Time is Precious

How do I Make the Most of the 24 Hours in My Day?

With every second that goes by, you are designing your life. Are you making conscious decisions about how you spend those precious minutes? Are you deliberately using the time you have to create the life you want?

We all have the same 24 hours in a day – it’s what you do with that time that makes the difference.

The people who smash their goals, make things happen, and create the life they want? They prioritize, put their goals first, and make the most of every second they have.

Because life is not a rehearsal. You have a finite amount of time to design the life you want.

I have big dreams. But I felt like my days were flying by without getting any closer to making them happen.

That’s when I decided to take control and be deliberate about how I spent my time. (And beautiful things started to happen!)

 

10 Tips for Using Your Time Effectively

  1. What is most important to you? Do you have any big, scary goals? (Do you want to write a book? Start a business? Travel the world?) Once you know what you want to accomplish, you can consciously use a bit of time every day to work towards those goals.
  2. Block off time and stick to it. Even 20 minutes a day will add up. Be sure to say no to any distractions or time sucks and protect this time. Commit yourself to follow through every day.
  3. Track your time. There are a million little energy-draining tasks that eat up our time. How are you spending your days? Pay close attention and look for any time-wasters. Once you start tracking, you’ll become more protective of your energy.
  4. Know your time sucks. We all have them. Is it binging Netflix, playing video games, scrolling social media? If you know which activities have this effect on you, you’ll be able to avoid them or set a timer to ensure you don’t go too far down the rabbit hole.
  5. Schedule time for the things you enjoy. Don’t put yourself last! Often these time sucks happen because we are neglecting ourselves. Be sure to give yourself guilt-free time every day to do the things you love.
  6. Define the activities you can let go of. What can you pass off? Are you doing things for others (like your spouse or children) that they can easily do themselves? Is it worth hiring someone for the tasks you don’t enjoy?
  7. Make your to-do list as automatic and efficient as possible. Batch like tasks together to save time (like running all errands in one day). Are there any shortcuts you can use that will give you similar results? (such as meal kits).
  8. Take care of yourself! If you aren’t sleeping properly, eating well, and exercising regularly, you won’t have the energy to get the things done you want to do.
  9. Be present. Avoid multitasking or thinking about what your next task is. Soak it all in! Give your whole self to the task at hand.
  10. Be organized and efficient. Use technology, reminders, and timers to keep you on track. Create routines that set you up for success. Organize your day, prioritize your tasks, and be ready to slay those jobs off your to-do list.

 

Be Mindful of How You Spend Your Time

Look at big tasks in terms of time and reward. How much time are you spending on making things perfect when it’s not necessary? For example – To get to 100% and complete your project exactly the way you want will take 3 hours. To use some shortcuts and get to 80% will take 1.5 hours. Will the extra time you spend pay off?

Question how many yes’s you hand out. How many times do you say yes to something out of a sense of obligation? Double-check your answer before you say yes. How much of an impact will that ‘no’ have?

Mindfully celebrate every small win. Whether you spend time working on your goals every day for 30 minutes, or make a little progress on a big task, celebrate every small win! Make sure you give yourself kudos. The more positive the experience is, the more likely you are to stick to it.

Have a ‘sponge activity’ ready to make passive times effective. What can you do while waiting in line or sitting on hold? Can you answer emails, brainstorm solutions for a client problem, or come up with ideas for social media posts?

Most important of all – Set realistic expectations for yourself. I can’t stress this one enough! We take on so much. You don’t need to be everything to everyone. Protect your time and energy and don’t burn yourself out.

Design a life you love, soak it all in, and make the most of every second.

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