August 11th, 2021
David Peachment
Time is an elusive creature. As soon as it passes through our fingertips, it is lost forever. Everyone has the same amount of time per day, but everyone always wants more. But just how exactly do you get more time? The simple truth is you can’t. But you can make the most of the time you have! That is what I am writing about today: making the most of the time you have. What follows are just a few of the tips I’ve found that help me get more out of my day and live a more fulfilling and productive life.
Plan Out Your Day
The first step to getting the most out of your precious time is to plan out your day. The night before, write out a to-do list of everything you want to accomplish that day. During the day, as you complete each task, you can cross it off the list. The simple act of crossing a line off of a list is an incredible feeling and a great boost to productivity! And If you really want to get into it, plan out how much time each task will take you. Allocate a certain amount of time that you are willing to spend on the task and add a few minutes extra in case you go over. Once that task is done, move onto the next one. And be sure to schedule in breaks! It will be much easier to stay focused on work and your daily tasks if you know you have a break coming up. And be extra sure not to deviate too much from your break times! Once your break is finished, hop off the phone and get back to work. Don’t distract yourself until your next break comes up.
Utilize Your Free Time
One great strategy for making the most out of your day is to utilize your free time properly. Now I don’t mean taking time away from family and friends or your scheduled relaxation time. What I mean is the time when you are doing a non-mentally stimulating task. Examples include your morning commute, working out, taking the dog for a walk, doing laundry, and any other task that you don’t have to think much about. The time that you are doing these tasks can be put towards something more mentally productive. For example, while you are driving, you could be catching up on a book that you’ve been meaning to read via an audiobook. You can listen to the latest podcast on your work industry while you do the laundry. Or, while walking the dog, you can ponder an issue at work and how to fix it. Don’t feel like you have enough time to converse with the kids? Make cooking dinner family time where you can discuss what’s going on in their lives. Use those tasks and moments where your brain is inactive to deepen relationships, push farther in your career, and work on projects.
Focus on Priorities
No matter what we do, there is never enough time to finish all of the things we want to complete. To get around this, what you need to do is focus on your priorities. Prioritize those tasks and projects you want to get done first. I (and I imagine most people) have felt like there’s a lot to do and not enough time to do it. We try to take on too many projects at once and end up failing at all of them. The trick to this is to simply take a couple of the most important ones and focus purely on those. Forget about trying to do everything and be comfortable with being able to say “No” every once in a while. This will get you a lot farther than anything in completing goals and tasks. Take a few minutes to think about all of the tasks you have to do. Which ones actually matter the most? Which ones need to be done right away, and which ones can wait? Rank your tasks by level of priority to you and start working on only the most important. This will allow you to make more considerable strides on the goals you truly want/need to get done.
Final Thoughts
Time flies quickly. But it doesn’t have to zoom by without you getting the most out of it! Take the time to plan out your day, utilize any free time you have, and focus on your priorities, and you’ll be well on your way to owning the day! And if you want some inspiration for what to listen to while you do some mundane tasks, tune in to our Podcast or YouTube Channel to learn about exciting educational topics and listen to detailed discussions on those topics!
Until next time,
David Peachment