This report includes nine powerful tips and three actionable steps you can take right away. It also includes a list of suggested readings for those who are looking for even more information.
This article is from a Series
of 52 tips Report on the subject of self improvement. If you want to
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TOP TIPS
Time
is the great equalizer. No matter who you are, you have 24 hours to use each
day. For many of us, though, these hours are mostly already spoken for. Between
sleep, family duties, work, and - if we are lucky - a little socializing, there
isn't much time left. It's important that any time we do use is used well. Here
are nine tips that can help you avoid wasting your time.
1. Stop Saying Yes When You
Want to Say No
Do
you ever find that you take on more than you can handle? Try saying no a little
more often. While it's important to be a good friend or a team player, you
don't have to take on every task someone asks of you. If you take the time to
do someone else's work, you lose that time somewhere else in your life.
2. Focus on One Major Task
Each Day
We
aren't suggesting that you only do one thing per day, but it can help to have a
guiding light goal. Think about one thing or theme to focus on that day. When
you are in-between tasks, you won't find yourself wasting time wondering what
to do next. You'll always have this guiding light goal to come back to.
3. You Don't Have to Respond
Right Away
Whether
it is a text, a phone call, or an email, you don't have to respond right away.
If you are waiting on something specific and time-sensitive, that is one thing.
However, a cold call, random email, or social media notification can usually
wait. Choose a time (or a few) to check your messages all at once each day.
4. Figure Out Your
Time-Wasting Triggers
Do
you have any triggers that almost always lead to you wasting time? Maybe going
to get a coffee leads to a 35-minute chat about nothing. Do you fall down
Youtube holes after watching a single video? Most of us have little triggers
like these, and it's important to know them so you can avoid them when time is
tight.
5. Make Time for Self-Care
Doing
things that are important for your mental and physical health is not a waste of
time. It might seem weird we would suggest taking time for yourself to save
time. Think about it, though, if you get sick, exhausted, or burnt-out, you
will have to spend a lot of time to get back on track. Making time for
self-care means that you can use your time more effectively in the long term.
6. Get Organized
How
much time do you waste looking for something you misplaced? How about digging
in the back of a cupboard looking for something you are "sure is
there"? Getting organized so that everything you need has a logical space
is one of the best ways to stop wasting time needlessly.
7. Stop Doom-Scrolling
I
understand that we live in some trying times. Even worse, we are constantly
connected to streams of news. It is easy to scroll Twitter, Tiktok, or your
local news sites consuming constant updates on what is wrong today. Would you
please break this habit? Not only does it waste time, but the negative energy
also impacts the rest of your day.
8. Other People's Problems
Aren't Always Yours
You
can make a deliberate choice to refuse to be dragged into office gossip or
friend drama. You should support those you love, but you don't have to get
involved in everyone's problems. Why waste time (not to mention energy)
worrying about the squabbles other people are involved in.
9. Build Your Self-Confidence
This
might seem like an odd tip for "time management," but it might be the
single most powerful step you can take to stop wasting time. Confident people
make quicker decisions, take more decisive action, and don't need to wait until
every detail is perfected. Think about how much time you would save in your
life if you could say the same about yourself.
FAST-ACTION STEPS
a) What
is your most important goal for tomorrow? Write down what your main focus will
be tomorrow (or today if it is early enough).
b) Organize
one aspect of your life right now. It can be as simple as your desk drawer,
optimizing your email folders, or even just your computer's desktop.
c) What
are your time-wasting triggers? Next time you find yourself wasting time, think
back and reflect on what may have triggered it.
FURTHER
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5. Stop Wasting Your Time and Start Doing What Matters Most
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