Reclaim Your Time
We are often taught that being financially savvy requires budgeting our finances down to the penny. This concept is incredibly valuable as it helps us understand where our money is going and enables us to set goals for a prosperous future. However, what if I told you that the aspect of our lives that truly needs budgeting is not our finances, but rather our time? Time is our most precious commodity - a gift of immeasurable worth that we can offer to others and ourselves.
Your biggest commodity is your time.
Assessing and auditing our time can provide valuable insights into identifying areas where we may be spending an excessive amount of time, as well as areas where we may be neglecting to invest enough. Knowing this enables us to budget and allocate our time more effectively, directing it towards areas that will bring us the greatest benefits. If you aren’t sure how to budget your time, here are a few helpful methods to consider:
Have a set cut-off time for your workday: Choose a time of the day to end your workday and stick with it. If you tell yourself that your day ends at 5 pm, then stop at 5:00 pm. Log off, don’t check emails, and don’t respond to text messages. It is okay to let people know that you get off when you get off. Remember - people take what you are willing to give and if you are willing to give all of your time, folks will take it!
Turn off the non-essential notifications: Every time a notification goes off it draws your attention to your phone and pulls you away from a current task. Make an effort to turn off any non-essential notifications. This includes your social media apps, bank apps, podcast apps, or any other notifications that tend to make you reflexively reach for your phone.
Audit your attention suckers: What do you easily get lost in? Identify any activities that captivate or consume your time. It could be indulging in gossip, excessive television watching, or mindlessly scrolling through social media. Recognize your attention-draining habits and be honest in determining which should be limited or eliminated from your time budget.
Make solo plans: When you don’t have to rely on scheduling or waiting on other people, you’ll often discover that you are most efficient when you’re handling plans on your own.
Just say no: Recognize the value of your time and learn to say no to commitments or tasks that don’t align with your priorities. Saying no to what no longer serves you allows you to preserve more time for activities that truly matter to you.
If implementing all of these changes simultaneously feels overwhelming, don’t worry. Even incorporating just one or two of these methods into your daily routine can make a big difference. Remember, time is a finite resource, and making the most of your own is crucial.
Have anything that you can add? Drop it below!