Written by Hutson & Kearley
There’s no magic wand to make the day longer. But there are things you can do to save time. And there are things you can do to maximize what you accomplish with your time. In essence, you can add hours to your day. This will require a change in your habits, but many of these strategies are self-rewarding. Once you see the benefits to be gained, you’ll be motivated to continue.
Add Hours To Your Day and Accomplish More
Put things away when you’re done with them.
Clutter gets in the way and is emotionally distracting. When finishing up a project, instead of making more clutter, put things away when you’re done using them. Acknowledge that a task isn’t complete until everything is picked up.
Do easy things during your least productive hours.
Everyone has a time of day when their physical or mental energy is low. Schedule easy tasks during these times. It can be a good time to read emails, file papers, or tidy up.
Do your most challenging tasks during your most productive hours.
Likewise, you have a time of day when your focus and energy are high. Do your most challenging tasks during this time.
Reduce the amount of time spent on low-value activities.
You might be surprised by how much time you spend watching TV, surfing the internet, or texting friends. Stop watching videos of puppies (they’re so cute though!) and/or checking out what your friends are up to. Put down your phone. Managing the use of your time to better can easily add a few hours for productivity. You’ll feel better taking a break from these things.
Batch your activities.
It takes time to switch tasks and regain your focus. Instead, try to complete a task before moving on. Answer all of your emails at once. Pay all of your bills twice a month.
Make use of waiting time.
Use your “wait time” wisely. Return calls while stuck in traffic. Answer emails at the doctor’s office. Make the most of your “wait time” by using it to complete other tasks.
Track your time.
You would be amazed at the things you waste your time on. Try tracking how you spend your time for a week. Every 30 minutes record how you spent the last half-hour. Divide your activities into different categories and see how much time you spend or waste on each. By simply being more aware of how you spend your time, you will be more conscious of how you spend it.
Get help.
Ask for help at work. Give your spouse or children some tasks to do at home. Is your mother constantly asking you if she can help? Give her something to do. Or hire someone. Time is money. It may be that you will benefit delegating some of the more mundane tasks. Hire someone to mow your grass.Hire a cleaning service.Buy your groceries online and have them delivered.Pay someone to run your errands.
Schedule your day.
Make the most of each day by making a schedule and sticking to it. Decide the most important tasks that need to be done and do those. You’ll waste less time and add hours to your day.
Go to bed earlier.
Most people don’t accomplish a lot in the evening. Shorten your evening by going to bed earlier. Then, you can add hours to your morning by getting up earlier. There are very few high-achievers that don’t get up early every day.
Eliminate distractions.
Turn off your phone. Use white noise to drown out distracting sounds. Close all of your computer windows and tabs other than what is needed. If you can get more accomplished each hour, you’re adding hours to your day.
You can’t get more hours in your day, but you can make the most of the hours you have. There are a finite number of hours left to be productive, after sleeping. Get as much out of each day as you can. The more effective you are at using your time, the more success and free time you’ll enjoy.