‘I don’t have time’ is our best excuse for almost everything, especially our dreams, aspirations, or New Year resolutions. Isn’t is sad? We sabotage ourselves and make this lame excuse to not do things that actually make us happy. So what’s the solution? I’d like to share my 3 ‘time-stretching’ strategies I have and also recommend 2 best books on the topic: 4 hour working week by Tim Ferriss & No BS time management for entrepreneurs by Dan Kennedy. The books helped to organise myself better and work more efficiently, but the techniques I want to share with you today go beyond working hours. So here we go…
1. Wake up earlier.
Do not dismiss this idea too soon. I am a night owl and my favourite time of the week is Sat & Sun lie-in… but believe me it is possible. When I was doing my masters while working full time, the only time I had free was before work. I forced myself to get up 2 hours earlier than usual to study, research and write my thesis before I began my usual work. I already finished my degree, but I continue doing this as it gives me extra 2 hours to work on my own business ideas. It takes discipline to develop this habit, but it’s great – you can do your morning workout, do your writing, or whatever it is that you don’t have time for. Here are 3 things that help me to get up:
a) UP Jawbone. I got it for Christmas and I love it. Not only it tracks my physical activity but also sleep patterns. It shows my deep and light sleep phases. I programmed it so that it vibrates to gently wake me up within 30 mins of my selected wake-up time. It smartly chooses the best possible time to wake me up, as it’s easier to get up if you’re woken up from a light sleep, than deep sleep (when dreaming).
b) Philips Hue lightbulbs. I have them installed in the bedroom and programmed to slowly light up in the morning to imitate sunrise, way before the sun is up on those winter mornings… It helps to wake up more naturally, the light will trick your body into thinking it’s daytime and become more awake.
c) Coffee machine with a timer. It’s so nice to wake up to a smell of coffee mmm… I’m very lucky that I usually find a freshly brewed cup of coffee by my bedside when I wake up, because my boyfriend beats all the records in waking up early. But you can also have it done by programming coffee machine for brewing few minutes before your wake up time. Make sure it’s close enough so you can smell it!
I also set a normal alarm, just in case all of the above fails! And I have cats who climb on top of my head if I don’t get up soon enough to feed them 😉 Whatever works!
2. Eliminate something.
You can only stretch a day by little bit, but the simplest and harshest truths is that if you want to make time for something, you’ve
Watching the time go by
got to eliminate something else. Write down things you do within a week. How much time do you need to do things you want? How can you eliminate something else? Let’s say you want to learn to play piano and you need 3 hours of practice a week. Maybe you could ask your manager to work from home once a week and that will save you 3 hours of commuting time. Maybe you can hire a cleaner to save you 3 hours of weekly cleaning? Maybe you could not go to Fri after-work drinks? You get the idea. But make sure that once you make time/financial commitment – you stick to it!
3. Plan for the future.
I always get disappointed when I can’t squeeze enough into my schedule; or spread myself too thinly not achieving anything. One good solution which gives me psychological comfort is planning for the future. So let’s say there is no way I can find those extra 3 hours a week to practice piano right now. The earliest I could start is in April when my dancing courses / important work project/ language classes finish. Then book it for April. Or next year or whenever you can. At least it gives you a feeling that you have it planned and will do it in the near future. You can go as far as creating a 3 year plan of all the things you always wanted to do. I got this idea from Barbara Sheer’s book What do I do when I want to do everything? and I must say it works. As silly as it may sound in the first place, it does help you to prioritise your ideas and make an actionable plan on how to make them happen.
Good luck. I hope some of my tips will help you stretch the time a little bit so you can make your dreams happen. I am super curious to hear what works for you, so please share that in response!
Photo credits: http://psd.tutsplus.com/articles/inspiration/conceptual-photo-manipulations/
Millennial Banter 