TIME MANAGEMENT SPECIAL ....What If I Only Had 24 Hours A Day

What If I Only Had 24 Hours A Day

Not all days are equal. Some are long and some are short.

                                         

Recently, most people have been experiencing really short days and so blame the shortening of days for their being unable to do this and that.

Sometimes I do that too, but I actually feel bothered whenever people around me say that they don’t have enough time and not admit that the reason they aren’t doing this or that is their lack of interest or that it is not a priority.

In the past, I would say that time flies.

But now, it seems like time is on a free fall. And when you are unable to catch it from the moment it falls, the harder it gets to catch it at all.

Despite that, time is a resource that we never really run out of.

Time is not something we can save. It is best used when it is spent.

Technically, we all have 24 hours a day. Still, there are those who seem to have more as compared to others.

Here’s what to do when you feel like you only have 24 hours a day.

These are things I’ve learned from people, from my spiritual mentor, and from my own experience

1. Avoid sleeping in

I know a lot of people who sleep more than eight hours a day and still feel sleepy throughout the day. There are also those who sleep less than six hours a day and yet has more energy than those who sleep more. I believe this is something every individual should experiment on.

Instead of sleeping in, I experiment and find the most optimal number of hours of sleep for me to get reenergized. I sleep as early as I can and wake up as early as I can. I use an alarm to make me wake up at 5 A.M. instead of six. Or four instead of five.

You, too, try whatever you want as long as it is earlier than the time you are used to. A small difference like this can make a big change in your life. Just make sure you don’t compromise your health.

Doing this will add an extra hour or two to my day. I would normally spend the time I gain praying or meditating. Or for planning my activities for the day. Write a poem, a journal entry, or anything that actually matters.

2. Avoid having idle thoughts too often

I love taking long walks and letting my thoughts wander. Not only is this helpful for my overall physical fitness, but it also aids in my mental health. Despite this, my pastor would always tell me not to have idle thoughts. That I should keep thinking.

The moment I stop thinking, time passes in an instant.

By keeping my mind active most of the time, I am able to catch more time.

I allow my thoughts to wander and be active and creative. It is a means to find solutions to problems I’ve always wanted to solve.

3. Cut off unnecessary things

How much time do I spend scrolling down on Facebook, or Instagram looking at things that don’t really mean anything to me?

Well, I stopped looking at Facebook feed completely because I unfollowed everyone and there’s nothing to see on it, right now. I still interact with people on Facebook by going to their timeline and catching up with their latest posts whenever they come to mind.

Instagram, I still scroll quite a lot. I give lots of hearts and comments if I feel generous.

But most people, keep scrolling just because of boredom or because they don’t know of anything better to do. Time value ROI for this is usually zero.

Now whenever I scroll down on any social media, I give myself a minute to look at things and decide if I want to keep going. If I find it unnecessary to keep scrolling, I refocus my mind on something else.

There are actually a lot of unnecessary things we do that keep us from doing those that matter.

Distractions.

Destruction.

They are pretty similar. They take away time and so we keep saying we don’t have time.

We don’t have time because we gave it away to that devil called — distraction.

4. Make lists

This is very helpful to me.

First thing in the morning, I write down things I want and need to accomplish during the day. (or sometimes I just review my notes in case I already wrote them down the night before)

Making lists works. If you write down something, your brain would be more stimulated than when you just think about it. Besides, we are forgetful. It would come in handy if we had something tangible to look at if we ever forgot about the things we need to do.

5. Do only what matters

These are the things we should put on our list — the things that matter to us the most.

Check.

Does it matter if you knew the latest show on Netflix? If it does, go on and do it. If not, then take it out of your list.

Do you really have to learn about python programming? or that new musical instrument? or quantum physics? Whatever that is if it matters to you, do it. If not, let it go.

What does it actually mean for something to matter to someone?

Let’s say your ultimate goal is to become a rock star. You need to learn how to play the guitars. You need to know about effects, distortion, music theory, vocals and all related to it. You need not learn about chemical reactions, metabolism, the theory of relativity and others. Though it actually helps to learn a bit about these things.

So, this is actually about having a clear goal.

6. Start early

You may say this is just the same as avoiding sleeping in.

Yes, it is.

But what I actually want to say is to start early with whatever specific activity you have to do. If you have to write an article, start it early so you can have more time to edit it later if needed.

Don’t let procrastination go in the way.

By hiking on a mountain trail starting from the early morning, you can be sure to get back before it would get too dark.

Study while you are still young.

7. Always do a little bit more than what is needed

Stay up late and exhaust yourself.

Do a little bit more. Success is achieved by those who do a little bit more. My pastor used the concept of a marathon as an example.

He said something like this.

In a marathon or a race, the winner is determined by whether or not the person has done a little bit more. The one who extended his legs a little bit more wins. The first place is only a little bit faster than the second place. It is a small difference but a big difference.

Time is both absolute and relative. One hour is the same for everyone. Only the way it is spent is different.

Make your time count.

Ando Jun

https://theascent.pub/what-if-i-only-had-24-hours-a-day-d0f1262588e4