Two weeks ago I did a webinar on setting big and exciting goals for 2015 (you can catch the replay here). It seems appropriate to also talk about one of the biggest culprits that keeps us from achieving what we want... wasted time.
In the last couple months, I've been learning how to really hyper focus. I've always been pretty focused, and I've always been big on choosing 2-3 priorities at any given time, but I've still spent a great deal of my life and time completely scattered. Because I'm also hyper aware of the fact that life is really, really short, I'm not big on wasting a lot of time, especially when there's so much I want to do!
I've gotten months worth of work done in a matter of days, had more down time to unwind and relax than I've had in a long time, and am really making progress on some projects and goals that are super important to me. All from a few simple steps that I'm going to share with you today!
How to Create More Hours in the Day
1) Get really clear on how you spend your time.
For at least one week, track your time and get really honest with yourself about how you're spending it. You may find you spent far more time watching TV, surfing the Web mindlessly, or simply debating about whether or not to go to the gym than you realize. This is all precious, wasted time. The sooner you have a real look at where your time is going, the sooner you can start to spend more time on the things that matter. Don't guesstimate on the areas you know you waste your time -- actually track it.
2) Get a handle on your time.
Part two of understanding how you spend your time right now is clearly defining how you want to be spending it. Sit down and write down everything you want and need to be doing... workouts, client time, meetings, morning routine, self-care timeouts, errands, bill paying, meal prep or planning, etc. Where do you absolutely need to spend your time? And more importantly, how do you want to be spending it? What projects or goals do you want to be working towards? Get honest about what activities need to be eliminated or reduced, such as TV, social media, mindless Web surfing, or anything else that isn't really adding value to your life in a way that feels really amazing.
3) Use time blocks to manage your week.
Time blocks have been huge for me, and I haven't even mastered them 100 percent. The first thing I did was block off all the time I needed to spend on certain things like writing (blog posts, Awesome Life Tips, Mastery member content, etc.), paying bills, running errands, working out, and checking email/Facebook, etc. Then, I started dropping time blocks on my calendar for projects... I blocked all the time I need to be following up with coaching clients and working on website designs. And finally, looking at how my weeks were broken down, I got honest about where I could block some time for other projects or fun things I really want to be doing.
4) Know that this will create more freedom.
This may not be true for everyone, but as a person who values freedom above all else, taking the time to schedule my time actually feels way more freeing to me than leaving things open ended. Partly because I don't spend so much time bouncing between tasks, wondering what I should be working on, or assuming things will all get done with enough time for me to do what I want. Having time blocks has helped me stay hyper focused on the task at hand... and knowing that there's a set end time makes it like a "beat the clock" game for me.
Take action now!
Do you know how you're spending your time? Do you feel like you're making progress towards what you really desire in your life? If not, work through the steps above and share with me how you'll start making changes to your time this week!
Stephenie Zamora is the founder of www.stepheniezamora.com, a full-service, life-purpose development, design and branding boutique and author of Awesome Life Tips book. Through her Mastery program, she merges the worlds of personal development and branding to help men and women build passion-based lives and businesses they love. Click here to access her free Foundations for Unshakable Joy™ video training series and learn the unexpected trick to transforming your life with one single question!
For more by Stephenie Zamora, click here.