How to Complete a 60-Day Challenge with a Full-Time Job

I lead a team of 250+ people. My days start with 7 AM calls and often end with dinner meetings. I travel for work. I have kids.

And I've completed 60 Sharp and 100 Sharp multiple times.

Here's exactly how I made it work—and how you can too.

The Real Challenge: Time

The 6 daily tasks of 60 Sharp require roughly:

• 40 min workout: 40 minutes
• 40 min outdoor activity: 40 minutes
• Progressive Power: 15-20 minutes
• Reading: 20-30 minutes
• Skill Sharpening: 10 minutes
• Digital Sunset: Changes evening habits

Total: ~2.5 hours of dedicated time daily

Add in showering after workouts and transition time, you're looking at 3 hours daily. For someone working 10-12 hour days, that seems impossible.

It's not. But it requires strategy.

Strategy 1: The 5 AM Club

The single most effective change I made was waking up at 5 AM.

Here's why it works:

At 5 AM, no one needs you. There are no meetings. No Slack messages. No kids awake. The world is quiet.

I do my main workout from 5:00-5:45. That's the 40-minute exercise complete before most people wake up.

By 6:30, I've showered, done Progressive Power (pushups, core, stretch), and started my day ahead of schedule.

The math:

The key is the early bedtime. Digital Sunset (phone on charger at 9 PM) helps force this. You can't scroll until midnight if your phone is charging.

Strategy 2: Stack Your Outdoor Activity

The 40-minute outdoor activity doesn't have to be a second workout. Options:

Commute Conversion

• Walk or bike to work (or part of the way)
• Park 20 minutes from the office, walk in and back
• Take walking meetings

I switched from driving to walking the last mile to my office. That's 20 minutes there, 20 minutes back. Outdoor activity done within my commute.

Lunch Hour

• Eat at your desk for 15 minutes
• Walk outside for 40 minutes
• Return with better focus for the afternoon

Active Family Time

• Walk kids to school
• Evening family walk after dinner
• Playground time counts as outdoor activity

The point: Outdoor activity isn't extra time—it replaces time you're already spending.

Strategy 3: Micro-Reading

10 pages of non-fiction doesn't require a 30-minute reading session.

Where I read:

• On the toilet (seriously, 3-5 pages)
• Waiting for meetings to start (2-3 pages)
• Lunch break (5-10 pages)
• 10 minutes before bed (5-7 pages)

I keep my current book in three places:

• 1.Physical book on nightstand
• 2.Kindle app on phone (for waiting rooms)
• 3.Audiobook in car (at 1.5x speed)

Pro tip: Reading before Digital Sunset at 9 PM is perfect. Phone goes on charger, book comes out. That's when I get my deepest reading done.

Strategy 4: Skill Stacking

10 minutes of skill sharpening daily is easy when you stack it.

Options that fit busy schedules:

• Language app during commute (Duolingo, etc.)
• Typing practice during lunch
• Instrument practice while waiting for meetings
• Online course during breakfast
• Coding tutorials while coffee brews

I learned basic Spanish during my 100 Sharp challenge by doing 10 minutes on an app during my morning coffee. By Day 100, I could hold basic conversations. That's 1,000 minutes = 16+ hours of practice.

Strategy 5: Prep Sunday, Execute Monday-Saturday

Use your Sunday family day for preparation:

Food Prep

• Grocery shopping for Eat Sharp meals
• Meal prep for the week (3 hours max)
• Pre-pack lunches
• Stock healthy snacks at office

When Monday hits, you don't have to think about food. It's ready.

Week Planning

• Review calendar for busy days
• Identify workout windows
• Plan outdoor activity for each day
• Set up reading material

I spend 30 minutes Sunday evening mapping the week. I know exactly when each workout happens before Monday begins.

Strategy 6: Non-Negotiable Commitments

Put your tasks on your calendar like work meetings.

