How you spend your time is how you spend your life
I was having a conversation with a colleague who asked me how I manage to work on so many different things. “Where do you find the time?” In the process of dissecting my time management process, I explained how you could gain a whole day every week by cutting out a few activities. Every day that I choose to work remotely rather than commute to work, I gain three hours. Every day that I choose not to watch TV, it’s two hours. In a five-day week, that’s over 24 hours that I just freed up to work on important stuff.
Enhance the quality of your quality time
There’s a sign that sits on my desk. It says:
This simple message is a constant reminder for me to be in the moment, focus on what’s happening in my environment and cherish the experience that I’m having. It’s the key to being mindful. Mindfulness increases the value of the time you spend on important things. By being mindful, you’re increasing the meaning of your involvement in the activity of the moment. Decide what’s important to you and spend time on that, even if it’s binge-watching a Netflix show or Netflix and chill. You want to get to that point in life where all your time is quality time. Except for that minute slice of life when you inevitably have to hang out at the DMV.
Take control
If you went through the exercise of finding out what your time is worth, then you will start noticing activities that don’t make sense anymore. That hot new food truck that everyone lines up for? Maybe it doesn’t make sense to stand in line. Why wait to be the first in line for a new game or shoe or gadget when you can get the same item a week later without standing in line? It might even make sense for you to pay someone for their spot on the line. Does it make more sense to take a cab or take the subway? Should you go see a movie in the theater or wait for it to be released on Amazon? Should you stand in line at Starbucks or make your coffee at home?
Don’t save time, gain time.
In your life, start thinking of ways in which you can gain time. Most people talk about saving time as if it is something you can put in a bank to spend later. Time keeps chugging along no matter what you do. The only thing you have control over is what you spend your time doing. Success to me means spending time on what’s important. If you’ve decided what’s important in your life and you wisely choose what to spend your time on, then you will be successful. Choosing wisely also means you stop spending time on unimportant things.
You may have come across a version of this advice:
Take the time now to create the list on the left – things that, in Marie Kondo's words, "spark joy." This should include the people, places, things and activities that are important to you. Then figure out what you will do to spend your time on those important things.