that time we're in the heat all the time, whether it's inside a roof cavity under a house or working outside. So when I get home I'm usually exhausted and tired. So then to turn around and go to the gym at that time is insane. This has taken me a whole new way and level of thinking, outside the triangle, because a box is boring and outdated.
Speaker 1:Boring and outdated In the summertime. I get out of bed at 3am, have a pre-workout drink and leave at 3.30, which gets me to the gym around 3.45. I work out for an hour and a bit, leave the gym by 5am, which gets me home about 5.15, 5.20am. So I still get my 8 hours sleep or thereabouts. I feel great after my workout. It's also an awesome start to the day. I haven't always been an early person, but I'm now. During the summer time it's a lot easier to work out first thing in the morning. It's a lot cooler no traffic and absolutely no one else in the whole gym. I have the whole gym to myself and that's a big incentive of getting up when I do. It works for my situation at this time, fridays and the weekends are a bit different, but on Fridays we use that as an office day and quoting, so it's a day off the tools. And, of course, no working on Saturday or Sunday, unless it's a special call out or jobs around the house. Fridays and weekends are now structured in a way that I can work on the things that make me happy my podcasting interests and being creative, just like Arnold talks about in his book.
Speaker 1:Be useful with your time. You have to be fully committed to whatever your goals are and stick with it to gain the benefits and stick with it to gain the benefits. It certainly helps. It certainly makes it easy with a 24 hour gym, which most of them are nowadays. I have been training at your Life Fitness at Sovereign Hills Complex at Port Macquarie. It's a fairly new gym with new and modern equipment. Your Life Fitness now have two gyms in Port Macquarie. Maybe one day they may consider opening up a your Life Fitness gym at Warhope. Got my fingers crossed for that.
Speaker 1:Hi there, I'm Grant Doolko. If this is your first time here at Sparky's Life, welcome. It's great to have you here. And if you're back here for more, welcome back and thank you for your loyalty and support. If you like what you hear on today's show, make sure you share this podcast with your mates who are electricians or who are involved in the tradie world. I want to reach out and help as many tradies as I can with this podcast. I want to help tradespeople break through to the next level in their career and in their lives.
Speaker 1:I have a fun fact for you Wearing a necktie can reduce the blood flow to your brain by 7.5%. A study in 2018 found that wearing a necktie can reduce the blood flow to your brain by up to 7.5%, which can make you feel dizzy, nauseous and cause headaches. They can also increase the pressure in your eyes if on too tight and are great at carrying germs. So that's all for now, folks, but before I go, if there is anything you'd like me to talk about on future episodes, maybe want to ask a question or be on the show, you can do this by contacting us on any of our media sites. I'll put the links to these in the show notes, and don't forget to follow the show and leave a review. Thanks for listening to Sparky's Life. I'm your host, grant Doolko. Keep safe and catch you on the next one.
Speaker 2:In times that are changing and when hope is fading, I know I can turn to your embrace, cause there's so much beauty under your heaven and I'm grateful every day. Sometimes I give up, just want to be on my own, be on my own Even in the darkest times. You give me hope, so I lean on you. When I've lost my way, I keep holding on for a better day. I lean on you. When the world's straight, I release my fear. I keep holding on for a better day. I lean on you and the world's astray, I left my heart open so you'll hear my prayer. I left my heart open so you'll hear my prayer.
