We all run behind schedule. With all the goal settings and the lists of things to do in our daily agenda, no matter what, the time always beats us. These plans carry no meaning if we fail to achieve them. So, we end up exhausted and depressed. We question our capabilities and slowly give up on our honest intentions and succumb to things which hamper our personal development.
So, how do we manage time? Is it so big a deal? In fact, time management is not difficult as we make it out to be. If you recollect your day, you will realize that you didn’t lag behind due to your inabilities, but you wasted time on petty things which you could have avoided. Yes, we are suckers to distractions and it is a common phenomenon. You are not the only one who is seduced by distractions. The effective time of the day is commonly spoiled by our time wasting habits and useless procrastinations.
There are ways to deal with the above problems. Unable to get things done due to lack of time can be avoided by utilizing your available time in a more effective way. To do that you have to free up your temporal space by exercising certain habits.
Ways to create more time
Here are the few ways that will help you to find some extra time in the day which can turn your day into a productive one.
1- Control your Monkey Mind:
The basic flaw in our being busy for nothing is losing our focus on our jobs in hand. It is our mind that wanders every now and then on irrelevant things that do not contribute to our personal or professional goals. When the mind jumps like a monkey, it is impossible to control our thought process or keep our focus. Here are the three basic strategies to control our monkey mind.
Stop Worrying:
Usually, the mind wanders due to some worries that linger in our mind. Worrying has never helped anyone to solve problems. Instead, they hamper the speed of work. You waste your precious time worrying on issues which can be dealt later. Most of the time, you will realize you worried for nothing. The problem was not big enough to spend time on it by worrying about it. But, then the monkey mind starts hopping when you are anxious.
The easiest way to attack this problem is to be aware of the state. You should immediately be aware that you have started to worry. You have a job to do and so you should order your monkey mind that it is not the right time to worry about something that is not about the job in hand. If it is about the job you are doing, then probably it’s not right to term it as “worry”. It is part of your planning. But, most of the time, the implementation without too much thinking helps you in getting things done.
Arguments:
Arguing on petty things never help in being productive. The focus always should be on your goal and during work, if you bicker with others on some point, it will only pull you back. The mind gets enticed to arguments and becomes vulnerable to deviation from the work. Hence, when you find yourself in the midst of a disagreement, either you say that you will talk about it later or just move away from the argument.
Day dreaming:
Day dreaming can be the opposite of worrying. You are in a state of hope and happiness. But, it is escapism from your valuable time. You think ahead rather than dealing with the thing that is in front of you. Day dreaming is good to build positivity but the dreams should not linger for hours. The day dreams are usually imaginary assumptions of oneself and can take toll on your productivity. When it happens, pull your socks to grind on the thing you are doing now, rather than wasting your time on the positive outcome which is yet to be achieved. It fogs your vision.
2- Stop Procrastinating
Procrastination is one of the prime time wasters. It is very similar to the day dreaming aspect but you are aware of the situation when you procrastinate. Procrastination happens due to various reasons that lead to not doing the work.
Avoid too much thinking:
We waste time by thinking about the job and not doing it. The thinking happens because of the fear of failure or sheer laziness. No one wants to fail but it is always observed that the winners win by doing things and not thinking about failures. If you think too much and not do it, you are definitely going to fail. But, if you do it, you may win.
Shed the Laziness:
Laziness delays the job and in no time you end up with a pile. Sometime you feel you are not ready for it or you are not mentally up to it. Sometimes you feel it is too easy to attempt it right now. Whatever the reason, always shirk the laziness and make the start. You may not be at your productive best, but when you start, the juices inside your brain begin to flow and in no time you are back to your productive best.
Just do it:
The reasons of not doing or delaying the job can be endless, but you should just do it. Taking the leaf out of the famous Nike slogan – Just do it, procrastination can be beaten by doing the job then and there. It is a strong message targeted towards all the sportsmen that however tough the going may be, Just do it.
Procrastinations infests on delay tactics, so you can only beat it by doing it now. It not only gets the job done but also takes you a step closer to your goal.
3- Wake up Early:
The third way to save time is to wake up early. It may sound strange but early rising habit does wonders to one’s productivity. Early rising also means you should hit the sack early too. A good sleep to calm your mind and rejuvenate your body is key to productivity. If you device some morning rituals, it programs your mind subconsciously. It also provides a big chunk of time to you where you are away from all the worldly distractions. If you focus hard during this period, the day becomes automatically fruitful as you will encounter your productive self.
Meditate:
When you wake up, meditation is a process that allows you to slowly run through the things you should do today. It helps you to focus better and it is a subconscious exercise of your mind and body. It readies both to take on the day with strong focus and positivity. Meditation helps in alerting you when you get distracted.
To do lists:
Waking up early helps you in planning your day. Usually you should keep the long term and the short term goals in mind before you lay out your to-do list. The list should also include non-valuable time also. If you don’t mention nonproductive tasks, you will lose out on re-energizing you brain and will experience mental fatigue.
Set up small tasks:
Always stipulate your best productive hours to the main jobs. Prioritizing of the tasks are essential as you may end up wasting your productive time on insignificant things.
Always break up the day into hours and specify the jobs accordingly. Set up deadlines and time limits to your tasks. If you don’t follow deadlines, you will not boost up your productivity and will end up doing one thing forever.
4- Avoid distractions:
Our life has turned upside down when the whole world shrunk into a device which you can control through your fingertips. You can now connect with your friends and strangers with equal ease. The virtual medium may have helped you in bringing the world to you, but it also has started tearing into your precious occupations as well. You need to insulate yourself from such energies around you to find time for yourself.
Mobile Phones:
People have become addicted to mobile phones and nowadays it demonstrates change in behaviors among humans. We are very fidgety with the phones and struggle to stay away from it. To be productive, you have to shun your cellphone habits. They are the biggest hindrances in the workplace.
Television:
People waste long hours watching television. If it is helping your cause, then maybe it is worth it. But, usually, they are a waste of time. If you are glued to a certain program, make it a point to include it in your to-do list. If you include your television time in your list, you will know if it’s worth to dedicate the time to it. Similarly, should list other things as well like taking your kids to a movie in your list.
Online Social media platforms:
Social media addiction is another big time waster. Many offices have banned them in their workplace. It brings the efficiency down as you may not know how much time people spend on social media. Also, people do spend unnecessary time online for no reason. If you are working on a job, it is advisable to log out of your social media platforms or work offline.
Conclusion:
The list is endless, but by following certain constraints, you should be able to lengthen your day by few hours. At the end of the day, don’t forget to review your day as it throws light on where you could have saved few more minutes for yourself.
