It can feel impossible to get everything you need to get done in 24 hours.
Frankly, sometimes what is expected of us, and what we expect of ourselves, is actually impossible to do in a day!
Realistic goal setting, smart compromises and wise habits can help minimize this conflict.
There are moments, though, when you truly need to create more time in your day, whether it be making time for your family, creating a side business or just carving out “me” time.
First, try not to view your goal as adding hours to the day, but chunks of time daily. For example, shaving 10 minutes from your daily commute would add almost an extra hour every week. That is about 48 hours a year – two whole days! It is overwhelming to find long periods of time, so look at your schedule and see what pieces you can partition out to do what you really love.
Second, be honest about the things that you apply to too high of a standard. An elaborate family dinner you cook every evening could be substituted with the occasional night out or pre-cooked meal, just as doing other routines “just so” could be substituted with a quicker, equally effective action.
Third, understand that money can often give you more time. Are there time-intensive routines that you could outsource for a relatively low cost? It is easy to be money smart and time foolish, especially if we’re being budget conscious, but the cash spent paying someone else to do time-heavy work can come back to us quickly. How much money could you make in an extra hour? Consider that to be the money you are losing when you don’t allow other people to help you offload a timesucking activity.
