Times, Types, and Totals: Assuming Command of Your Mission
“If you don’t know where you’re going, you’ll end up someplace else.” — Yogi Berra
Most people aren’t lazy.
They aren’t weak, undisciplined, or unmotivated.
We’re just scattered.
Most have never been shown how to define “enough,” or how to organize their day around what really matters. So most people live in survival mode—doing too much, too late, and too randomly.
Enter: 3T
Times, Types, and Totals—a deceptively simple framework for building your dream life by bringing order to your effort.
…It all started with sleep.
🌙 The SEAT of the Problem…and Your Power
I was coaching a client on improving his energy and motivation, using my #SEAT model:
“Sleep, Eat, And Train” (in that precise order) is the “SEAT” of your physical power. Your Body, that physical base, is the non-negotiable foundation of your mental, emotional, and spiritual “Forces”…we’ll touch on those later.
He was struggling. And not because he didn’t care, but because “get more sleep” wasn’t specific enough. So we broke it down further.
I taught him to think of healthful sleep in terms of:
- Times — When do you go to bed? Is that a consistent time on most days, or all over the clock face?
- Types — Are you getting restorative sleep? Is the room dark, and quiet, and cool? Are you minimizing blue light and caffeine early enough in the afternoon?
- Totals — Are you getting a full 7 to 9 hours per night, and not just on weekends?
Boom.
Breakthrough.
He didn’t just understand sleep better. He started to feel better, almost immediately.
And I realized: this 3T model works everywhere.
1. Doing 3T Gets the Right Things Done, Right
We all do “stuff,” but our stuff is often scattered, unfocused, or misaligned with what actually matters.
The 3T model helps you filter that noise and get the right things done, the right way.
Take exercise:
- Times — When will you work out? How often each week? For how long?
- Types — Strength? Cardio? Mobility? Recovery?
- Totals — What’s the goal? Sets, reps, duration, or consistency?
Or food:
- Times — When do you eat? Are you consistent, or bingeing when you let yourself get too hungry?
- Types — Whole food, or junk? Protein, fiber, or empty carbs?
- Totals — How much are you eating? Is it fueling you or fogging you?
By taking a little mindful time to plan 3T, any essential habit becomes manageable.
Clarity replaces chaos. Focus replaces flailing.
You’re no longer guessing.
You’re executing.
2. Doing “Enough” Magically Creates Spare Time
Here’s a truth that will set you free:
Enough is better than perfect.
(And a defined “enough” is even better.)
This is based on my Impact Tenet of “DODI”: Don’t OverDo It.
(As a career military spy for NSA and a Navy special operator, I love my acronyms…in the service, DODI stands for “Department of Defense Instruction”—and that’s how seriously I want you to apply our tenets and maxims, so you can begin to take your life mission seriously enough, and use these to build your own bulletproof lifestyle.)
The no-bull fact is that you don’t need to overtrain, overplan, or overwork.
In fact if you do, you tear yourself down and accomplish less.
You need to decide what “enough” looks like, and then do just that—consistently.
3T helps you define that line.
- A 30-minute workout? Enough.
- One deeply connected meal with your spouse? Enough.
- Eight hours of sleep starting at 10:30pm in a cool, dark room? That’s enough.
When you do the right types, at the right times, and in the right amounts—you win.
Even better: you free up time to live.
To love. To build. To rest. To play.
3. Anything Can Be Reduced to 3T
Want to grow your business?
Raise your kids better?
Write a book? Get healthy? Repair your marriage?
Reduce it to 3T.
Pick the habit or goal:
- Block the Times (when and how long).
- Identify the Types (what kind of effort this is).
- Define the Totals (what success looks like).
Want to improve your mindset?
- Times — Morning reflection, or Lunchtime walking, or Evening journaling?
- Types — Gratitude, or Planning, or Meditation?
- Totals — 5 minutes, or 3 bullet points, or 1 calming breath?
Want to stop being overwhelmed?
- Times — What needs to happen first?
- Types — Is it Physical? Mental? Emotional?
- Totals — What’s the least you need to do to mark it done?
The answer to almost every problem in life can be built—or rebuilt—with Times, Types, and Totals.
👊 Impact Action
Start today.
Pick one behavior that matters to your health, your work, or your relationships.
Write down:
- The Time or Times you’ll do it
- The Type of effort that will make it effective
- The Total amount or standard you’re committing to
Then keep it simple.
Execute.
Refine.
Repeat.
Times. Types. Totals.
It’s not just a plan—it’s your path to power.
Drop us a comment or question about 3T here, or email Robert@ImpactActual.com. And if you are serious enough to want to explore the possibility of one-on-one Impact Coaching, book a no-cost Mission Planning call with me.
Don’t let your precious life drift any longer. Assume Command and start making your greatest contribution.