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Photo by Jacalyn Beales on Unsplash
Do you feel like you are drowning in the midst of many activities and you can’t come up for air?
You have a day job. Besides this, you need to think about your health, finances, relationships and God forbid you don’t call your mum every day to say hello. When you add having kids into the mix, it’s practically impossible to get anything done or even achieve your dreams.
Time seems elusive to many of us. We go on autopilot from day-to-day and one day, we ask ourselves ‘where time ran off to’. Life is filled with chasing time like Tom, the cat kept chasing Jerry, the rat everywhere.
You have dreams you long to achieve but when you think about it, your dreams seem so distant and impossible.
What if there was a way you could maximize your time so you can achieve your dreams?
What if there was a way you could find the time to attend to the deep yearnings of your heart and find fulfillment?
I see myself as a busy person. I have a day job as a project manager and in the evenings, I work as a blogger. I also volunteer at a few non-governmental organizations. I constantly alternate between trying to please my boss and please my readers. At the end of the day, I’m exhausted.
One day, I got fed up with not achieving anything significant throughout the day. This led me to seek answers to the question, “how can I effectively maximize my time?”.
I like simplicity. I prefer simple and actionable tips I can apply immediately.
Here are three simple ways you can maximize your time so you can live the life you truly want.
Before you go to bed, write down 3 MIMs which are your Most Important Missions for the next day. Try not to write more than three items.
As Greg McKeown said in Essentialism, “you cannot overestimate the unimportance of practically everything”. Not everything is important. The more cluttered your list is, the more confused you will be.
Ryan Holiday recommends using a note card and tearing it up at the end of the day. I prefer this technique also. I usually forget to look at my diary during the day. With a notecard, it’s easier for me to remind myself of my MIMs.
If you don’t place your MIMs in your schedule, you will not achieve them. The day will go by and absolutely nothing will get done.
Do you work from 9 am to 5 pm or 8 am to 7 pm? What time of the day can you devote towards achieving your dreams?
I like to write in the mornings but this time is for pouring my thoughts out on paper. In the evenings, I do the main work of rewriting, editing and reviewing my work/blog.
In the mornings, I write for about 10 to 20 minutes. I’m not logged onto the Internet. My WiFi is turned off so I can focus and just write.
In the evenings, I have a two-hour time slot where I rewrite my post and do my reviews. Knowing I have a two-hour time slot in the evening prevents me from wasting time in the office so I can get home on time.
If you can’t devote two hours, that’s fine. If you have more than two hours, that’s fantastic. Create a realistic schedule which aligns with your responsibilities.
Having a schedule for your activities helps to keep you focused.
There’s always a tendency to lose track of time and binge on Netflix or your favorite TV channels. Being mindful of your time helps you get things done.
Don’t over complicate this step. Be as simple as possible.
Ask yourself the following questions:
Reviewing your activities daily helps you stay focused on your goals.
Life is busy and sometimes, it can feel like you are drowning. Whatever you do, do what matters most to you. Llewelyn McKay said it best:
“When you cannot do what you have always done, then you only do what matters most”
It’s great to dream but you need to be a doer.
When you make a conscious effort every single day to achieve your dreams, you place yourself ahead of other dreamers.
Decide today to maximize your time so you can achieve your dreams.
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