We’re all time poor, running ourselves ragged with a million things to do morning, noon and night. If it’s not work, family or life admin, it’s keeping up with exercise, eating well, reading, those extra-curricular activities we love but struggle to find the time for.
I am well accustomed to being time poor. Although I have no kids, I have a full-time job which can be busy and demanding; I have the beloved Daily Inspiration Board in which I post three times per week plus write a weekly newsletter and create content for social media channels; I practice power vinyasa yoga at a studio around the corner about four times per week; I’m doing an online course and I also have a boyfriend, a kitten and a fairly solid social schedule.
On top of that, I love to read so try to fit in as much of that as possible because life feels worse when I don’t. I want to do more, because I have about three half-started fiction novels and also a piano that I haven’t played in forever. I started learning Spanish but haven’t picked it up again. And I would love to the revisit art classes I did a few years back, but I simply cannot fit another second of activity into the day.
So yeah – I get it when it comes to being time-poor!
You know what I’ve found, though? The less time you have, the more you make of it. For example, if I only have an hour to relax in the evening, I’m going to seriously enjoy and be grateful for every single second of that time.
If I only have time to have a warm bath and read a book three times a week, it’s the same – I will relish every second of it.
Below are my thoughts on getting more out of every day, all based on personal experience.
Prioritise
First, you need to prioritise your existing tasks and the tasks you want to do. Draw a line down the middle of a page and create two columns: the first is ‘Things I have to do’ and the second is ‘Things I want to do’.
Put everything on that list – and I mean everything. Even if you think you won’t have time to do it. Next, number the items on both lists in order of importance. You can create a system – for example, everything that has to be done, give a 1. Everything that should be done, give a 2. Everything that’d be nice to do, give a 3. Then, of the stuff you have to do, look at what you can cross off, delegate or outsource. You’ll be surprised. Even if it’s a shared responsibility system (for example, split the washing and cooking with your partner so you’re doing it only 3-4 days per week instead of daily), it will free up valuable time.
Often, what’s stopping you from doing the things you love is in your mind
If you think you can’t do it, you probably won’t even try. Through the activity above, you’ll have decided what you must do, what you can take off your plate and where you can replace some of these things with items from your ‘want to do’ list.
I’d like to challenge you to stretch yourself further and take away an hour a week, say, of watching television or surfing the internet to do a solid block of whatever it is that you truly want to do. An hour a week is enough to get you started and increase your passion. Once you’re on a roll, you’ll either find a way to get more stuff off your plate or you’ll switch out other activities for those you really love. That’s pretty much what happened to me with Daily Inspiration Board.
Get more efficient
Efficiency isn’t just about speed. It’s about focus and concentration. One hour of purely focused, heavily concentrated work is the equivalent of three hours of faffing around or trying to multitask. Efficiency is also about practice. For example, I can write posts three times faster now than I could when I first started my site. It’s also probably better, more quality work. This is something you can only gain with time, practice and plain experience. If you are struggling to focus, as I have in the past, one way you can improve your ability to concentrate is through meditation and journalling. Write down everything that’s on your mind right now, even if you only give yourself five minutes to do so. Then, sit and meditate for ten minutes, twice a day. Guided meditations are particularly good for the discipline. These are proven to help clear your mind and improve your concentration and focus.
Know in your heart that working at what you love creates benefits that are worth it
A while back, I thought that being so busy doing the things that I love would be counter-productive. I thought that I would just dislike life and hold a grudge if I had to work so hard all the time, even if it was something I loved doing. Now, I realise that even though I have to work really hard, which can sometimes be hard (particularly on the weekends and late at night when I’m still working, working, working), the benefits far outweigh the difficulty of the workload. It’s the same with, say, organising a social event. It can be tough, but the benefits of spending time with your loved ones or friends is so worth it because of the relationships you build and maintain and the sense of connection this creates. Similarly, the work that you do can truly create a sense of satisfaction and fulfillment over and above any immediate rewards that you can get – if you stick at it.
You’d be surprised at how much you can get out of each day if you maintain focus, regular discipline (just turn up!) and if you’re doing something you love. Give yourself that gift!
How do you get the most out of each day?