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It doesn’t matter who you are or what stage of life you’re in: the one thing that tends to bind us all together is that we wish we had more time.
Time to spend with family, time to pursue our dreams and passions, time to practice self-care and intention are all things that are valuable, but many people have difficulty prioritizing or fitting things in. I am by no means perfect, nor do I have all of the answers, but I am someone who is notoriously busy and finally took control of my life in order to make my time make sense for me.
Think I just wrote about nothing? I sort of did. Because, I’m busy. I’m penning five ways you can get more time in your day, based on the things that have worked for me. I know as well as you do that what works for me might not work for you, but, I am hopeful that some of my tips will increase the joy you have the potential to experience in your life by making sense of your time.
1. divide your day into sections
My day is never the same, but, I take some time to divide my day into hours based upon the things that I know are mandatory, whether recurring or a meeting that’s in stone. I use a calendar with hourly blocks, rather than one with space for one day in order to clearly see all of the things I’m going to do in a day. This tactic helps me prove that I’m going to be productive and allows me to remember the items that occurred in a certain day. How many times have you said, “I don’t remember when the last meeting was, but…” or “Was I supposed to call this person on this day?”, for example? For me, too many.
I also add the items I need to do from a task perspective into the open spaces. In the above, I also inserted when I know that I’m going to drive to and from work, eat lunch and dinner, and other tasks that need to be completed. It helps me stay accountable so that they are accomplished by day’s end.
If I have rolling tasks that may/may not need to get done in a day, I’ll also add them to the to-do list and if they are not accomplished that day, I’ll copy them over to the following day’s list.
2. take an inventory of your time per week
This is the thing that made the largest difference in how I was scheduling time in my life. Take the total number of hours in a week (24*7=168) and then start subtracting the amount of hours you spend on functions in your life.
This was purely an exercise (because, let’s be honest, I work way more than 40 hours a week). That aside, it shows me that I have plenty of time to do the things I want to do, yet, I’m wasting my time on things I’m not accounting for. Be accountable for your time: you don’t need to waste it.
3. take advantage of “filler” time
Want to call your mom but feel like you never have time? Use filler time! My commute to and from work is an hour each way. That means, I’m spending TEN hours a week in my car. What am I doing (other than paying attention to the road and my fellow motorists on my journey?) I’m either talking to my mom, thanks to having an extended time frame to do so, or I’m listening to one of my self-help podcasts.
I’m taking advantage of the time that I have in that other function to do something I enjoy but that I feel I don’t have the time to dedicate to during my other blocks in my calendar.
This week, I decided I was sick of playing referee between my two dogs during their dinner time when it’s my time to feed them. So, I decided to do something productive during the filler. I threw in a load of laundry, I vacuumed the floor, I cleaned the counter, put the clean dishes away, sorted through the stack of mail on the counter that has become overgrown. I did things I needed to do anyway but have been pushed off of my list of priorities because I was waiting for the perfect time to dedicate. THERE IS NO PERFECT TIME!
4. say no
I am such a yes person that it almost pains me to say no. I’ve started to do it, and once I did, I got very comfortable turning opportunities down that aren’t going to add value to my life. If I’m doing it to please others but it’s not providing anything to me in return (whether in joy, enrichment, connection, fulfillment, etc.), it’s not worth it. Of course, there are some caveats to this: do I say no to work meetings I have to go to? Of course not. In my personal and entrepreneurial life, though, I have the power and choice to decide and it’s felt great to take control.
5. prioritize rest
Your worth to self and to others lessens when you’re not able to function because you’re ill, too tired, or a combination. Don’t deprive yourself of the rest you need to be your best self! When you take your time inventory (tip 2), be sure to add in the correct amount of sleep time as one of your first priorities. You need it!
What are some of your favorite ways to manage or prioritize your time? Are any of my tips new to you? I’m looking forward to hearing feedback from you and your routine in the comments below!
