How to create more time in a day —

(pulled from day 469, 470, + 477 of the daily make your damn bed podcast)

“Where the hell did she get the time to do all that!?” + “When do they sleep!?”

These are the questions I ask myself whenever I hear about anyone doing anything above and beyond.

Whether it be from a parenting video or a true crime podcast, it always shocks me when people seem to create more time in their day than the rest of us appear to have.

All hours are not the same, not for all of us, anyway. To be fair, most rich people have LOTS of help + delegate most of their tedious shit anyway, but boy oh boy have I really begun to notice what a LUXURY that time affluence really is.

Sometimes an hour can feel like a second, sometimes it can feel like a year — but here are some tactics to use when you want to make more out of the time you’ve got.

You can start with the basics, like genuinely tracking your time for a few days+ seeing where it really goes. Then asking yourself:

• What time of day am I most productive?
• What are my priorities? What tasks NEED to get done?
• What tasks would I LIKE to get done?
• What tasks can be delegated or eliminated?
• Which tasks require the most time?
• How can I start small + take the FIRST step, today?

but generally speaking, it may be good to:

1. Get clear on what Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-goals are important + what can wait + what can be delegated or eradicated completely. Learn to prioritize and put things in order from highest urgency + priority to lowest + learn to eat the frog - a method that was put on the map by Brian Tracy in his book but basically it says to take on the worst, biggest task first thing in the morning. Which I’ve always tried to do, because otherwise I just wont - and its a game changer. Create a priorities list and get it all on paper so you can start ticking them off and visualizing the progress.
2. Be picky about what you say yes to. Remove anything non-essential. Meetings that can be emails,
3. Try focus strategies = no phone, no distractions, special work space + ritual. Binaural beats or focus music is also a great vibe for work spaces.
4. Attempt mono-tasking but don’t be afraid to “batch” like with like.
5. Schedule, allot + delegate appropriate amounts of times for things. This means start AND end times. Limiting work can limit burn out. If you’re really flowing - fine, but know when to cut and return. Your flow will return too, if you give it time to breathe. INCLUDING REST: Get enough sleep but not too much. Planning ahead or using time tools like the Pareto/pomodoro/time segmenting can help
6. Set yourself up for success in any way you can. I’m a big fan of the night before optimization moment: if I need to do laundry the next day, I will set everything I need to do it, including dirty laundry, quarters, soap, and dryer balls near the door so it’s ready for when I am ready in the morning.
7. Half ass it and keep coming back to it if you’re not happy with it til it’s to your liking. Half assing it twice is basically a full ass in some cultures. Plus who can afford a full ass right now? In this economy?
8. Seriously - Focus, Take it seriously. Learn to like it. Make a nice space + associate work with work .

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Honestly, though, thank you for simply being here. for existing. it really means more than you know. luhh ya.

The opinions expressed by Julie Merica and Make Your Damn Bed Podcast are intended for entertainment purposes only.

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