Table of Contents Show
Constantly rushing through life depletes one physically and emotionally.
However, individuals cannot avoid coping with a high workload at work, managing children or elderly parents, and prioritizing personal projects. To achieve happiness, one must find balance instead of rushing through tasks. Consider these five tips for reassessing priorities and views while still making time for oneself.
TIP #1 – Review your beliefs
The cult of productivity causes the majority of psychological attitudes that lead to a lack of time. Its main postulates prioritize work and success as the most important things in life, and view free time as an unacceptable luxury that should be minimized. Many people overload their schedule with important and not so important tasks in order to convince themselves that they are using every minute of their life efficiently, guided by these beliefs.
One of the major causes of emotional burnout, leading to decreased productivity and potential health issues, is constant overworking. Workaholics who refuse to take proper rests often end up performing worse and accomplishing less.
If you want to have more free time, start by eliminating the habit of always wanting to do something useful. Additionally, consider these alternative activities.
Set priorities
Prioritize by making a list of your tasks for the week and honestly indicating which ones require urgent attention, can be postponed, delegated, or eliminated.
Focus on the first group of tasks and highlight those that require your unique abilities. You have the responsibility to concentrate solely on them. Either postpone the tasks in the second group to the following week or assign them to someone else.
Ensure that no distractions interrupt your work on top priorities. The Harvard Business School researched the effect of allocating distinct time blocks for complex tasks on developers. They found that this approach enhances time management and boosts job satisfaction.
Set boundaries
Establish boundaries by not working late or taking work home, and not responding to work messages during vacation or on weekends. However, you can set different rules if you prefer working in the evenings, but make sure to have them in place to prevent work from consuming all your time.
To motivate yourself, try to remember more often that free time is beneficial for your health
Scientific research shows that a 30-minute walk during lunch boosts cardiovascular health and trains the system. On the other hand, neglecting rest reduces happiness and increases the risk of insomnia and mental disorders.
TIP #2 – Use Hidden Resources
Data from the Centre for Time Use Research at the University of Oxford contradicts the belief held by many people that everyone has been working more in recent years. Over the past few decades, the average working hours for women, including the total number of hours spent on paid work and unpaid domestic work, have remained virtually unchanged. Men, on the other hand, have reduced their average working hours by an hour.
Where does the feeling arise that everyone currently lacks extra time? The reason is that free time has undergone a qualitative transformation. Many individuals no longer have long stretches of several hours, but instead have numerous brief time slots scattered throughout the day. This phenomenon, known as “temporal confetti” by Harvard Business School Professor Ashley Williams, implies that these small time intervals are often undervalued. Instead of taking a break, we fill them with a few work tasks.
Williams deems this behavior as irrational. Individuals should value and use even small periods of free time wisely.
How to do it?
- Throughout the week, document every minute wherein you are not working or performing household duties. Some may occur daily, while others may appear sporadically. Sum up the overall quantity of these unoccupied minutes at the end of the week. It is likely that your tally will surpass your assumptions.
- Consider the useful and enjoyable activities that you can participate in during these moments. For instance, call your friends or parents, take a short walk, meditate, do some exercises, or gaze out the window. Remember this list so that you don’t automatically start scrolling through social media during your free time. Instead, take the opportunity to truly relax and recharge.
TIP #3 – Buy time
People often overlook this method due to the common belief that money is more valuable than free time. Additionally, many societies still consider it improper to hire other people to take on some of the responsibilities.
Meanwhile, studies indicate that investing in services that save time and eliminate disliked tasks provides more happiness compared to buying expensive items. The reasoning behind it is straightforward: buying a few hours of freedom alleviates stress caused by constant busyness, allowing individuals to recharge and experience a sense of complete liberation for a while.
- If you rent a place to live, consider moving closer to work. You will save time on commuting.
- Order home delivery of groceries and ready-made food, so you don’t have to go to the store and stand at the stove for a long time.
- Once a month, instead of cleaning yourself, hire a cleaner – this will free up a whole day off.
- If you have children, invite a babysitter for at least one or two evenings a week. You will have a few hours of free time.
And it’s not only wealthy people who can buy time. There are also budget-friendly ways. If you take a taxi home once a week when there’s no traffic – and even better, share it with colleagues who are going the same way – you may gain an extra half hour. If you’re not willing to spend money on a babysitter, see if a trusted neighbor will agree to watch the kids for a small fee for a couple of hours.
TIP #4 – Be moderate.
Don’t think that you need a lot of free time. Ten years ago, a study was published in the United States with over 20,000 American participants. Each of them provided a detailed report on what they did during one day and how they felt during that time. After analyzing their reports, it was found that during the first two hours of rest, the level of life satisfaction usually increases – then stabilizes for about three hours. And after five hours, it begins to decrease. So, rest for two to five hours will be optimal.
The study’s author explains that some adults struggle psychologically to engage in activities with no practical benefits for an extended period, including watching TV series or going for a walk when there is a lot of work to do at home.
However, these rules do not include certain activities such as volunteering, communicating with loved ones, or engaging in a favorite hobby. The level of happiness these activities bring remains consistently high regardless of the number of hours spent on them.
TIP #5 – Don’t plan your free time by the minute.
Planning rest time in advance often leads people to feel obligated to follow it, turning their free time into work. They experience less pleasure and end up feeling as exhausted as after a long work day.
Maintaining an element of spontaneity during your vacations is better. You should not plan every step within strict time frames but allow yourself to aimlessly wander and avoid watching the clock. Try to plan your weekends flexibly as studies show that it will help you get the maximum return from them.
Responses