Feel like your schedule is packed to the brim? Are you desperate to find more time, or too scared to start new projects? Trust me – I can relate.
My full story is in the extended version of this post, but the gist is: my husband and I swing nearly 100 work hours a week, without child care for our littles. I also write for two blogs and am setting up our first homestead.
My advice from one busy bee to another: stop saying you don’t have enough time. The time is there. It’s just a matter of utilizing it in the right ways.
This post is going to talk about optimizing your time, and I’ll include seven ways to find time in your own schedule.
What is time management?
Time Management is the process of organizing and planning how to divide your time between specific activities.
MindTools
As MindTools explains, we all have the same amount of hours in a day. But some people seem to accomplish more in the same amount of time. Those people aren’t superior, they just find time by managing it.
This requires planning, self-identification, and a shift in perspective. “Good time management requires an important shift in focus from activities to results: being busy isn’t the same as being effective,” writes MindTools.
I’m an over-planning organization freak, so this seems natural to me. But if this sounds foreign (or boring, or awful) to you, don’t worry. You can do this, and it’s easier than you think.
How to find time: 7 ideas to try today
1. Make a time budget
Just like with money, you have to start managing time by figuring out where it’s being spent (and what you want to save for).
So start here: there are 168 hours in a week. If you work 40 hours and sleep for 50 (that’s about 7 hours per night), you’re down to 78 hours. So how do you spend those extra 11 hours a day? Write down how much you think you spend on different tasks, then take the next few days to see how much time you actually spend on each thing.
The point is to find your frivolous spending habits. My biggest weakness was screentime. I was wasting upwards of 5 hours a day (35 hours a week!) looking at my screen. Other possibilities include long phone calls, movies/TV, repetitive cleaning practices, etc.
Now that you know where to tighten up your spending, you get to figure out what you’re saving for. What priorities do you want in your time budget? My priorities are: self care, family time, socializing, the homestead, and writing.
2. Identify your gulpers and sippers
Some things gobble up time like a pint of Ben & Jerry’s. Before you know it, an hour is gone. I call this group “Time Gulpers.” These will likely align with the time wasters you identified in the last step.
It’s important to limit the things that eat up too much time. This can be as simple as setting a timer on your phone as you start a time-gulping task. You can also schedule specific times for Time Gulpers – I try to ignore my phone until it’s “check in” time, and I limit Netflix shows to when I’m on the treadmill.
Other things are more easily forgotten. I call these “Time Sippers.” These are the things that get pushed to the end of your to-do list. And they’ll likely align with the priorities you made in your time budget, so they deserve more recognition.
These things need to be scheduled. Set alarms on your phone and label them. You can also set a minimum time for the activity by using your phone timer. And for tasks I groan at starting, I like to set myself up ahead of time (i.e., opening the necessary links hours before sitting down to write a post).
3. Schedule different priorities each day
If I tried to touch base with everything on my agenda every day, I’d go crazy. Instead, I try to pick different priorities each day to focus on. On warm and sunny days I focus on homestead work + outside play with the kids. On cold, rainy days we stay inside and I focus on writing + housework. Some days are family days. Some days are filled with errands, appointments, bill paying, and phone calls.
The key here is to make sure no priorities get left behind. Check in on that priority list. I like to review these every two weeks and identify any key things that need done based on each priority. Then I schedule them into my planner. (Check out the full post for an example of two weeks worth of priority-based to-dos. )
4. Forget multitasking – learn to pivot
I’m sure you’ve heard by now that multitasking is a myth. Our brains can’t actually do more than one thing at a time, so what often happens during “multitasking” is multiple jobs get done half-assed. That results in poorer quality, and often the separate tasks take even more time to accomplish.
So what I do instead is pivot. Have your list of things to do. Pick one task at a time and put all of your attention into it. Once you reach a certain level of progress or a certain amount of time passes, stop doing it. And stop thinking about it! Pivot to the next thing and put all of your attention into that.
5. Plan a power hour
This idea builds on the last point. You don’t have to spend a large amount of time between pivots. I love adding a power hour into my routine to knock out a bunch of little tasks or quickly tick off the things that will eat up my day if I don’t limit them.
So here’s the power hour I use in my daily routine:
- 5 min. – get laundry started/switched over
- 5 min. – water microgreens (our indoor greenhouse setup)
- 10 min. – house management (pay bills, go through mail, check email, make phone calls)
- 10 min. – set up writing work for the night (open necessary documents so it’s easier to get started, outline a post)
- 30 min. – dishes/folding laundry
This only works if you’re not constantly stopped by kids or notifications. Put your phone on silent and occupy your kids with a movie.
Bonus tip: Use the timer on your phone to stay on track. Set it to 10 minutes then restart it as you shift to the next thing.
6. Find ways to combine tasks
Though multitasking is a myth, I’ve found huge success by combining tasks.
This can mean combining similar things that tick off different priorities. For example, I made a bathtub caddy with all of my self care and hygiene items. So now, a 15-minute bath ticks off most of my self care priorities, and I go to bed clean.
Another effective combination is chores + family time. We have a lot of weeds to burn, so my husband and I can use that time for our much-needed date nights. One-on-one time + property work. Remember, it’s about the intention of your time spent together.
Absent-minded tasks pair great with hands-free mental commitments. My best example of this is housework + phone calls. I can chat on the phone while getting chores done. Other hands-free options include podcasts, audio books, and checking in with my kids and husband.
The last important combo to talk about is making the most with your work time. Everyone’s job is different, but you may be able to stack things on top of your workload without compromising quality. I also try to utilize my breaks the best I can.
7. Make time to rest & Ask for help
Take time to rest. If you don’t, all of this planning can lead to serious anxiety and burnout. Rest should include downtime, indulging in your hobbies, family time, and SLEEP. And if you take on too much, back off the lower-priority tasks.
It’s also critical that you ask for help, especially when your schedule is overloaded. My husband and I regularly check in on how we’re handling our workloads, and shift tasks to each other if necessary.
You can also look to family, friends, or your community for help.
Remember that your wellness is more important than items crossed off a to-do list.
So how do you find time?
Don’t let me fool you – I do not have this all figured out. So please, share your own secrets on how you’ve found time in your own schedule.
To dive further into this topic, check out MindTool’s Time Management ToolKit where they feature a whole class on how to find more time in your day.
Stay happy and healthy, friends!
