Tick Tock Economizer : 20 Time-Saving Techniques
Let's take a closer look at the concept of time and our relationship with it...
Time isn't just money—it's life!
Whether you're working too many hours, trying to achieve better balance in your life, seeking time for new activities, or aiming to set new goals, sharpening your time management skills is essential.
The greek word "economy" stems from the idea of managing a household.
Although we often associate it with money, money is just one small aspect of the economy.
Mastering the skill of economy is invaluable, as it helps us create, grow, and develop any area of our lives.
When applied to time, economy becomes vital both for guiding our lives in the direction we desire and for achieving fulfillment.
Looking at time from a broader perspective, we can see how it subtly impacts many aspects of our lives.
Let's explore some time-saving techniques to improve our relationship with time, enabling us to gain more control over the direction of our lives and personal growth.
1. Awareness of Objective Reality
Awareness is the golden key to almost every issue we wish to manage. For time management, it involves understanding both how much time your activities take and how you interact with time.
Track the time you spend on activities throughout your day for a week. Record everything—from how long it takes to eat breakfast, shower, and work, to your commuting time.
This will help you see the objective picture of how much time is truly available or being wasted. And why is this important?
Because we often feel we aren't doing enough, experience a sense of lack or futility, and blame ourselves for not achieving our goals. But in many cases, the reality is that there simply isn't enough time for everything.
With an accurate picture, you'll be able to identify whether your time distribution is balanced between work, personal life, family, rest, recreation, and more.
2. List What You Want to Achieve
Write down your goals for work, personal life, recreation, health, and anything else important to you.
Then, view them through the lens of time to determine whether everything fits together.
If not, decide what's most important for the life YOU want to live. Then set goals that lead you toward that life.
As the saying goes, you can't carry too many watermelons in one hand. Choose consciously what you want to live and why, so as to avoid feelings of incompleteness, lack, or regret.
Your life is shaped by your choices—or your lack of them.
So choose wisely and intentionally!
3. Create a "Not-to-Do List"
Make a not-to-do list of the top five biggest distractions that typically derail you from your goals and what you want to accomplish.
By identifying these distractions, you can reduce time leaks and free up even a little extra time for activities that bring you deeper satisfaction and fulfillment.
4. Prepare for the Next Day Every Evening
Write down the three most important tasks for the next day each evening.
If you want to be more specific, you can categorize tasks by area of life, such as work, self-care, relationships, or anything else important to you that day.
This kind of preparation helps you stay focused, prioritize effectively, and allocate your energy wisely across daily activities and things you love.
5. If the cost of an activity greatly exceeds its benefit...
Then it's time to either let it go or delegate it to someone else (though this often involves financial costs that you need to consider).
6. Train yourself to take control of your time management...
Otherwise, circumstances will dictate it for you.
When that happens, we end up chasing time rather than managing it. This training involves responsibility, being present in what you set out to do, flexibility when collaboration with others is required, and self-discipline.
7. Don't spend more time than necessary...
On issues that provoke anger, sadness, guilt, worry, resentment, or similar feelings. Instead, process them constructively and search for solutions, setting a reasonable time frame for yourself. For instance, allow yourself to complain for 10 minutes about what bothered you, but no more. After all, none of these feelings are permanent, nor will they last forever.
8. Decide when, why, and how you will use the internet...
Whether it's for checking emails, browsing social media, or conducting research, be mindful. It's not inherently bad to "waste" time online if you choose to, but this activity can consume valuable time. It's easy to get distracted and end up clicking endlessly, like starting with a casual coffee break and finding yourself watching cat videos or makeup tutorials three days later.
9. If your tasks involve in-person meetings...
Schedule short 15-minute intervals between appointments to regroup. Clarity helps maintain a good rhythm and makes tasks feel less burdensome compared to when you're overloaded.
10. To handle procrastination effectively...
When decisions need to be made, set a specific deadline by which you must make your choice.
11. Identify at what time of day you are most energetic, efficient, and productive...
Use these hours for tasks that require more focus, skill, or even courage if they're not your favorite.
12. If you keep making excuses...
To postpone something you need to do but don't enjoy, try working on it for just two minutes.
13. If your time is limited...
But you want to maintain a healthy diet with home-cooked meals, cook for two days at a time. Find recipes that require minimal preparation and use tools like food processors or steamers to make things faster and easier. Solutions always exist if you're willing to look for them.
14. Always work on one thing at a time...
Multitasking can be a valuable skill in some cases, but in others, it undermines quality and productivity. So, when you're working on a task, don't take phone calls or check emails simultaneously.
15. Remember this equation:
Four hours of focused, deep work produce higher-quality results than 12 hours of work filled with distractions.
16. Always set a deadline...
For when you'll complete a task. Tasks tend to expand to fill the time allotted for their completion. Reread this principle!
17. If you don't want to do something, simply say "no."
18. Turn off unnecessary notifications...
On your devices to minimize distractions.
19. Schedule when, how, and for how long you'll rest each week...
Don't save rest for long holidays. Otherwise, your system may go on strike, requiring longer recovery times and creating a greater distance from your balance point.
20. Remember…
"The bad news is that time flows like water. It passes and doesn't return. The good news is that you can be its captain!"—at least to a satisfactory degree.
Time is another dimension in which we express and fulfill our existence. So, let's value it for its true and profound worth.
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