How To Find Time In Your Day

Do you ever feel like there aren’t enough hours in the day to get everything done? 

With cell phones, email, work, and just life, it can feel nearly impossible to find a few minutes alone to relax. But if you take a closer look at how you spend your day, you may be surprised to learn you have more time available than you think.

A poorly managed day is like a poorly managed diet. If you don’t pay attention to what you eat, one day you’ll wake up 10 pounds heavier. It’s the same with your time. Left unmanaged, your to-do list – like your waistline - will continue to grow.

So how can you better manage your time?

If you don’t currently own a calendar or planner, buy one. Yes, you could keep everything in your smart phone. But studies have shown writing things down on paper can be more effective at helping you to remember them. Psychology Today’s article 4 Reasons Writing Things Down on Paper Still Reigns Supreme summarizes the findings from a 2021 University of Tokyo study on this topic. In the article, the author notes “the act of physically writing things down on paper is associated with more robust brain activation in multiple areas and better memory recall.” For those of you who still prefer to keep everything in your smart phone, or for whom a digital schedule is more efficient, the study suggests using various tools like highlighting and virtual sticky notes to enhance your memory. 

To get a better handle on your day, you need to look at how you spend your time, determine what’s important to you, and eliminate or reduce activities which are sucking up valuable hours. The following seven steps will walk you through this process.

A poorly managed day is like a poorly managed diet. If you don’t pay attention to what you eat, one day you’ll wake up 10 pounds heavier. It’s the same with your time. Left unmanaged, your to-do list – like your waistline - will continue to grow.

Step 1 - Track your daily activities.

For one week, commit to tracking your time each day. Make a note of when you get up and all the activities you do until you go to bed. Do not leave anything out. If you spend 2 ½ hours on social media, write that down. At the end of the week, add up how much time you spent on each activity. This should include your time in front of the TV, on the phone, or hanging out at your favorite bar.

Step 2 - Categorize each activity.

Review each activity on your list and determine which category it should be placed in:

1. Essential (e.g. sleep, eat, work, school, religious activities, caring for your family)

2. Recreational (e.g. TV, browsing social media, hanging out)

3. Occasional (e.g. holiday celebration, visiting family out of town)

4. Rarely (e.g. doctor’s appointment)

As you do the assessment, be honest with yourself. Is that activity essential or recreational? If you are having trouble deciding which category an activity should be placed in, go with your first choice.  Generally, it will be the correct one for you. Remember, this is about what’s important to you. That means your list does not have to look like everyone else’s list.

Step 3 - Determine where you spend most of your time.

Where are you spending most of your time? Is it on recreational activities? Are you doing things which are important to you, or is most of your time spent caring for others? How much time do you have set aside to do something you enjoy?

Step 4 - Prioritize your activities.

So far, you’ve assessed how you spend your time. Now start thinking about how you would prefer to spend your time. Assign a priority to each of the activities on your list, with 1 being the least important and 5 being the most important. For the activities you rated a 1, determine if they can be removed from your list or replaced with something else. 

Step 5- Find ways to be more efficient.

Looking for opportunities to be more efficient is key to finding more time in your day. Could you spend one less hour watching TV so you can exercise? How about watching TV or listening to an audio book while you exercise? Would going food shopping on the weekend, instead of picking up a few grocery items every day, give you time back?

Step 6- Make time for you.

It doesn’t matter how busy you are, you need to find time to unwind. This could be reading a good book or spending an hour watching “reality” TV. It simply needs to be something which makes you happy and allows you to unplug from your daily responsibilities.

Train others to respect this time by making it clear you’re not to be disturbed unless it’s an emergency.  While you’re relaxing, refrain from scrolling through your phone or reading email. This is your time to escape from everything. It will be hard for others to adjust to this at first, but if you remain firm they will eventually get the message. As your own best advocate, only you can help them understand your me time is vital to your well-being.

Step 7 – Review and reprioritize periodically.

You may have heard it takes 21 days to form a new habit, but this differs for everyone. The habit you’re trying to form, and your level of motivation, will determine how long it takes you to make lasting change. It’s also common to return to old habits, especially if they’ve been in place for years. To combat this possibility, review your progress and reprioritize at least once a year. This will ensure you remain on track, and it will serve as a reminder to focus on the things which are important to you.