When you’re balancing work and family responsibilities, planning for the future, and trying to find time for relaxation, it might seem like there aren’t enough hours in the day. In the modern world, many of us feel rushed.
However, the issue may not be the amount of time you have available. Instead, it could be your relationship to time and the way you plan your days that makes you feel as though you can’t fit everything in.
For example, some people are “event timers” who run based on their internal sense of time, while others are “clock timers” who divide their day based on external cues.
A clock timer might eat lunch at the same time each day, for example. Event timers, on the other hand, may eat at different times depending on how they feel.
If you’re an event timer, it’s easy for the day to slip away because tasks don’t have a predefined beginning and end. In comparison, you may face difficulties if you’re a clock timer because you’re too rigid with your schedule.
Fortunately, reviewing your relationship with time and making some simple changes could help you get more out of your days.
Here are five simple steps to consider.
1. Conduct a “time audit”
Understanding precisely how you use your time is a useful starting point. By conducting a “time audit”, you can build a clear picture of how much time you’re spending on various tasks throughout the day.
You can do this by simply noting down your start and end times whenever you complete a task and you may be surprised by the results.
Certain tasks such as checking emails might take up far more time than you realised. You may also notice that the same task takes a different amount of time depending on whether you do it in the morning or afternoon.
Using this information, you can make more proactive decisions about how you use your day.
2. Embrace your natural productivity fluctuations
Most of us have natural productivity fluctuations. You might be a morning person who gets lots done in the first few hours of the day. Conversely, you may have a slow start and do your best work in the evenings.
Embracing these natural productivity fluctuations could help you work more effectively.
For example, we often check emails and do admin tasks first thing in the morning. However, if you’re a morning person, you might be wasting your most productive period on a relatively low-effort task. It could be more useful to work on a more complex task in the morning and then handle basic admin later, when you have less energy.
On the other hand, if it takes time to wake up and you’re more productive after lunch, doing all your admin in the morning might work best for you.
By embracing the natural changes to your energy and concentration throughout the day, you could be more productive.
3. Learn to say no
When you conduct your time audit, pay attention to how much time you spend completing tasks or doing favours for others. While it’s good to help friends and family, you need to balance these commitments with your own time.
If you’re bad at saying no, you might take on too much from others, leaving you feeling as though you don’t have enough time for yourself.
By learning to value your own time and politely say no to certain requests, you might free up space in your schedule.
4. Leave gaps in your schedule
Scheduling your time is beneficial because it means you might be able to fit more into your day. However, if you plan every second of the day, you don’t leave room for the unexpected.
If an important task suddenly drops onto your plate, you won’t have anywhere to fit it. This instantly leaves you with that rushed feeling again.
You could prevent this by leaving gaps in your schedule. That way, you have space for unexpected tasks that may come up. More importantly, you leave room for downtime and relaxation when you need it.
5. Avoid “half work”
Once you have your schedule worked out, it’s important that you make good use of the time designated for each task. Unfortunately, this can be difficult if you’re prone to “half work” – splitting your attention across multiple tasks.
Perhaps the most common example of this is working on a task while also checking your phone. Trying to respond to emails while working on something else is another familiar trap.
If you can avoid half work and dedicate your full attention in the time allotted, you may find it easier to complete tasks on time. Ultimately, this means you don’t feel as though time is running away from you.
By following these simple steps, you can revolutionise your relationship with time and create a schedule that works for you.