You're here right now because you keep telling yourself, "I waste so much time." You know it, and it bothers you! It's holding you back from reaching your full potential. You can't be the best version of yourself if you're letting the hours and minutes of the day slip away.
There are some fundamental things you can do to stop wasting time. It all starts in the morning, if you get the morning right, the rest of the day often takes care of itself. Like money, if you take care of your pennies, the dollars will take care of themselves.
There's no good way to waste your time. Wasting time is just wasting time. Helen Mirren
Why Do I Waste So Much Time?
The root of all time-wasting does not realize how limited time is. When you're young, you feel like you have so much time because your dying chances are low. You feel invisible in those early days. It's a great feeling, but the biggest issue is it makes you devalue time.
Think about how someone treats $1 if it's the only dollar they have. Compare that with how someone treats 10 dollars if they have $100M. $10 is nothing if you have that much money. No one knows, then they will die, and that can be the secret sauce for learning to manage your time well.
The more time you think you have tomorrow, the easier it will be to waste your time today.
if you take care of your pennies, the dollars will take care of themselves.
10 Ways to Get More Out of Your Morning Routine
Here are some of the strategies I have found to be the most effective in helping me get up at 3:10 AM since 2015.
1. Get Your Feet On The Floor
You have to get your feet on the floor to wake up. As long as your feet are warm and cozy in the sheets, you have no chance of getting up. You have to take a moment to rip yourself away from the warm bed's comforts and get your day started.
I like to think of this in terms of taking violent action. When you go to sleep, your sheets and mattress are your best friends. The second it's time to get up, they become your enemies. They are to be hated and violently removed. Get your feet on the ground and march towards your day.
2. Prepare The Night Before
One of the best things you can do the night before knows what you need to get done the next day. I write out the top three priorities for the next day.
I like doing this because when I wake up, there is no wondering what needs to be done. I don't waste any time in the morning thinking and making excuses, and I can get right to work.
3. Focus On Something You're Excited For
One of the most natural tricks that I often forget is to focus on something that excites me the next day. Think about a kid going to Disney World the next day, do they have any trouble waking up? The same goes for a kid on Christmas morning. Excitement will help to get you motivated and out of bed.
4. Avoid Email
Push email back as long as possible. Email is a necessary part of life today, but that does not mean it brings you joy. Control your email, and don't let it control you. Check it a few times a day but never in the morning.
5. Avoid Your Phone
Nothing can derail a beautiful morning like a smartphone. It takes two taps, and next thing you know, you're watching some 20-minute video on YouTube. One of the best things you can do is trim the fat of apps that waste your time the most. Get them off of your phone altogether.
The second thing you can do is turn most of your notifications off. The last thing you can do is make sure that your phone is not even in the same room as you when it's time to work.
6. Work in Cool Place
When you're burning hot, you're not going to be able to do your best work. Turn down the temperature in the room you're in. Suppose you can't move to an area with the coldest temperatures. You don't need to be cold, but working in heat will not be in your best interest.
7. Work with Excellent Posture
When you sit upright or stand up during work, you allow your lungs to function more efficiently. You're better able to get oxygen in your system. One of the reasons you can feel tired is due to poor breathing patterns. Focus on breathing deeply in these moments and notice how it will energize you.
8. Reward Your Hard Work
Find simple ways to reward the work you do. One of the easiest ways to push yourself is to give yourself rewards. For example, if you write that article you need to write, check Facebook for 10 minutes. Al the distractions of your life like eating ice cream should be earned.
9. Focus On Your Energy Levels Not The Time
When you wake up in the morning, you don't need to spend every second looking at the clock to make sure you make the most of your time. You make the most of your time by paying attention to your energy levels.
When your energy levels begin to sink, you may need a quick snack or some water to boost your energy levels. You will start to figure out what you need to keep your energy functioning at a high level. When your energy levels are reasonable, you naturally will be more productive.
10. Get The Most Important Thing Done
As soon as you possibly can, work on the most important thing for the day. If you accomplish your most important task each day, you can't fail. The problem is most people spend their time working on busywork. They don't do the most critical task, and it stops them from moving forward.
One of the best things you can do the night before knows what you need to get done the next day. I write out the top three priorities for the next day.
"I Waste So Much Time" Watch Out for These 4 Other Time Landmines
Here are some other time killers that can disrupt your day. It would be best if you watched out for these at all times.
TV and Entertainment
Entertainment is such a tricky thing because it's everywhere now. A platform like YouTube or podcasts can be educational, but they can become entertainment just as quickly.
The problem with entertainment is that it's attractive and fun, but it does not do much to get you closer to your goals. You can watch Netflix all night, and you gain nothing but some relaxation time. The opportunity cost of entertainment is lost time that you could have been learning.
Socializing
You can waste a lot of time with random chit chat, people calling you whenever they want, and other social activities. Now that is not to say that you don't need social time to live a healthy life. It would be best if you were social, but there is a time and place. If someone calls you when you're in the zone, that is not the time to talk.
Lack of Focus
You can have no distractions around like a TV or as a phone, and guess what, you can still lack the required focus. It could be random thoughts running through your head. It could be the internet or many other things. The point is that you will mess up your productivity for the day if you don't stay focused.
Worrying About What Others Are Doing
One of the easiest ways to waste time is to spend too much time creeping on others' lives. Checking up on what they are doing, where they are going, or how things are going for them.
Please stop trying to keep up with other people because you gain nothing from it. You need to have a good set of friends that hold you accountable and inspire you. But inspiration is much different from envy. Envy is a waste of time! Focus on what you need to do and what you can control.
Why Your Productivity is Worth Improving
Some people will make the argument that western culture is too obsessed with time. My argument back is that there is a time and a place. One big reason you want to get your morning down is that the morning will help you avoid social interactions.
I get up early in the morning so that no one is even awake to bother me when I am doing focused work. I believe in having quality social interactions. I don't like things to be surface level, but that requires time. Time is the most valuable resource that we all have.
I earn my time for those social interactions by focusing on and getting my work done as early in the day as possible. There is no time for games or playing around early on. The better I handle this, the more time there will be for leisure activities later.