How to Make the Most of Your 24 Hours

Everyone gets the same twenty-four hours in a day; the difference is how we choose to use the 24 hours, 1440 minutes, or 86400 seconds. Most people experience a scarcity of time throughout their entire day and that leads to a feeling of being rushed, not having enough time to do everything, being behind on tasks, and not feeling like they are doing enough. All of these beliefs then lead to an overwhelming feeling of stress, which has its own consequences that are not ideal for any one of us. There are a few silver linings to keep in mind, despite the impending doom you may feel regarding your scarcity of time: 1) We get to start fresh the next day no matter how bad the current day is going or even if we feel we have wasted some hours; 2) Even when we are extremely productive one day, we still subconsciously feel like we should have done more; and 3) We often take time for granted, so it feels like it is passing even faster than it is AND we have nothing to show for it. Below are a few best practices that you can implement to maximize the 24 hours in your day!

First, you should be intentional at the very beginning of each day. As soon as you wake up, be sure to know at least three things you need/want to accomplish by the time you get ready for bed that evening. I can confidently state that we all have long lists of things we need to get done on a daily basis, so this approach helps you break your list down into manageable parts. Each day, if you can check off at least three tasks, you can start making a dent in your overall list within a week. If you have an active mind like mine, it may also help you sleep if you jot down tomorrow’s to-do list before you close your eyes.

Second, implement the concept of quality over quantity when determining how to spend each day. In the same vein as narrowing your to-do list down to three things each day, make sure those three things are real quality items that are either priority items (i.e. creating an important presentation for work) or they directly impact another task on the list (i.e. you need to complete it before you can complete another task on the list). Additionally, stay laser focused on each item as you are working towards its completion by limiting any distractions. One tool I use on a daily basis is the Do Not Disturb function on my cell phone to ensure I am not interrupted when working on certain quality tasks.

Next, embrace noteworthy moments when possible. Have you ever left your house, driven to work, sat at your desk, and began working, then realized that you cannot remember if you closed the garage door before you pulled away from your house? Sometimes we operate in auto-pilot mode, not noticing our immediate surroundings, especially things that are directly in front of us. Start shifting the moments in your day when you are typically on auto-pilot and make them more noteworthy. Purposefully take the scenic route and notice nature, architecture and/or people. Rather than inhaling lunch while working at your desk or running an errand, go to a spot with amazing views and take in our world’s beauty. Just stop and smell the roses.

Lastly, be grateful every single day. Remember what I said earlier about starting with a clean slate the next morning? If your day went as planned or not, if you were only able to complete two tasks, or if you made a mistake that knocked you back a couple of tasks, be thankful that you were able to wake up and walk in your purpose that day. When I am having a less-than-optimal day, I refuse to wallow in it because I truly believe that my worst day is better than someone else’s good day. I am eternally blessed to live my life and I hope that if you are reading this newsletter, you can see how blessed you are as well.

Do you find any of these concepts challenging?  If so, please complete this New Client Questionnaire and schedule time with Evans Efficiency Experts so we can get to know each other AND determine how we can best work together as soon as possible!  If you do not personally or professionally need our services, please forward this message to someone – an entrepreneur, a non-profit organization trailblazer, or a for-profit corporation leader – in your network who you think will benefit from an introduction.