How to Find 25 Hours in Your Day?
The key to making the most out of your day involves numerous factors: determining what's important to you, creating focus, staying on task. All of these things work together to create more time in your day, not less.
- Determine what's important to you.
- If you are working on saving money or on creating healthy eating habits you come to a crossroads at least 3 times a day. Taking the time to pack your lunch for work will help you accomplish both of these goals. Don't tell yourself you don't have time. Sacrifice the sleep and get up and pack your lunch. Better yet, do it the night before. I am having to do this for my husband and my kids. I prefer the night before so that I'm not rushed and can make sure they have adequate meals. This is the same for the trip home every night. Stopping at the local fast food restaurant kills your body and your wallet. Use your crockpot or take a couple of hours on the weekend to cook several meals so that you can just reheat on those busy nights. This is crucial for me because my kids have martial arts and dance class during what used to be my dinner prep time. So now, if I'm not using my crockpot then I make dinner before the kids even get out of school. If I am having a particular busy work week then I will marathon cook on the weekend.
- Which is more important to you: sleep or being able to get up a flight of stairs without breathing heavy? If your health is important to you then you will find at least 30 minutes a day to exercise. This means walking, running, aerobics, weight-lifting, or whatever else gets you motivated. If 30 minutes seems too hard then break it up into 3-10minute intervals. Get up earlier or go to bed a little later.
2. Create focus. Write down a weekly goal list and break it down into a daily list. Make sure to write out time chunks for work and previous commitments. Once that is done write in your steps that need to be accomplished to meet your goals. For example: my list contains taking the kids back and forth to school and other activities. It also includes things such as:laundry, making meals, 1 hour daily exercise, weekly renovation project with daily steps and my top 6 to-do priorities for my writing business.
3. Staying on Task.
- Don't multitask. Do NOT multitask. I'm not talking about paying bills or reading while waiting for the kids to get out of school. I'm talking about trying to talk on the phone to your mother and use your computer for work related correspondence. Have you noticed that food turns out much better when you had your entire focus on cooking? As a busy mom or dad this isn't always possible but if you start prepping meals when you have 5 minutes here and 10 minutes there then you can focus solely on your job during that time. Your mind is calmer, you are more relaxed and more things get done.
- Having the list keeps you from being scattered. Knowing your primary goals helps you focus.Whenever an episode of NCIS or rerun of Charmed calls my name I look at my list and keep moving with it. That's what a DVR is for. The amazing thing is that one of two things happens: I either am too tired to watch television or I find that I accomplished everything on my list and I have extra time to pursue my own interests. Be sure to take time for yourself to meditate or pray at the beginning or end of your day. If you are too tired at the end then I recommend you doing it first thing in the morning.
As long as you tackle one step of your goal on a daily basis you will not only make amazing progress you will find that your spare time just magically appears. I've always thought of it as the universe/God rewarding you for doing what needs to be done.
