Have you ever wished you had 2 extra hours in a day? Of course you have. We are all looking to create more time in our day.
In this day and age, we are constantly asked to do more. Our work is more and more demanding while our personal commitments continue to pile up.
It seems like there is always more things to be done. And while our obligations continue to grow, we seem to have even less time to spend with the people we care about.
A few extra hours would do a lot. Now there is no way to create more time in a day, but by following the following 3 tricks you can work more efficiently and recover a few hours that would be otherwise wasted.
A few hours that you can use as you please; spend it to do even more work, have more time to enjoy with your family, or put it towards your passion.
3 Tricks to Create More Time In Your Day
Plan Your Day
Give yourself 5 to 10 minutes in the beginning of every day to plan what you have to do. It’s important to list what needs to be done and when it is going to be done. Like this, if there are any unforeseen tasks that occur (and there will be), you will better be able to “absorb” them without disrupting your workflow. In addition, I suggest that you take into account your energy level during the day and plan the most energy consuming activities when you think you are the most active. (Check out our post on how to increase your energy level throughout the day)
Focus On The Task At Hand
Distractions are bountiful especially when you sit down to do important work. Between your email notifications, distractions while you’re browsing the internet, a colleague that comes to ask a question or an “urgent” phone call. Every distraction makes you lose focus. Research shows that after a 1-minute distraction, it takes up to 18 minutes to get focus back. So it is important to keep these distractions at a minimum.
Here are a few tips to avoid getting distracted while doing important work; Tell your friends and colleagues that you are working and that you should not be disturbed. Turn your phone ringer and turn off all notifications. Turn off any distracting program or webpage. But we must also know how to be disciplined and work when you decide to work.
Finish What You Start
Any unfinished task will regularly pop up in your head preventing you from focusing on other activities. Completing your tasks, generates a flood of endorphins. You will feel happy and relaxed and this state will give you a boost of energy to tackle the rest of your tasks. This creates what I like to call Positive Momentum. When you have momentum you are able to finish tasks more efficiently and ultimately get through your task list in less time than you usually would. My advice here is to cut complex task into smaller and more achievable tasks. Every time you start a task you should know that you will have enough time to complete it so that you can get the gain its benefits.
These 3 tips are relatively easy to implement. They will take you some time to master, especially the first two tips. It may seem ironic, but with some practice, these tips will help you work more efficiently and eventually create more free time in your day to do the things you enjoy. Who doesn’t want that?
