Tips to Optimize How You Spend Your Time

You’ve no doubt heard how time is a precious resource and the only thing money can’t buy. And with the upending of our routines and schedules and priorities, how on earth can we better use this precious resource without burning out our minds and bodies in the process? How do we minimize friction in our personal and professional lives when we spread ourselves too thin? If you associate personal time with the time spent scrolling Facebook and eating dinner, you’ve got to read this. We all find ourselves questioning whether we are spending the right amount of time in the places that matter and doing the things we love. Here’s how to take back control of your most valuable resource, time.

Balance is Bologne

The first issue is the way this topic is discussed. People throw around the term “work/life balance” as if it’s a concrete or even magical destination to be reached. But the reality is that there’s no perfect ratio. Given that full-time work consumes at least 40 hours each week,  there are only roughly 55-60 waking hours left for everything else. Even if you tried to split your waking hours precisely down the middle, does it make sense for 50% of your time to be spent earning a living and the other 50% spent actually living? 

I don’t think this sort of issue is best sorted mathematically. Instead, recognize that the entire premise of “balance” is flawed. There will be times when you’re burning the midnight oil on a big project at work because it’s the chance of a lifetime, and you may miss a few family dinners or even one of your child’s concerts as a result. But there will also be seasons of life when you schedule a long vacation or, for one reason or another, have the freedom to show up more for your loved ones. The point is to stop aiming for balance. As long as you’re not neglecting your work or your non-work life, your ratio is probably fine. 

Tip: Time Blocking 

The best method I’ve found to make sure I attend to priorities that deserve my attention is by time blocking. I have a rough schedule mapped out for a typical week, which breaks down every day into 2-3 hour blocks of time. One of those blocks is dedicated to administrative work and communication (e.g. signing financial paperwork, emailing a client, texting a colleague about setting up a mentorship session, etc.). Another block is put aside for the work that requires concentration (e.g. creative brainstorming, business development, research, and so on). Yet another block is reserved for meetings. My team knows which blocks each day and week are available for internal meetings or meetings with clients, and they respect that. And yes, I also time block personal events as well. I feel it’s important for my team to see where my priorities are and to make sure I make myself available for those important events with my family.

Your time-blocked schedule needs to fit you, so adjust it however you like. But I recommend following this practice with your off-work hours too, which is something many professionals forget to do. You may block out an hour after work as time to decompress before dinner with your spouse, or for exercise. Once a week, you may decide to put aside set time for things like deeper housework (e.g. cleaning out your fridge) or office-type work (scheduling kids’ dentist appointments or writing thank-you cards). 

It’s even a good idea to block out a few hours for downtime, social media scrolling, or mindless Netflix binges. It might sound excessive but the more – and more accurately – you time block, the  more freedom you’ll actually have. You’ll have space for everything you need to do and won’t get sucked into overdoing it in one area and abandoning another. You’ll actually know where your time goes and how to adjust for a more balanced effect.

Tune In To Your Emotions

How do you know if you’re on the right track? There’s actually a pretty simple way: listen to how you feel. If you find yourself grumbling through a project, get curious about why you’re so angry. Is it your employees’ fault for dropping the ball or are you struggling to delegate? You might need to give up some control to get back some of your time. 

Or, are you frustrated by your spouse’s repeated requests to pick up the kids, get groceries and make dinner? If so, you might be doing too much on the home front. Resentment and frustration are two major indicators that something in your life is askew, so dial into why you’re feeling the way you are. It shouldn’t take long to trace back to why they started, or see how some small changes can likely address it. 

It’s not easy to be both a professional and a regular person, whether you’re married with kids or single. But we have it within our power to invest meaningfully into all areas of our lives, if we do so intentionally and with fair expectations. When we do that, we get the ratio right every time.