10 Simple Ways to Gain More Time in Your Everyday Life
We have 24 hours in a day and yet, we don’t have enough time in our everyday lives. Truth is, gaining more time isn’t as difficult as we make it seem! It requires being more mindful and really seeing where our time is being spent and/or wasted. In this post, I’m giving you 10 simple ways to gain more in your everyday life. The best part is, you can begin implementing these tips today!
Wake Up Earlier
The easiest way to gain 2 – 3 more hours in your day is to wake up 2 – 3 hours earlier. I personally wake up at 5AM Monday – Friday and “sleep in” until 6AM on the weekends. This works perfectly for me; I knock out my tough tasks with no distractions and interruptions. Why? Because at 5AM most of the world is still sleeping! This is far better than staying up until 2AM working on my tasks and going to my 9-5 exhausted everyday.
Get Organized
Organization is key to productivity! You must get organized if you want to gain more time in your everyday life. Get rid of the clutter that you encounter physically and virtually online. Donate or throw out items that you don’t use and have a designated place for everything. Regularly clean out the clutter in your virtual life from unnecessary emails to unsubscribing from companies that don’t benefit you anymore. Additionally, create folders on your desktop where photos, documents and miscellaneous files can be neatly stored. This way help you find everything quicker when you need them.
Prepare the Night Before
I love my routine of preparing the night before so I’m set for the next day. The easiest way to implement this into your everyday life is by creating a night-time routine. I personally like to mix an array of work and play into my night so it’s pleasant. For example, when I get home from work I immediately get settled and do my night-time skincare routine. I do this right after I walk in the door because it’s something I’ll skip if I put it off.
Next, I sit down and begin working on my business for 1 – 2 hours. I have a hard stop at the 2 hour mark with working, this is so I don’t fall into the matrix of being up all night. Once I finish working, I pack my lunch and take out my gym and work clothes for the next day. At 9PM, I spend 30 minutes reading a book and am closing my eyes to sleep no later than 9:45PM. This works well for me and gives me a head start for the next day! Pick some things that bring you joy as well and knock off some of those important tasks that you have.
Avoid Time Wasters
I guarantee that if you avoid time wasters, you’ll gain back at least 2 – 3 hours in your day! Time wasters are scrolling endlessly on social media, procrastinating, binge watching TV etc. Even if you only spend 5 minutes on Instagram per session, think about how much time total you’re wasting on it every single day. The best way to combat time wasters is to schedule them within your routine. Pick the best time of the day where you can “afford” to waste some time and limit that to 45 minutes. This way, you have a great medium between fun and work!
Batch “Like” Tasks
Batching like tasks is the way to go if you want to gain more time in your routine. A simple way for you to do is by knocking out multiple “like” tasks in one sitting. For example, I like to write at least two blog posts in one sitting because it keeps me in my workflow state. Once the posts are created, I then create their graphics at the same time. This can also be used with errands, household chores, homework or working. If you’re cleaning the bathroom then you might as well clean your bedroom and kitchen in one session. If you’re already out running an errand, then you might as well knock out your other errands so you don’t have to go back out again. Batching tasks are time consuming on the front end however, they pay off in the long run once they’re done.
RELATED: 9 Strategies for Getting More Work Done in Less Time
Say No 98% of the Time
Saying no 98% of the time can be tough but it’s crucial if you want more hours in your day. A majority of the time, we set ourselves for failure when we agree to do things that we simple don’t want to. You need to treat your time as currency because that’s exactly what it is! Saying no gives you more time to focus on the important tasks that you need to. Additionally, it stops you from saying yes just because you don’t want to hurt someone’s feelings. We have to make ourselves a priority and the only way you can do that is by saying no to a lot of things that won’t benefit you!
Avoid Distractions
Avoiding distractions is key to being productive and gaining more time into your routine. The easiest way to avoid distractions is by implementing the 50/10 rule. For 50 minutes total, you’ll work uninterrupted on any task that you choose. It doesn’t need to be completed after your 50 minutes is over either! For the remaining 10 minutes, you’ll give yourself and others time to interrupt you, multitask and do whatever you want. Once your 10 minutes is up, you’ll go right back into your 50 minute slot of working uninterrupted. I love the 50/10 rule because it keeps me in my workflow state and trains others not to interrupt me until the 50 minutes is over.
Delegate & Automate
You can’t do everything by yourself, which is why it’s important that you delegate and automate some tasks. Think about the tasks that you do on a regular basis repeatedly. Maybe you’re responding to the same email over and over again; an easy way to streamline this would be creating a response that you can quickly copy and paste. Think about the tasks that you hate doing or aren’t skilled at. Those tasks can be delegated to an expert that loves to do them and can get it done in half the time! Sure, you may have to pay money for this but it’s worth it when you’re gaining time back.
Leave Things Undone
There will be times when everything can’t get done and that’s OK; leave it undone! It’s easy to talk down on ourselves when we haven’t completed our entire to do list for the day. However, reevaluate the tasks you added and how much time you gave yourself to complete it. Maybe those tasks were simply too large to get done in one day! Regardless, the biggest takeaway here is not how much you get done but the progress you’re making towards your goals. We can work ourselves to exhaustion everyday but none of that matters if we aren’t making progress!
Set Aside Time for the Unexpected
If you set aside time for the unexpected, you’ll always remain ahead of schedule! We love to estimate how long things will take us to do, only to realize that it actually takes double the amount of time. To combat this, you should always set aside time for the unexpected. I personally like to assume that every single thing I have to do will take me double the amount of time. This way, I’m always right on time or way ahead of schedule!
Gaining more time into our everyday lives isn’t hard once we become mindful of the things we’re doing. Implement these 10 tips and I guarantee you’ll gain at least 3 – 4 hours per day! Do you have ways to help you gain more time throughout the day? Let me know in the comments!
Until next time ASSASSINS. . . Stay Disciplined!
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