Many people say that time is the most valuable resource available to us as humans. But often, this falls upon deaf ears. Time is precious, and the less that we have of it, the more invaluable it becomes.
Making the most out of our time on this planet doesn’t mean you have to spend every waking second searching for something to do. Here’s how you can be sure to spend your time wisely without feeling like you’re wasting it.
How to Use Your Time Wisely
Exactly how much time you have left will vary, and there’s no telling what tomorrow will bring. You may wish for more freedom and more money, but time is the ultimate value that allows you to acquire those things in the first place.
There are 6 different things that you can consider if you want to truly appreciate the value of time. This includes;
- Set up a timetable and track where you’re spending your time accurately.
- Learn from your previous behaviour to ensure you don’t waste time.
- Prioritize quality periods of time with your family and friends.
- Zoom out and look at the bigger picture to avoid wasted time.
- Think about your career and whether you should spend fewer hours at work.
- Live your life with intent as often as you can.
If you follow these simple rules, you can make sure that you save as much time as possible, and use the remaining time you have to good effect.
Start a daily planner of your activities
Creating a timetable or daily planner can aid you fantastically in this regard, and it’s the first thing you should do if you’re trying to save time. People will go to extreme ends to manage their time, but you only need something simple that lists out the week ahead to see the benefits on planning.
You can structure your day however you wish, but be sure to add in every essential task you need to complete. The idea is that you can then base your free time around these tasks that you need to get done.
Learn from Past Events
One of the best ways you can ensure that you spend your time wisely is the learn from what you’ve done in the past. You can actually do this before you create your daily planner, as it’ll help you to know how you’re currently spending your time.
Use your journal to note down all of the times you consciously realize that you’re “wasting” time. Try and keep this up for a month or so, and you’ll be surprised at the amount of times you reach for the pen and paper.
You can then use this information moving forward to see exactly where your weak spots are, and isolate any bad influences that are draining your time. This can help you become more productive, and not make the same mistake twice.
Make space for Quality Time
Time management is one of the most important skills that we can learn as we get older. The older that you get, the more precious that time becomes. And as it dwindles down, the value of time only increases.
It’s important for us as humans to spend time interacting with other people. So, focus on nothing down some time throughout the week that you’ll actively be spending with your friends and/or family.
You can also let other people know the times that you’re going to be busy spending quality time with your loved one. This can help to ensure that they don’t encroach on your precious time, and letting others know that you value your time can help you to retain more of it.
“Me time” is important for many of us too. If you value this highly, then you should also block some hours out to spend alone. This can be great for your mental health, and it can help you to feel more present.
Zoom Out
Zooming out on your life, or trying to look at the bigger picture, is a fantastic way to ensure that you’re not wasting time. A good example of this is applying it to situations that you face on a regular basis.
Spent 20 minutes arguing with a stranger on the internet about something that doesn’t really matter? Sometimes it’s easy to pinpoint situations like this, where it’s fairly obvious you’re wasting your time.
But zooming out and looking at things on a daily, weekly or even yearly level can make a difference. Will you care about this situation next week? Tomorrow? The likelihood is in many cases of anger and frustration, you probably won’t even care about it an hour in the future.
We all do it, so don’t punish yourself. But trying to be present and live in the moment is what minimalism and mindfulness is all about, so it makes sense to try and analyze this on a regular basis to ensure that your habits and behaviours aren’t costing you valuable time.
This involves forming good habits now that will last long into the future, and help save you from wasting time over the coming years – this is another great way to “acquire” more time in the long run.
Consider your career
If you’re worried that your time isn’t being valued at your job, it’s best to consider what your tasks are each day, and how challenging they are for you as a person.
When you start a new career, there’s a lot for you to learn, and you’ll begin to spend your time absorbing new information. This is important to us as humans on the quest for growth, as it helps keep your mind sharp.
People that perform the same tasks day in, day out are not learning anything new. Many of us work long hours doing repetitive tasks in the pursuit of more money, but saving money doesn’t always need to be a priority.
There’s a reality that as humans in a society, we need to work. But unlike money, time is something that you can’t get more of. So, make sure that you’re sacrificing your time for good reason.
Live with intention
You could have as much money as you’d ever dreamed of, but you’d still not be able to buy more time. Once you realize this, you’ll begin to value the few hours that we have left.
Creating a fulfilling life isn’t easy, and it means something different to everyone. As Alan Watts once said; “what makes you itch?”.
Living intentionally is at the crux of minimalism, and incorporating it into our daily lives can ensure that we know the true value of time.
So, spend some time learning about yourself and what your cause is, and then get to living, because you won’t be able to buy more hours once you meet the finish line.
Conclusion
The truth is that time is the most precious resource available to us humans, and it’s one of the only things that unlimited amounts of money cannot buy. Time is a precious commodity, and it doesn’t matter if you’re Jeff Bezos or Elon Musk – you can’t get more of it.
Charles Darwin once said that “A man who dares to waste an hour of time has not discovered the value of life”. The good news is that once you begin to realize how valuable your time is, you can be sure not to waste another second.
