Do not Waste Your Time 2018

We are almost done with the second month of the second quarter of the year. For some people, the year is racing by, for others it is crawling by, some others though are indifferent.

Well, anyhow you feel about the year racing by, there’s one fact that doesn’t change. Soon the year will end, soon you will be a year older. Are you being productive with the time that is available? or are you just winging life because, you know, yolo. News flash,  your time is valuable, it is limited and once used up cannot be reclaimed so this means you are to be intentional about how you spend it.

Try out these tips to reclaim your time and live more productively:

1. Prioritize your day.

Create a to do list and put a time frame against each of the activities you need to follow through on based on the level of importance. Also, create a not to do list. This is equally as important because we find ourselves doing a number of baseless unimportant things throughout the day, leaving out the important stuff until almost last minute when we’re fatigued. Lists are important because unlike just doing life off the top of our heads , it gives us direction. You can use apps with reminder settings on or if you’re more traditional, a trusted journal/planner is your best bet. This will help you develop  a routine, that is, when you would wake up, what you would immediately do upon waking, etc.

 

2. Use your commute time

I already touched on this when I talked about how to self care because it is so important. If you are commuting 2 hours both ways daily, at the end of one year, you would have been in a vehicle for 672 hours, that is 4 weeks on your way. That time can be used to catch up with your reading, writing, checking your mails and so on.

3. Say No, often.

 Don’t say yes to every request. Most of us have a deep need to be liked. That translates into us saying yes to everything – which is not the smartest when you have a lot to do. Make sure you value all your available time.  Helping others is a great thing, but stop pleasing people at the expense of your own productive time.  By focusing on staying productive in the tasks that you do, you will find you will have much more time to help others without cutting into your productivity.

 

4. Do what you can, Outsource the rest.

Contrary to what you may believe, you cannot do everything my darling and you do not need to. Find out when you are more efficient and do your work then. Focus on your strengths and leave the rest for people who are professionals to handle or you may find yourself wasting time and achieving very little.

5. Sell your TV

Lol, just kidding. Just don’t spend 7 hours in front of a TV. Instead, use some of that time to sleep, give your brain a break from all the information coming into it.

6.Reduce the clutter

Ever cleaned your room and found that dress you accused your sister of taking? That is the beauty of decluttering. Not only will you save the time you would normally use in looking for things that are not missing, you would find that a clearer work-space helps to declutter your life .

7.Just do it, Nike style

Personally, I find that the more I procrastinate on doing something, the more stressful my life gets. Mostly it is because my brain keeps telling me there is work I have not done. once I act on them though, not only am I calmer, I get closer towards my goal.

Stop waiting for perfect conditions to launch a great project. Immediate action fuels a positive feedback loop that drives even more action. Set that goal, revisit every morning for 5 minutes, work out the specifics and just do it.

 

8. Get Lost

Find time to just disappear and leave everyone alone. Turn off your phone for hours if you need to, rest, think, plan and focus. No interruptions, just focus.

9. Take Care of yourself

Drink more water, cut out the negativity, eat healthy and just be kind to yourself in general so you don’t spend your time in and out of hospitals.

 

I hope this post has been helpful to you. What other tips do you practice?

Do let me know in the comments. I would love to learn from you. 

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