Free Up Your Time – Do More Of What Is Important To You

‘I’m too busy’ is the number one excuse people use when they don’t have time for something else. After the time taken for sleeping and work, there is very little left for doing what we love and spending time with friends or family.

However, while some commitments are unavoidable, we can free up more of our time to do the things that matter most, if we are proactive in how we spend it. Here are some important thoughts to consider: –

Analyse what we value against what’s in our calendar

Many of us unconsciously go about our day, spending too much time doing things and going to places we don’t even like anymore. Start by taking a step back and analyse how you are spending your time. If you feel dissatisfied, it’s time to make a change.

We all have 24 hours each day, the quickest way to free up time for things that matter is to get serious about dropping things that are not in line with your values and goals.

If keeping fit is important to you, but you’re spending zero time in the gym and lots of time watching Netflix – cut down on Netflix.

Or If you are a TV series fanatic and don’t have time to watch your favourite shows, what can you drop to fit in more TV time?

Plan your day in advance

It sounds cliché, but planning our day, ahead of time is critical for ticking off those essential tasks efficiently so we don’t drift into procrastination.

More importantly, we should plan out specific blocks of time for doing the things we enjoy instead of leaving it as an afterthought for whatever time we have left.

Quit Multitasking

Work demands too often drift into our personal time. Our culture has also taught us that we must be excellent multi-taskers to get things done quicker.

However, it has now been proven that multitasking is detrimental to our productivity.

If we want to get things done as efficiently as possible and protect our time, single-tasking is the way to go.

Get rid of distractions

Distractions come in all directions: email, social media, text messages. Before we know it, we were planning to take a day trip out of town or try that new restaurant, but the day has run away with us.

By becoming conscious of these distractions, we can reduce disruption to our time. For example, switching off unnecessary technology to get tasks done and only checking email at specific blocked out times.

Don’t say yes, immediately

Both in work and our social life, we often commit too quickly and regret it later if we’re already overloaded.

Protect your time by not saying “yes” immediately. Instead, by saying “Let me check and get back to you”, you can make an informed decision about whether it’ s in line with how you value your time.

Pay someone else

If it is not our profession, many of us would think twice before building our own home. We pay professionals because the value of their skills and experience far outweighs the price we pay. The cost in time and money to do it ourselves would be much higher.

The same goes for financial planning. It is time-consuming and requires skill to ensure your finances are working towards your goals in the best way possible.

By working with a financial planner, you can free up your time and have peace of mind that a professional is keeping everything on track.

A study by Vanguard found that the value provided by a professional adviser is equivalent to 3% per year increased investment return compared to going at it alone.

While it’s not possible to buy more time, we can control how we use it.

At Pyrmont, we simplify your financial life, giving you more time to spend on what really matters to you. Get in touch here to start today.