ne of my readers recently asked for some tips on ‘fitting it all in’. She has a full time job, two kids, a working partner and a body that needs to be taken care of. I’m often reticent to give advice to parents because I don’t have kids and I know what total time sucks they can be.
Having said that, I have to do a lot of stuff that parents do too. Like shopping, cleaning, cooking and exercising. I like to get everything done as quickly as possible so I have more time for stuff that I enjoy so here are a few tips to help you stop wasting time – whether or not you have kids.
Schedule your dicking around on the internet time
I spend a lot of time telling people not to dick around on Facebook but you know what? Dicking around on Facebook is fun. I thoroughly enjoy it, but I know it’s a waste of time which is why I schedule my dicking around time. I usually allow myself 20 minutes at the end of the day after I’ve done my exercise. I need a bit of a cool down after hitting the treadmill so I grab my phone and allow myself 20 minutes of useless internet time and I bloody love it and I don’t feel guilty. Wasting time on the internet is fine, you just need to schedule that time so half an hour doesn’t turn into three hours.
Get into podcasts
I don’t know how I got anything done before podcasts. I have more bookmarked podcasts than I have time to listen to them so I find myself spending 20 minutes most nights listening to a podcast as I clean my house. My house has never been tidier. Here are a few articles I’ve written about podcasts I love in case you’re struggling to get into them. Serial got me hooked so that’s a great place to start.
5 podcasts you should really be listening to
The best podcasts to listen to while you’re working out
7 creepy podcasts you shouldn’t listen to alone
Also I have two podcasts – Straight and Curly and Sweet Teen Club if you’re so inclined to listen to those.
Plan to fail
Plan a crap out time. A ‘crap out’ is when you lose the plot – you throw up your hands and give up. If you plan the time you’re going to do this, your subconscious will wait until that moment. For example as I’m writing this article (my 7th article of the day) I plan to crap out in 20 mins. It’s pretty much the only thing keeping me on my task. If I didn’t have that time in my head, I’d be on Facebook right now.
This week on Straight and Curly, Kelly and I talking about our tips to help you stop wasting time. Sometimes you just need a reminder of stuff you already know right?
There’s also a new episode of Sweet Teen Club live today. Stacey and I drink wine and talk about 90s things. It’s swell.
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What about you? Do you struggle with wasting time? Or are you okay at knuckling down and getting stuff done?
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P.S Also you should totally sign up for my newsletter. It’s full of cool stuff.
2 Comments
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I’m with you. I want to get things done so I have a clear conscious and more time to do what I want to do. Making a living, a clean home, healthy diet, exercise, and sleep are priorities for me. Without time management and shortcuts, there would be no time for anything else.
7 articles? Whew! You earned your ‘crap time’!
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Author
Yeah that day was intense! That’s why I don’t hate hard work – it makes you earn your down time!
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