TIME IS YOURS TO BEND
Everyone I know wishes they had more time. More time to finish pressing projects. More time to do fun activities. More time to read. More time to be with friends and loved ones. More time to kick back and relax. And the biggie: More time to sleep.
Guess what? You can make that extra time if you put your mind to it. Here are a few approaches that I've found add time for the things that matter.
Look in the nooks and crannies of your day. Our days are full of little bits of time that we often waste away or don’t even realize are there. This might show up as 5-10 minutes between meetings or calls. Time waiting for a subway, bus or Uber. A few minutes waiting for someone who is late. Or time standing in line. Rather than waste this nook-and-cranny time doing something empty (like doom-scrolling social media, see below), use it to do something that matters to you. Listening to a few minutes of a favorite podcast or audio book. Create a note on your phone of people you want to see or things you want to do in the days ahead. Send a simple, sweet text or email to someone you’ve been thinking about or are missing. Read a saved article that interested you at some point in the past when you were short on time. The point is, there are lots of little gaps of time in a day, so be ready with meaningful activities that can fill them.
Practice the intention question. When you do a quick check in with your intention before every conversation and every engagement, these activities become richer and more purposeful. Here’s how to do it: Ask yourself “What is my intention for this conversation (or engagement, or meeting, or phone call, or.…)?” If you are clear and satisfied with the answer, proceed. If the answer is unclear or fuzzy, try to get clearer ... or skip it and do something else. I promise that the practice of aligning with your intention is not a laborious task, and that the more you do it, the more meaningful you’ll find the precious time you allot to each activity. If you’re unsure of how to make an intention practice work for you, DM or email me and I’ll find time to explain.
Multi-task when it makes sense. I’ve shared before that I recommend doing one thing at a time, to allow each thing its fully value. But there are times when multi-tasking is the right move. So by all means, listen to a favorite podcast or playlist when you’re driving or commuting or taking a shower. Talk to your friends or significant other while cooking a meal or cleaning your home. As long as your simultaneous engagement with two activities does not diminish either (often a high bar, if you’re honest with yourself), go ahead and multi-task!
Know when you’re at your peak productivity. It may seem obvious, but knowing when you are most productive and energetic in the day is a key to making your time count. When your energy is naturally high, this is when you want to commit to activities that require the most of you — concentration, deep thought, peak exertion. As an example, I try to write most days, and I know that I need to schedule this in the morning when I’m fresh and high-energy. If I saved it for later in the day, nothing would get written. Know your energy flow, and you’ll find that time is your ally.
Delete (or complicate) social media on your phone: My hunch is that most of us recognize social media scrolling as an unnourishing activity. But still we reflexively grab our phones when we have a few spare minutes. I won’t get preachy here, but when it comes to using your time wisely, there are probably better choices than social media. If you feel like you don’t have the time to do things that really matter to you, then make the choice to skip activities that really, truly don’t. I’ve found that the simplest way is (duh) to delete social apps on your phone, instead checking in on your social media feeds when at home and on a computer, which is a bit more deliberative. You may struggle with this one, but if you are also struggling with having enough time, this tip is a real winner.
As Einstein proved more than 100 years ago, time actually bends. It’s not fixed, as we believed for so long. So by all means, take advantage of Einstein’s wisdom and go bend time to make it work for you!