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We try and get the absolute most out of our days by packing as many activities into it as humanly possible. In short order, we find that we are slaves to our personal planners, to-do lists, and calendars. All of this adds up to a far worse scenario – being slaves to time as opposed to bending time to our will. We discuss why being a slave to time is a bad thing, as well as suggest a few simple ways to break the cycle.

Importance should determine your activity, not time

So as to address as many issues as possible in a given timeframe (see how even our lexicon has become a slave to time?) people have developed sophisticated systems for assigning time (again!) to tasks. The problem with this approach is that most tasks do not have equal importance even if we assign equal periods of time to them.

Tip 1: Don’t schedule anything

While this approach is impossible for CEOs and Presidents world over, most people can merrily live their days and be at their most efficient by not scheduling any meetings or tasks at all. Crazy concept, right, but so true? Allow need and necessity to inform what you prioritise.

Tip 2: Schedule now

If, however, you think the idea of not scheduling specific activities, especially those that involve other people, cannot be avoided, then learn to schedule tasks for right now. That is to say, if somebody wants to meet you in a few days time to discuss some issue, see if you cannot discuss it right away. The amount of unnecessary meetings and wasted time, and calendar stress you can reduce using this method alone is remarkable.

Tip 3: Ditch the clocks

The next important tip in not being a slave to time is to remove time instruments from view. This means placing office clocks and home clocks in inconvenient locations you’d be too lazy to check for, leaving your wristwatch at home, and turning off all the digital clocks on your computers and mobile phones. Get lost in the moment of what you’re doing, being mindful of when your mind gets distracted, yet slowly willing it back to focus when it does. You’ll be surprised at how ‘in the zone’ you get when you’re doing those tasks you want to be doing.

Your biological clock will ensure you don’t miss food breaks – since hunger tends to call between 12pm and 2pm anyway – nor work ridiculous hours – since fatigue and restless distraction will eventually settle in. Treat the process as an organic progression, and see where it takes you.

Freedom

Liberating yourself from the ebb and flow of time requires you understand how time works, why it stresses you out, and how to stop being a slave to time. This guide has aimed to teach you the latter, with the other two tasks being endeavours we will explore at a later stage.

Tags: lifestyle, time