My calendar shows:

• 5:00-5:45 AM: Workout (blocked)
• 12:00-12:45 PM: Outdoor Walk (blocked)
• 9:00 PM: Digital Sunset (daily reminder)

When colleagues try to schedule over these blocks, I treat them like client meetings: "Sorry, I have a conflict at that time."

You don't have to explain it's for pushups. Just say you're unavailable.

Strategy 7: Travel Adaptations

Business travel is the biggest challenge. Here's how I handle it:

Hotel Workouts

• Most hotels have gyms (use them)
• No gym? Do bodyweight in your room
• YouTube hotel room workouts work great
• Progressive Power needs zero equipment

Outdoor Activity on the Road

• Walk to dinner instead of Uber
• Morning walk around the hotel
• Explore the city on foot
• Airport terminal walks between flights

Eating Sharp While Traveling

• Skip the airplane food
• Choose restaurants with clean options
• Alcohol is easy to skip (it's a rule, not a choice)
• Hotel breakfast usually has eggs and fruit

Reading on Planes

• Flights are perfect reading time
• No Wi-Fi = no distractions
• I finish 50+ pages on cross-country flights

Digital Sunset in Hotels

• Hotel phone charger exists
• Put phone across the room at 9 PM
• Read in bed instead

I've completed challenge days in airports, foreign countries, and during work crises. It's possible with planning.

Strategy 8: The Accountability Buffer

Before your challenge starts:

• 1.Tell your family what you're doing
• 2.Explain the time commitments
• 3.Ask for their support
• 4.Set expectations about early mornings

When my family knows I'm waking at 5 AM, they understand when I'm in bed by 9:30. When they know Digital Sunset is at 9 PM, they don't hand me their phone to look at something.

This isn't about asking permission. It's about creating an environment that supports your goals.

Sample Day: Busy Executive

Here's what a typical weekday looked like during my challenge:

Total extra time added to day: ~90 minutes (mostly from waking earlier)

The "I Don't Have Time" Myth

Everyone has the same 24 hours. The difference is priority.

When I tracked my time before starting 60 Sharp, I found:

• 2+ hours daily on phone (social media, news, scrolling)
• 1.5 hours watching TV
• 30 minutes on YouTube

That's 4 hours daily. The challenge requires 2.5.

I didn't find extra time. I reallocated existing time.

Digital Sunset alone freed up 2+ hours. When your phone goes on the charger at 9 PM, you're shocked how much time appears.

What About Exhaustion?

"But won't I be exhausted waking up at 5 AM?"

For the first two weeks, yes. It's an adjustment.

By week three, something shifts. The morning workout gives you energy, not takes it. The early bedtime means better sleep quality.

By the end of 60 Sharp, I had MORE energy than before I started—despite doing 2+ hours of daily exercise. The human body adapts.

The key is the early bedtime. If you wake at 5 AM but still go to bed at 11 PM, you'll be destroyed. Digital Sunset at 9 PM makes the early wake-up sustainable.

Start Before You're Ready

If you wait for the perfect week with no work obligations, you'll wait forever.

I started 60 Sharp during one of the busiest quarters of my career. Had to travel twice. Had major deadlines. Had family stuff.

I used one grace day (sick kid). Otherwise completed every day.

The challenge doesn't wait for a calm life. The challenge is designed to fit within a real one.

Conclusion

Completing 60 Sharp with a full-time job isn't about having more hours. It's about:

• 1.Waking earlier
• 2.Stacking activities efficiently
• 3.Planning the week in advance
• 4.Treating tasks as non-negotiable
• 5.Trading screen time for challenge time

The structure of 60 Sharp—with Sunday exception and grace days—was designed FOR busy professionals. It acknowledges that you have a career, a family, obligations.

But it also asks: What would happen if you prioritized yourself for 60 days?

The answer: You'd become sharper. At work, at home, in every area.

That's worth 5 AM.

Ready to prove it's possible? Start 60 Sharp

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