Hands up anyone who would like to have more time in their day…wouldn’t we all. Whether you want to get more done, spend more time with your family or have the time to take that yoga or fitness class we can probably all think of something we’d like to do if we had more time. Well, unfortunately, I haven’t yet cracked the secret to manipulating the space time continuum but I have discovered that when I plan and schedule my time well I can create more space and time in my days.
Now I know some of you probably already have your calendar attached to your hip whether it’s in your diary, on your phone or even in your head. But I’ve found a few small tweaks to how I build my schedule have gone a long way to improving my productivity and focus and have given me plenty of time I didn’t think I had.
Here are my Top 3 tips for maximising time and space in your schedule.
Turn those ‘to-dos’ into timeframes
I love a list. In fact, I love multiple lists. I even love lists of the lists I want to make. But the issue with to do lists is that they have a tendency to be never ending. As satisfying as it is to tick things off when they are done, there always seems to be new things to add to the end of the list.
They can also make us constantly question which thing is really the priority. If I do this one now it means I’m not doing all the others. When I used to just make to do lists, I found that each time I completed something I would have to go through this decision process of reading down the list, figuring out what needed to be done next, wondering if it was the best option etc… Sure, it didn’t take hours but it was still time lost and it all adds up.
Now I’m not saying do away with your lists at all. But take them to the next level by scheduling them into your day – choose what time you will do each one and write it in your diary or calendar. Allocate that time so you can focus 100% on the task at hand and you may find that not only does it allow you to get more things done, but it may even improve how well you get things done.
Be generous – recognise your humanity
When you’re adding your to-dos to your calendar, it’s important to be realistic about how much time each one will take (as best as you can estimate). If you allocate 15 minutes to something that takes an hour then you’re just setting yourself up to feel rushed and stressed about the next thing you’re not getting too.
I actually take this one step further by being over generous in my time allocation. I basically start from how long I think something is going to take me and then add 50%. I also allocate time to travel (again being generous to allow for traffic etc) and make sure I schedule in all my meals.
I also schedule in play time – time to bingewatch, time to spend with friends, time to sleep in. This goes a long way to removing that guilt many of us feel when we’re relaxing or having fun (because we ‘should’ be doing something else).
Oh, and in case it needs to be said – make sure you have plenty of time allocated for sleep.
When you are generous with your time allocation you are less likely to fall behind and feel rushed or panicked that you are not getting things done. And, if you happen to finish things before the allotted time you can either get a jump on your next task or just take some time to smell the roses.
Get specific – take indecision out of the equation
So the other tendency with my lists is that it would be a list of outcomes (i.e. the things I needed to get done) and didn’t actually map out what was involved in getting them done. And sometimes, this meant I would put things off because I didn’t have time to work out what the steps were in the moment. When I schedule now I get as specific as I can and break things down into the smallest chunks possible. So, instead of just ‘do tax return’ I schedule – collect and scan all receipts, fill out questionnaire from tax agent, reconcile bank account against bookkeeping reports etc.
There are a few advantages to this –
- Firstly, I can focus on the action rather than the process,
- Secondly, it breaks up those larger, less appealing tasks and reduces my likelihood of procrastination and
- Thirdly, if I get interrupted it’s much easier to know where I was up to and what still needs doing.
Plus, if you happen to enjoy the process of ticking off completed tasks, this gives you even more chances to do just that.
So, there you have it – 3 simple changes you can make to find more time in your day to spend on the things you love.
Bonus tip: nothing is set in stone
Some clients have said to me that they find it hard to schedule because they don’t have a set routine each week and they need to be able to go with the flow. And I totally get it – feeling so regimented has the potential to feel very restrictive. Plus,
The secret is, the structure and boundaries are what create the flexibility and the freedom. Because everything is scheduled out I don’t spend time constantly worrying that I should be doing something else, because it’s got it’s own allocation of time. And when I have down time or leisure time, I can fully embrace it because just like everything else, it’s in my schedule. It’s giving myself permission to be 100% present and intentional with everything I do. And the honest truth… – about 80% of the time, my carefully planned out schedule doesn’t actually play out as I plan. Life happens, the unexpected happens. But I find when I have the pieces laid out it’s much easier to shuffle them around to get back on track.