How to Find Time
Plan your days in advance., Meditate on what you hope to accomplish., Nail down the little tasks sooner rather than later., Be comfortable with alone time., Ingest some of your favorite media., Take time to complete the daily goal that you meditated...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Plan your days in advance.
Whether this occurs on Monday morning or over the weekend, it's good to create a loose sketch of what you'll need to accomplish each day of your week.
New tasks will surely crop up, especially if you're working for full-time or caring for your children, but it's good to have a rough outline of your weekly schedule.
Make sure that you're adding to this guide throughout each day.
This way, you won't forget to take care of new issues that present themselves.You might want to rely on an iPhone Calendar or online planner, but a hand-written list is often very helpful, especially because writing by hand can improve your subconscious memory of your tasks.
Keep multiple plans or lists for different responsibilities in your life, (i.e.
Groceries, Work, Kids' Schedules), as well as a Master List that can dictate the entire schedule of each day.
Try color coordinating your lists.
Creating these distinctions between your responsibilities will keep them organized.
In addition to your daily schedules, it's helpful to have a list of larger weekly tasks that you'll need to accomplish.
This will put the smaller responsibilities in context with more overarching responsibilities that you certainly can't ignore.
It's important to balance your energy between day-to-day and weekly tasks.
This will ensure that you don't forget things on a minute scale or on a larger scale. -
Step 2: Meditate on what you hope to accomplish.
Whenever you get the opportunity to be alone during your busy week, take five minutes to think about an achievable goal for that particular day.
The practice of setting daily goals is immensely important to your personal happiness.Try to fit the time necessary to accomplish this goal into your schedule.
Your daily goal doesn't have to be attached to how you'll be spending the majority of the day itself.
In fact, it's often useful to separate this goal from your work schedule or other more time-consuming commitments.
That way, this time will feel like your time and no one else's.
Creative types might fill this time with working on finishing the latest draft of their novel or sketching out an animation design.
Even if you don't consider yourself a creative type, however, you still have the right to this time.
The goal will vary on a case-by-case basis, so make sure that it aligns specifically with what you feel you need to accomplish on that particular day. , Whether this is responding to an email you've been ignoring, cleaning your counters, or taking the dog out for a walk, make sure that you don’t ignore the small daily chores.
They will linger in your mind throughout the day, distracting you. , 55% of Americans believe that their alone time “very important,” while an additional 30% call it “important” to their happiness.
Take solitary moments throughout the day and don’t feel uncomfortable about wanting them.
Everyone needs some time to cool off, and you'll find yourself refreshed if you take this time, especially if your daily schedule involves a great deal of communication with others.In the technological age, it's tough to feel completely detached, as we're constantly in communication with others because of our phones.
For that reason, your alone time might also involve shutting off your mobile device to avoid distractions.Let anyone that you're speaking with know that you're going offline for a while; they might have the desire to do the same! , This could range from reading a book to listening a brand-new album that you've discovered.
Regardless, it’s important to enjoy some entertainment when you can in order to reduce stress levels.
If you're more into the idea of doing something active, take a long run or hit the gym.
Whether you need mental or physical stimulation is up to you. , If you haven't done it already, make sure that you take the time to achieve your goal.
If you had a more open-ended goal, like making more eye contact with others, you may have been achieving this goal all day.
If not, however, take some time to be productive for yourself. , It’s tough to always get eight hours of sleep with any busy schedule.
If you’ve planned your day out right, hopefully you can.
Research shows that even an extra 60-90 minutes a night can help your happiness, so starting there might be more realistic.Even after a busy work day, it's often tough to calm the overactive mind before falling asleep.Some tips for falling asleep include:
Slow your heart rate with long, calming breaths.
Exhale any of the troubling or anxious feelings from the day.
Lead yourself through a guided meditation, either with strategies that you've learned or using an audio CD.
Read a book, but not one with too much intensity, or else you may not be able to fall asleep.
Turn off your computer far before bedtime, as the glowing screen will keep your eyes from properly settling down. -
Step 3: Nail down the little tasks sooner rather than later.
