How to Find More Time for Yourself?
3 simple recommendations you can start following right now
Is life too short for a 9–5 job?
How do you find time for self-development, a hobby, or learning a foreign language? If you feel that your life is just those couple of hours between coming back from the office and going to bed, then, it might be time for a little change or at least freeing an hour or two from the busy schedule.
These are three simple recommendations
1. Decrease the mindless entertainment
During her early years as a writer, Elizabeth Gilbert complained about her overwhelming schedule and not having enough time to write. Once, somebody asked her about her favorite series. Elizabeth answered “The Sopranos”. Then, she got the following advice: “If you have to do something really important, you have to sacrifice pleasures, but you can always find the time!”
Binge-watching entire TV series during the night might not be the most productive activity to do. If you can’t resist the urge to watch Netflix, at least decrease the hours and go to bed on time. You can also substitute silly programs with documentaries, lectures, Ted talks or listening to audiobooks. Good documentaries can be as interesting as the latest shows, but also a lot more informative and enriching. Listening to audiobooks is fun and can be done while cooking, commuting to work, or exercising. What is your guilty pleasure that can be reduced?
2. Keep your phone away while focusing
During the workday, study time, or pretty much all the time, phones are an inseparable part of people’s lives. Even if you don’t have the habit to look into your phone every five minutes, the phone is still there distracting you. According to this study- “When individuals interact with or think about their phones rather than attend to the task at hand, their performance suffers.”
In other words, keep your phone away if you want to be more productive!
3. Use the power of your phone
First thing, delete all unnecessary time killing apps from your phone. Avoid addictive games and substitute them with more helpful applications.
Here’re my favorite ones:
An innovative app that helps you to stay focused. The idea is that you plant a tree and let it grow while you focus on work. Leaving the app halfway will cause your tree to die.
Two applications which are great if you want to learn a new language but lack the time for it.
These are just a few examples and there’re plenty more useful apps or ideas for saving time and making your day more productive. Hopefully, you got a little inspiration and I’ll be glad to hear your favorite apps and time-saving ideas.
