5 Ways to Obtain More Time Each Day
We all know that there is never enough time in one day for us to accomplish everything we hope to. Unfortunately we can’t stop, rewind or slow down time. We can, however, make the most of the time we have everyday. Below are 5 ways to help you increase your daily productivity without greatly changing your lifestyle. Some of them may seem obvious but the trick is not knowing or understanding the concept, but actually applying it to your everyday life.
1. Plan Before Acting
Whether you’re about to begin a new project at work or you need to pick your son up from daycare before it closes, it always helps to plan ahead. Those who fail to plan before acting tend to experience setbacks that could have easily been avoided. Even if you take a little more time to formulate your ideas before acting, 9 times out of 10 you will save time in the end.
2. Separate Work and Leisure
In order to get the most out of your day it is important to maintain full concentration on whatever your current task is. When you’re at work or school, try to avoid thinking about what you’re plans are afterwards. At the same time, when you’re done with work or school for the day, put it behind you until tomorrow. You will get a lot more out of both your work time and your leisure time if you concentrate all your efforts into whatever you’re doing at that particular moment.
“Time is only what we perceive it to be and if you procrastinate regularly, you will forever perceive the walls of time closing in upon you.”
-Anson Alexander
3. Don’t Procrastinate
One of the best ways to get more time out of your day is to gain a sense of fulfillment from the day. If, at the end of the day, you are satisfied with what you have accomplished then you feel as thought you made the most out of the day. Procrastination is the best way to avoid this sense of achievement. If one delays the end of a project that could have been completed, then they will most definitely feel more pressured by time than if they would have finished the project to begin with.
4. Make Time
It’s ironic that one of the best ways to get more time out of your day is to make time. It is easy to fall into daily routines and feel as though your time is maxed out each and every day without performing non-routine tasks. If you really want to accomplish tasks that you haven’t yet been able to, then you need to specifically schedule certain periods of your day for those tasks.
5. Bundle Tasks Together
When going through your daily routine try to group similar tasks together. This may seem obvious to some people but it is surprising how often people inefficiently schedule their tasks. If you need to go grocery shopping, drop off a letter at the post office, and get a haircut- Why not do them all at the same time? When you bundle tasks together you create less “intermittent time” or time used changing from task to task or preparing for a task. The time you spend driving to the hair dresser is intermittent time. If you go on all of your errands at the same time, you don’t have to take time to drive into town 3 separate times.
Does anyone have any other suggestions to get more time out of your day? Let me hear your suggestions in the comments area!
About Anson Alexander
Anson Alexander is a graduate from the University of Tampa with a degree in International Business and Information Systems.A previous IT Administrator for a medium size publication company, Anson has recently decided to work full time on his own business by publishing on AnsonAlex.com, publishing technology tutorials on YouTube and offering SEO, IT training and digital marketing services.His main interests include technology, social media, infographics, economics, marketing and web design.Connect with Anson on Google+.
The most common thing people always say that never have time to do is a daily exercise regimen. Somehow former presidents Carter, Clinton and Bush seemed to find time to jog on a daily basis and our current president finds time to play some hoops each day. You can always find time for things which have a positive influence on your physical and mental health.
This definitely helps. I believe we do understand the concepts but putting them into action is a whole different story. So reading this again and keeping these goals in mind I believe will help me get the most of my time!
You are right. I have always felt so much better when I don’t procrastinate. After I finish a project I can then forget about it. It’s then time to relax.
Well said Buckshot…. If our presidents can find time to exercise than I’m sure the rest of us can too.
Bonita, you’re exactly right, its not about knowing what to do, its about actually doing it!
nhlakegirl- In my opinion having more time to relax is definitely increasing the amount of time in your day!
Great comments!
i Totally agree with this most of the time i feel as if i waste most of the day i'm gonna put this in practice thanks for sharing