Do you ever feel as though there’s not enough time in the day?
Photo by Lukas Blazek on Unsplash
You aren’t alone. In fact, a recent study published by CBS News reported that
60% of adults state that there’s not enough time in the day to get all their work, chores and errands done – often working ridiculous overtime as a result.
If this is something that you are guilty of, it’s important that you set out to cultivate a healthier work-life balance as soon as possible. This way, you feel as though you’ve got more than enough time to do everything you want and need to do!
One way in which you can achieve this goal is by freeing up time at work without neglecting the duties that you are paid to do – and here are some top tips that you can use to do exactly that!
How To Free Up Time At Work
- USE TIME SAVING TECHNOLOGY. One of the easiest ways in which you can free up time in your work schedule is through using time-saving technology to your advantage. For example, if you work in data management or coding, you could use airflow software to author, schedule, and monitor your data pipelines as quickly and efficiently as possible, minimizing the amount of coding you’ll have to do from scratch. However, there are plenty of similarly beneficial tools out there for just about every industry around, so a little bit of research will help you find the right fit.
- TRY THE POMODORO TECHNIQUE. Your ability to free up time in your schedule lies in becoming a little more efficient with your time. One way in which you can achieve this goal is through using the Pomodoro Technique, which requires you to work for twenty-five minutes at a time before taking a short five to ten-minute break. While this may seem counterproductive, studies have shown that this is a great way to break down your day and can even heighten your focus levels.
- BOOST YOUR PRODUCTIVITY. Seeking out new ways to improve your productivity rates can also help you to free up time in your day, as it often means that previously time-consuming tasks take up just a few minutes as opposed to hours. There are many ways in which you can boost your productivity, such as by writing down a list of tasks that you must complete before the end of the day, as well as tasks that would be nice to complete. You can then dedicate your focus to the most pressing tasks first before moving on to others should you work through them quickly enough.
- STOP GIVING INTO DISTRACTIONS. While nobody is on the ball 100% of the time, a recent study found that “68% of people break their focus time during the workday,” whether this means they’re checking their phone or spending a little too much time chatting with their colleagues. If this is something that you are guilty of, you may be routinely wasting precious hours of your time. As such, it is important that you develop the ability to resist distractions. There are many ways in which you can go about this! For example, you could turn your personal phone into do-not-disturb mode when at work or even use sound-cancelling headphones.
- STOP SAYING YES TO EVERYTHING. Whether you’re a people pleaser or a big team player, it’s easy to fall into the habit of saying ‘yes’ whenever you’re asked to do anything. However, when you say yes to every request you receive from your colleagues, you’re left with very little time to do your own work, which could be the main reason why you’re often left feeling as though there isn’t enough time in the day. Moving forward, try to be a little more selective when agreeing to help others (within reason), and say no when necessary. As a general rule, you should always make sure you complete your own work before beginning to help others!
In short, there are many steps that you can take that will free up time in your workday without neglecting your duties or work. This will give you back the gift of time so that you’re able to develop a healthier work-life balance moving forward.
However, you should also be sure that your time off work is exactly that – time off. This means that you should clock out after you’ve reached your finishing time and that you avoid checking your work phone or laptop outside of these hours. Doing so will mean that you’re working late into the night – and you won’t be paid for it either!