-
Step 4: Be comfortable with alone time.
-
Step 5: Ingest some of your favorite media.
-
Step 6: Take time to complete the daily goal that you meditated on.
-
Step 7: Get to bed at a reasonable hour.
Detailed Guide
Whether this occurs on Monday morning or over the weekend, it's good to create a loose sketch of what you'll need to accomplish each day of your week.
New tasks will surely crop up, especially if you're working for full-time or caring for your children, but it's good to have a rough outline of your weekly schedule.
Make sure that you're adding to this guide throughout each day.
This way, you won't forget to take care of new issues that present themselves.You might want to rely on an iPhone Calendar or online planner, but a hand-written list is often very helpful, especially because writing by hand can improve your subconscious memory of your tasks.
Keep multiple plans or lists for different responsibilities in your life, (i.e.
Groceries, Work, Kids' Schedules), as well as a Master List that can dictate the entire schedule of each day.
Try color coordinating your lists.
Creating these distinctions between your responsibilities will keep them organized.
In addition to your daily schedules, it's helpful to have a list of larger weekly tasks that you'll need to accomplish.
This will put the smaller responsibilities in context with more overarching responsibilities that you certainly can't ignore.
It's important to balance your energy between day-to-day and weekly tasks.
This will ensure that you don't forget things on a minute scale or on a larger scale.
Whenever you get the opportunity to be alone during your busy week, take five minutes to think about an achievable goal for that particular day.
The practice of setting daily goals is immensely important to your personal happiness.Try to fit the time necessary to accomplish this goal into your schedule.
Your daily goal doesn't have to be attached to how you'll be spending the majority of the day itself.
In fact, it's often useful to separate this goal from your work schedule or other more time-consuming commitments.
That way, this time will feel like your time and no one else's.
Creative types might fill this time with working on finishing the latest draft of their novel or sketching out an animation design.
Even if you don't consider yourself a creative type, however, you still have the right to this time.
The goal will vary on a case-by-case basis, so make sure that it aligns specifically with what you feel you need to accomplish on that particular day. , Whether this is responding to an email you've been ignoring, cleaning your counters, or taking the dog out for a walk, make sure that you don’t ignore the small daily chores.
They will linger in your mind throughout the day, distracting you. , 55% of Americans believe that their alone time “very important,” while an additional 30% call it “important” to their happiness.
Take solitary moments throughout the day and don’t feel uncomfortable about wanting them.
Everyone needs some time to cool off, and you'll find yourself refreshed if you take this time, especially if your daily schedule involves a great deal of communication with others.In the technological age, it's tough to feel completely detached, as we're constantly in communication with others because of our phones.
For that reason, your alone time might also involve shutting off your mobile device to avoid distractions.Let anyone that you're speaking with know that you're going offline for a while; they might have the desire to do the same! , This could range from reading a book to listening a brand-new album that you've discovered.
Regardless, it’s important to enjoy some entertainment when you can in order to reduce stress levels.
If you're more into the idea of doing something active, take a long run or hit the gym.
Whether you need mental or physical stimulation is up to you. , If you haven't done it already, make sure that you take the time to achieve your goal.
If you had a more open-ended goal, like making more eye contact with others, you may have been achieving this goal all day.
If not, however, take some time to be productive for yourself. , It’s tough to always get eight hours of sleep with any busy schedule.
If you’ve planned your day out right, hopefully you can.
Research shows that even an extra 60-90 minutes a night can help your happiness, so starting there might be more realistic.Even after a busy work day, it's often tough to calm the overactive mind before falling asleep.Some tips for falling asleep include:
Slow your heart rate with long, calming breaths.
Exhale any of the troubling or anxious feelings from the day.
Lead yourself through a guided meditation, either with strategies that you've learned or using an audio CD.
Read a book, but not one with too much intensity, or else you may not be able to fall asleep.
Turn off your computer far before bedtime, as the glowing screen will keep your eyes from properly settling down.
About the Author
John White
Dedicated to helping readers learn new skills in DIY projects and beyond.
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