How to find time for everything and be productive

Assess how you allocate time now

We live in an era when we are constantly distracted by something. Therefore, we need to be especially careful about how we allocate our time.

First, calculate how much time you spend each day on a particular activity. Then multiply this number by seven - how many hours you will spend on this in a week. Calculate how long it takes you to do everything you do and add up the results. And then subtract that amount from the total hours per week (168).

It will look something like this:

Internet and TV: _ × 7 = _ (per week).
Work or study: _.
Chat with friends: _.
Family time: _.
Sports: _.
Reading for pleasure: _.
Dream: _.
Cooking and eating: _.
Travel time: _.
Other: _.

Total: _.

168 - _ (sum of hours worked per week) = _.

This will give you a general idea of how you spend your time. You may be able to find a few free hours that you were not aware of.

Now determine how much time you are wasting. Be honest with yourself: What activities really benefit you, and what only clogs your day? Review your list carefully. You may well find yourself spending five hours a day on Facebook, YouTube, and TV shows.

The StayFocusd browser extension will help you deal with this habit. It allows you to limit the time spent on a particular site, which is now taking up too much of your time.

How to find extra time

Choose the right time to sleep and get up earlier

Remember how often it happened that even after 11 hours of sleep, you felt sleepy and tired. Or, on the contrary, having slept for only three hours, they were full of energy. It has to do with our sleep cycles. Each cycle lasts 90 minutes, so it's best to sleep for one and a half, three, four and a half, six hours, and so on. Try to find the right time for yourself when you are most comfortable going to bed and get up.

To get up earlier, try the following two tips:

Go to bed at the same time.
Start getting up early gradually. For example, if now you wake up at eight and want to get up at six, postpone the wake-up time by ten minutes (today 7:50, tomorrow 7:40, and so on until 6:00).

The first couple of weeks you will be more tired, but this is completely normal, because your body is still adapting to the new routine. To replenish energy reserves, you can sleep for 20-30 minutes during the day.

Bring back your dead time

"Dead" time in this case is the time that we spend on actions that cannot be completely abandoned. It could be commuting to and from work, or shopping for groceries. Such time can also be spent productively. To do this, listen to audiobooks and podcasts, read or learn foreign languages using applications or.

Making the most of your time

1. Set goals for yourself

When we don't have specific goals, it's very easy to “accidentally” waste time on unnecessary activities. And when we know what we are striving for, it is easier for us to devote our attention to it and not be distracted.

Set yourself 3-5 main goals in each area of life (work, health, relationships, self-development, travel) for the year ahead. Be very specific about your goals and write them down in present tense as if you had already achieved them. For example: "I speak fluent English (Italian, Chinese)." All you need to do is write down your goals and start taking action.

2. Identify the most rewarding activities to achieve your goals

You can apply the well-known Pareto law (80/20 rule). According to this law, 20% of your efforts yield 80% of results. Identify the three most important tasks that will be most useful in achieving your goals and devote the most time to them.

3. Develop your morning ritual

The right morning ritual will help you start your day effectively. Include activities in your ritual that will help you move towards your goal. For example, if you want to start your own blog, you need to write at least one article per week. In the morning, set aside 30-60 minutes to write.

Here are some more helpful tips for an effective morning ritual:

Drink water. Your body has not received water all night, it's time to restore the water balance.
Win a small victory - do something you can be proud of.
Go in for sports. Any type of physical activity is suitable: yoga, walking, running, swimming.

4. Automate, outsource and eliminate unimportant tasks

Usually it seems to us that we have to do everything on our own. However, it is not. Think about what you were going to do today and find less important tasks. Choose from them what can be automated, delegated to someone else, or completely excluded.

5. Schedule a meeting with yourself

If you constantly have to communicate with a large number of people at work, be sure to schedule a time when you can fully focus on your own tasks. During the working day, you can have two or three meetings with yourself.

6. Work intermittently

The well-known "tomato technique", developed in the late 1980s as a time management tool, is perfect for this. This approach requires you to break your work into 25-minute intervals and then take a five-minute break. This not only increases productivity, but also helps not to overwork.

7. Get some rest

After doing a lot of work, our energy level usually drops. In such a situation, try to find a quiet corner in the office where you can sit with your eyes closed. It is not necessary to sleep, the main thing is that the body relaxes.

8. Always plan ahead

If you have an important meeting or other event ahead of you, be sure to have some time in reserve in case something goes wrong.

For example, if the appointment is at 3:00 pm, arrive at 2:45 pm. Just in case. Also, calculate your own deadline for a project a few days before the official deadline.

9. If something doesn't go according to plan, don't be discouraged

Even if you are a master of productivity and time management, unforeseen delays await you, because very often we depend on external circumstances. If you're sitting in line or waiting for a late colleague, spend that time reading or an interesting podcast. And don't be discouraged.

10. Track what you spend your time on and measure the results

Track how much time you spend on important activities, and measure the results at the end of the week. Take 30 minutes to think about what was productive and what was not. This will help you to notice the reasons for wasting time.

11. Set aside time for household chores

Dedicate one day a week to cleaning, grocery shopping, and other household chores so you don't waste time on other days.

12. Say no to meetings

If meetings don't have a specific purpose, they don't make sense. On average, there can be three to four meetings a day, each 30-60 minutes. Ask what is the purpose of the meeting to which you are invited, and refuse if it is completely unrelated to your activity. Of course, this is not always possible, but if you succeed, you will save time on more important tasks.

13. Say no to email

No email until you've finished your morning ritual. And generally don't check your email more than twice a day. If someone needs you, they will find you.

14. Say no to things that don't fit your goals

Along with tracking your progress, the main thing that will help you stay on track is knowing how to say no. Remember, this does not mean that you are saying no to others, you are saying yes to yourself.

15. Reward yourself

It is not necessary to paint your whole life in minutes. At the end of a productive work week, treat yourself to a full day or at least a couple of hours of rest.

16. Develop an evening ritual

At the end of the day, remember what important, good and interesting happened today. Benjamin Franklin, for example, always asked himself, "What good have I done today?"

17. Take a break from technology

Turn off your computer, phone, and all other gadgets an hour before bed. Better to spend time with loved ones or read.

Summing up

It can take years to develop the habit of properly managing your time. Remember, you don't have to strive for the ideal. In this case, consistency is much more important. Choose the methods that are right for you and go for it!