Sometimes we need to realize that time is neither a renewable resource nor something that can be bought from a store. Sometimes we forget the wise words of our ancestors, “time and tide wait for none,” and keep spending in a manner that suggests we have plenty of it.
Taking a break to recharge is not wasting time. But ‘let me scroll through the news feed five more minutes’—that’s how it starts. In today’s article, we will discuss fruitful ways to stop wasting your time.
How To Stop Wasting Time
1. Put your phone on DND Mode
Smartphones are a device of distraction. We love to hear our phone’s notification sounds. Checking our notifications helps us to feel good. The text is typically from a bank offering a personal loan or a store promotion that you would never use. As humans, defying the urge to check our text messages is a challenging battle to win against ourselves.
The problem lies in something other than the urge to check the message. Once we open the phone, we read the text message and look at the other notifications. You may notice that if someone liked your Facebook post or commented, it can lead to another 15–20 minutes of scrolling.
Social media apps are designed to capture and retain your attention for long periods. As a victim, you become interrupted while studying, working, or doing something important. Therefore, putting your phone on DND (Do Not Disturb) mode is wise when you are in the middle of something important.
2. Use Websites Instead of Apps
An app for social media platforms makes usage simpler and user-friendly. On the other hand, apps can create addiction because they can send you notifications, while websites cannot. Almost all of these apps also have a website.
For example, you can use Facebook as an app or website on the browser by using www.facebook.com. The same goes for YouTube, Twitter, and Instagram. Using the website takes extra effort compared to using an app. For example, the website needs you to open a browser, type the URL (Uniform Resource Locator), and then wait for a couple of seconds to load.
Apps can do all this with a touch on your phone screen. You must use that extra effort needed for the website to your benefit. As human beings, we prefer to spend only what is necessary. The extra effort required for the website helps overcome the urge.
3. Log out of websites like YouTube and Facebook
Most social media networks nowadays work on machine learning. By analyzing your usage, social media knows accurately what you like and dislike. For example, if you like cooking videos, many recommendations for such videos will pop up. YouTube even recognizes what videos you like watching based on the time of day.
When you log out, media platforms like this have no idea who you are or what you like. Try opening an incognito browser window; the videos shown are often less tailored and less distracting. Further, logging out each time and logging in again demands some extra effort. As mentioned in the earlier tip, any extra effort leads to less enticement.
4. Use Time Slots
Organize your day into dedicated time slots for different tasks whenever possible—for example, one hour for learning and one hour for emails. You can set the first 1 hour of your day to learn and advance in your area of expertise. You can spend the next 1 hour working on any tasks connected to your goals. Then you can spend the third hour checking emails and so on.
When you work in time slots like these, you can make better overall development. If not, you may drift from one task to another without a clear direction. One task can be extended when another might be cut short. As a result, you need proper planning to jump from one task to another. This is one of the best ways to stop wasting your time.
5. Be Aware of Your Time Thieves
Be brutal in cutting out the activities that do not add value to your life. The first step to making the most of your time is identifying your ‘time thieves’—activities that waste your time. You can start by pinpointing the moments during the day that are spent unproductively and work on sinking them. Watching how much time you spend on social media is a major area to be concerned about.
Do you often find yourself looking through your social media profiles only to realize an hour has passed without your knowledge? If so, perhaps you should limit and shorten the amount of time you spend on the internet. How about the amount of time you spend in front of the TV every day?
Suppose your daily routine involves coming home from work mentally and physically exhausted, only to spend the next hours unthinkingly watching TV shows you have no interest in. In that case, you are wasting your precious time. Think about all your passion projects, side businesses, or hobbies you can start and do with the extra time.
6. Do Not Try to Multitask
It may sound counterintuitive, but multitasking often wastes more time than it saves. Multitasking is highly considered in this era of competition, but it does more harm than good. According to research, the human brain lacks the rational and neural structures to execute multitasking. Our concentration spans and areas of control are tied to focusing on one thing at a time.
The materialization of multitasking is task-switching or drifting between more activities within a given period. Multitasking wastes time, as it gives you a fake sense of security that you can juggle multiple tasks at the same time. In reality, you might be doing the work without the concentration needed to do your work well.
This puts you at risk of poor performance or having to redo tasks. Employing adequate timings and schedules for all your tasks gives you a chance to get things done the first time. With ample planning, you have enough room to inspect the details without getting overwhelmed. This makes you more proficient, and as a result, it puts your time to better use.
Read More: 8 Tips To Deal With Embarrassing Situations
7. Set an End Time for a Break
Whenever we finish a task, we feel we deserve a break. The issue is not the number of breaks taken but their duration. Sometimes we complete a task in 30 minutes and convince ourselves we deserve a 5-minute break before moving to the next task.
That five-minute break would turn into a thirty-minute break. Set the time to end your break and get back to work. If you decide to take a 10-minute break, the break ends in precisely 10 minutes. Even if you are chatting with someone important, the break should still end after the allotted 10 minutes.
8. Adhere To The 2-Minute Rule
The 2-minute rule was described by David Allen in his book, Getting Things Done. The rule says if you come across any task or a job that requires 2 minutes or less to complete, you should do it then and there without pushing it back. Postponing the task may take longer later due to having to recall details, often taking five minutes or more.
In some cases, you may forget it totally. You are just about to go for a break, and an email arrives that calls for a quick reply. Do it immediately if you are taking a break and recall an urgent phone call you had to make. Pick up the phone and make the call. As a rule of thumb, if you can complete a job quickly, do it right there. Never procrastinate.
9. Do Something You Love
The most efficient way to stop wasting time is to work on something you love. You do not have to do that as a full-time job. For example, if you want to run a business, you can start a small venture, even with a full-time job. You can even chase a long-forgotten hobby.
Did you dream about playing guitar in your school days? Pick up the guitar and spend some minutes every day. Engaging in activities you love can help you naturally avoid distractions by providing an adrenaline boost that keeps you focused.
Conclusion
Stopping the habit of wasting time can take a long period. The first step is accepting that you are wasting time. If you work lengthy hours, you will have a tough time convincing yourself that you are wasting time. You must identify your biggest time-wasting habits and create strategies to overcome them.
Overcoming these habits can take weeks or even months. Have the discipline and persistence to target the improvement and organize your lifestyle according to those principles. Here are some ways to stop wasting your time.
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