You shouldn’t spend a third of your day staring at screens because life is too short, and your relationships are too important. This piece, which draws on my own experiences, examines seven strategies for reducing time wastage that can result in a more contented existence.
Silence the Noise
The constant ping of messages might seriously impair your ability to concentrate and work efficiently. Even mental barriers brought on by switching between tasks can lose an individual up to 40% of their working time, according to a Meyer study. With the exception of necessary phone calls and messages, I discovered that turning off all notifications greatly decreased distractions and allowed me to complete much higher-quality work in a shorter amount of time.
When you check your various applications and communications on your own schedule instead of responding to a never-ending barrage of notifications, you also feel more in control. Fun fact: I’m writing this post on the patio of a classy Florida oceanfront hotel, and ironically, friends from the conference I’m attending have stopped to chat at least ten times while I’ve been writing.
Use Social Media with Caution.
Taking the brave choice to stop using Facebook and Twitter and lose over 80,000 followers overall on both networks was a major but incredibly freeing choice. I observed that whenever I went through my feeds in the early stages of the pandemic and the 2020 election cycle, my energy and mental health were not improved. That action saved me numerous hours of idle surfing time and greatly decreased my stress levels. I spend a lot less time on social media after cutting down from four to two (LinkedIn and Instagram).
Don’t Go See Every New Movie That Comes out.
Although it may sound drastic, I made the personal decision to watch only one movie a year, if that, which greatly improved my schedule. I understand that you may think I’m strange for this one. However, I made this choice more than ten years ago, and I haven’t regretted it in the slightest.
Yes, I’ve been excluded from all discussions regarding the just released film. To be honest, I’ve never watched anything on Netflix or ever opened a Netflix account. When I saw how much time people spent discussing films and spending hours in front of the TV, I felt that this wasn’t a good way to achieve my goals and that my life would just be.
Let Go of the Binge-Watching Culture
You could only be reading by now because my time-saving tips have captivated (or irritated) you. When I used to get home from work, I would love to kick off my shoes, grab the remote, and curl up on the couch to watch TV. How many hours did I watch television? Not sure. That’s the main idea, too. It’s really simple to binge-watch television and then discover that we didn’t truly accomplish our goals for the evening. The last TV episode I watched was Michael Scott’s last episode of The Office in 2013. I made the decision to leave television because I thought there was nothing that could top the great Michael Scott.
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Find Balance with the News
A conscious decision was made to unsubscribe from the never-ending news feed in order to prevent the overload and negativity that the round-the-clock news cycle may bring. Finding appropriate, less invasive ways to stay up to date on global events without letting them take over our lives is vital, but so is staying informed. It appears that news coverage has shifted over time to emphasize alarmism and inciting anxiety and panic. Pay attention to how much time you spend getting drawn into the negative news stories that depress you on a regular basis.