Finding Hidden Time
In the last two articles I’ve discussed how time is our most important currency and how most of us waste a lot of time that we could be using towards our greatest goals and ambitions. I discussed how technology has amplified all the distractions that could potentially derail us from finding deeper meaning and our true life’s mission.
Most people complain that they do not have enough time to accomplish everything that they would like to do but this is a matter of perception. The fact is that most of us end up wasting a lot of time throughout the day and it is up to us to reclaim this lost time.
Here are some important tips to help you reclaim your lost time.
1. Identify your most important goal or ambition at this time. This could involve your career, starting an online business, optimizing your health and fitness or improving an important relationship in your life. You need to identify something that you must accomplish at all costs in order to be inspired and motivated to devote time to it. This should be based on the one goal that will exponentially improve the quality of your life. This does not mean that you cannot have more than one goal but start with one.
2. Wake up earlier. The fact is that the morning is the most productive time of the day, especially before we start our regular daily activities, whether we are still in school, college or university or have a regular job. This is because this is a time of little to no distractions. I encourage everyone to wake up an hour earlier to focus on what is important to them, whether it is exercise, reading, meditation, writing or working on an entrepreneurial project. You may need to go to sleep earlier but you’ll find that you’ll get more accomplished in the early morning hours than later in the day when the tasks of daily life start piling up.
3. Do not check your email or social media till mid-afternoon. As I’ve already discussed in the prior articles, most people end up wasting hours each day on these modalities which are frivolous at best, unless you use your email for your work. In the first half of your day, instead of jumping on Facebook, Instagram or skimming through your emails, most of which are not pertinent to you, delay this urge and spend time doing something that will move you forward on your most important goal.
4. Make a schedule to incorporate deep work on your most important goal. The fact is that you need to make this a priority in your life if you are to move the needle in the direction of your highest goal. This cannot happen without putting this on your daily, weekly and monthly schedule. Consider this your sacred time which should not be compromised for anything but a dire emergency.
5. Utilize your waiting time efficiently. What is waiting time? This is time which is necessary but spent in an idle manner. Examples of this could be commuting to and from work, waiting in a line-up at a government office or waiting to see a doctor in his or her clinic, to give a few examples. There are many instances of waiting time on a weekly basis and we need to harness this time for our benefit. For example, if you have a long commute to work, use it to listen to an educational podcast or audio books on personal development topics such as health and fitness, improving your relationships, improving your finances, meditation, spirituality or any number of topics. I routinely finish 3 books a month on audio just listening in my car. If you know that you’ll be waiting at a government or doctor’s office, bring a book to read or bring your laptop so you can work on writing your blog, writing your book, researching a topic for your work or working on your online business. Even if none of the previous apply to you, there is always something productive that you can do while waiting in line, even if it is just reading some educational material or self-improvement articles.
6. Watch less television and Netflix in the evenings. A lot of us come home from work and, after dinner, spend endless hours watching our favourite shows. There is nothing wrong with this once in a while but not if it consumes all of our free time. Yes we need entertainment but it should be the exception and not the norm. Think of how much you could accomplish in two hours in the evening if you focus on your most important goal for that time!
7. Devote time on the weekends to doing deep work on your highest goal. Unless they work in healthcare, retail, the restaurant or tourism industry, most people have their weekends to themselves. We like to relax and enjoy ourselves on our weekends but we should devote at least 2 to 3 hours of time each Saturday and Sunday to doing this deep work with no distractions. This is the time of the week when we can devote an extended amount of time towards our most important goal and it should not be wasted. You will still have ample time to relax, pursue your hobbies and spend time with your family and friends
The fact is that there is a lot of hidden time that is at our disposal if we only have the insight and the motivation to harness it for our betterment. We have 1440 minutes every day, 10080 minutes in a week, 43800 minutes in a month and 525600 minutes in a year. Every minute that passes is one that is lost and you’ll never get back.
Do not waste another moment of your precious time. Do something that you dream of now, not years from now when you retire and you think you’ll have more time. You’ll never have more time than you have now and if you think otherwise then it is just your false perception. Implement some of my suggestions above and discover how much abundant time you truly have to do what really inspires you!
Nauman Naeem MD
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