3 important things you can do to unlock time reserves
Today’s tips will help you find out where your time is and how you can unlock time reserves.
1. Log how you use your time
Because that’s the only way to be able to reliably say what you’ve been (actually) busy with during the day. Only vague assumptions will not help you in this case. In this way you can quickly unmask what your own expectations are when it comes to time and what is actually happening.
The advantage: You not only determine where your time is, you can also specify what you are going to use your time for from now on. This also sharpens your sense of time.
How to proceed: Write down your activities for a week. Record what you spend your time with day after day – from morning to evening, leave out Sundays and public holidays. But be careful: Cheating won’t get you anywhere, because it’s not about presenting yourself in a good light, but about recognizing exactly where you can definitely save time and use it differently.
2. Analyze your time log
After a week, take a close look at your log and answer the following questions:
- Which activities took the most time? Was that what you wanted or not? What was neglected, although you would rather spend more time on it?
- Which tasks were particularly difficult for you? Can you delegate some of these?
- How much time do you lose through procrastination, double work or lack of determination?
The answers to these questions will quickly show you what you can do better and where there is potential for savings. You get a sense of where you are really effective and where there is a need for change. If you’re honest with yourself, the results will surprise you.
3. Be balanced
So analyzing your time log relentlessly reveals how you spend your time. The next step is to examine how much time you spend on different areas of your life. Example:
- How much time do you invest in your job?
- How much is left for family and social contacts?
- How much time do you devote to your health?
- Do you miss out on hobbies and free time?
You will immediately recognize where the balance is no longer right and where you should take countermeasures and initiate changes. A situation in which each area is given its due to a sufficient extent would be ideal. However, this will be difficult to achieve. At least make sure that the professional area is not disproportionately represented, because in this case health problems will arise. Do not just tick off these insights, because there is often (usually later) a rude awakening.