Time is an illusion
How many times do you get distracted when you open your phone to make a call, or check something on an email. A Facebook notification comes up that takes your interest and makes you have a quick look, by the time you finish scrolling through the feeds you have wasted a good hour.
How is it that if you have no time you can find time for all these distractions.
How many times do you open your phone, get lost looking at something then forgot why you picked it up in the first place?
Or make a call to a friend for a specific reason and then hang up without even talking about it?
Or go to the shops and forget what you went for so spend half an hour looking at whatever catches your eye.
11 ways to gain more time in your life
There is always time for these small distractions and there are ways to control your time better.
Bending time is quite easy when you apply the following steps.
- Show up, if you want something to happen show up and be present.
- Stop making excuses.
- If you want to be on time, set an alarm.
- If you want to remember something, write it down, make notes and make it a part of your routine to check, action and tick them off.
- Set schedules and stick to them.
- Make goals and set dates or times on them.
- Check in with yourself and what you want to achieve.
- If it’s important, make it a priority.
- Say no if you don’t really want to do something.
- Be honest with others and yourself.
- Be self aware of your weaknesses and distractions. Not only will these things allow you to be in control of your time, but they will stop you from being one of those rude people who constantly wastes everyone else’s time.
Distractions waste time
Distraction is the brains way of decluttering when it is overloaded.
When the task at hand is too great that the brain can’t cope so it creates a distraction.
You may be surprised to hear that it takes on average 17 minutes to get back into ‘flow’ once distracted from a task.
7 ways to minimise distractions
- Break it down into small pieces that the brain can handle.
- Manage each section as a seperate task so the brain can process what needs to be done.
- Seperate the tasks up into time limits. Give yourself a chunk of time to complete a task, half hour to an hour and don’t allow any distractions to come into that time. Once you have completed the hour you may have a break. Then come back and start again.
- Get some help: this could be the key to all your problems. Some tasks may be to great for you to achieve alone. Get someone in with expertise in the area someone who could possibly do the job in much less time for a small price, even maybe a bottle of wine.
- Remember it’s ok to stop and take a break, the world will go on without you running around trying to achieve a million things in one day. What’s the fun in waking up as an old person and realising you haven’t stoped to enjoy yourself.
- Consider tasks in order of importance.
- Recognise when you’ve been distracted, bring your attention back to the task at hand.
Recommended resource
You are a bad ass. How to stop doubting yourself and start loving an awesome life – Jen Sincero
