What Could You Achieve With an Extra Hour?
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There is no avoiding the fact that lives revolve around the concept of time.
We measure our ages in years, divide our working lives into months, quarters and years and count down the hours, minutes and sometimes seconds until Friday evening, our next holiday or the moment our favourite team wins that all important game. When our holiday comes, even that is measured in days and weeks (and months for the very lucky amongst us).
We’ve all experienced the phenomenon of time flying when we’re having fun; holidays always seem far shorter than two weeks in work would; and taking it’s time when we’re counting down to something. Hands up if you’ve ever experienced an endless Friday afternoon, for example.
None of us can actually control time (although we have tried…) but we can learn how to manage it more productively. While we cannot give you a 25th hour in your day, we can help you to gain an hour or more.
For now, we have an instant hour for you.
Top Tip: If you’re still waking an hour earlier after the clocks went forward recently, don’t fight it.
It may mean getting up at 6am rather than 7am, but your body is in that routine naturally now and it’s an instant extra hour for you. Don’t think of it as missing out on an hour in bed; see it as gaining an hour every single day.
There are 126 days between that clock change and the next, so that’s a massive 126 extra hours you could gain. Fantastic!
Here are a few ideas on how to spend some of those glorious extra hours – we’re always on the lookout for more suggestions, so please get in touch and share your own tips we may have missed.
- Deal with your emails. See our previous blog for how to do it effectively
- Hand-write (and send) some thank you cards for gifts, events or to people who have helped you recently. Putting a smile on someone’s face is definitely good use of your time
- Have a brainstorming session with some colleagues on how to improve your working processes and habits. This will gain even more time for you all in the future
- Plan a date with your partner. Life isn’t all about work, after all
- Investigate a few of your competitors online
- Learn a new language. This may take up all 126 of your hours but it will be time well spent
- Go to the gym or for a run! (Yes, we know…on this one its do as we say not do as we do)
- Give yourself an honest appraisal. What are the pros and cons of having you working for the business?
- Have lunch with someone you’ve been neglecting recently
- If you can’t have lunch with a particular person, pick up the phone and talk to them
- Update your LinkedIn profile – you never know when that opportunity may arise
- People-watch. This is a great way to develop your powers of observation
- Plan an excellent dinner party
- Plan an amazing holiday for your family
- Tidy up your desk! If your physical workspace is already tidy (well done) clear out any old or unnecessary computer files, folders and documents
- Go shopping for new work clothes to make you look as productive as you now are
- Meditate
- Make a playlist of music to work to
- Work on that book, essay or personal project you keep meaning to do
Our blog and weekly newsletters are bursting with even more expert productivity tips – subscribe now to make sure you never miss a trick.
Be more productive!
Be less stressed.
Have more time in your day
book your free individual productivity session now
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