How to save time while being an adult?
What is the most difficult part of being an adult? This is a question that many people ask themselves before entering this phase. Without a doubt, learning how to save time always flashes as the hardest one. With work, courses, household, and a long etcetera, there seems to be no time at all – and the day is only 24 hours! The good thing is that there’s a way to organize everything without losing your mind.
To be honest, I would risk a lot to have an extra hour in my day. But, landing in reality, I can’t magically add it. What I can do is to plan my tasks the best way possible to make the most of every minute. And that’s why I’m ready to give you some ideas, tips, and tricks that will help you do the same.
I confess that I’m still learning to take advantage of my hours because I’m not an expert in this matter, but I’ve learned several things that I wish my 20-year-old self had known.
Avoid the “overdoing”, just focus on what you can
There’s nothing wrong with limits, especially when it comes to saving time. A common mistake is wanting to do thousands of things at once, even if that means risking your health. When you want to make a deep-cleansing of your house in one day is a good example of it.
As you can guess, it’s too much work for 24 hours! What you should do instead, is to organize these tasks between different free moments of the week so that you only dedicate one hour to the housework.
Of course, it’s tricky to learn how to save time with this topic. Not everyone has the same number of days off. Many people only have one day off in the week, which it’s quite admirable. Still, a day off is precious, and it should be seen as a great opportunity to do the things you enjoy. That’s why I insist that it’s not good to saturate it with many plans.
You also have to learn to prioritize your work. Some things require more attention than others. Focusing on what is more important in the short term, will help you to plan better.
How to say NO?
I want you to meet Matt D’Avella, a movie director and YouTuber focused on teaching about personal productivity, minimalism, and lifestyle. In one of his videos, I learned a lot about “the art of saying NO“, something that we often overlook.
Sometimes it’s difficult to please everyone. That’s why you should avoid feeling guilty if you politely say “no” to a project that seems interesting. I can give you some benefits of doing this:
- You will feel less stressed: If you avoid accumulating plans, you’ll feel more relieved.
- You can spend time on what’s necessary: By saying “no” to certain plans or people, you can give the necessary attention to projects that require it.
- You’ll feel more confident in your decisions: Self-esteem and confidence are tested when you say that you cannot do something if you are already full of tasks.
- You’ll be doubtless when choosing the best for you: After understanding your limits, you’ll be able to choose better your responsibilities and even personal goals.
The best apps to learn how to save time
Did you know that there are apps that help you with your schedule? Even Google has a perfect tool to organize your days. Here’s the list I created for you:
- Google Calendar: As I mentioned before, Google has an online calendar that’s perfect for your daily performance. You cannot only set aside tasks during the day, but set alarms, specifications, and even the type of activity. Best of all, being from Google, it can be synchronized with your cell phone or other mobile devices such as your laptop, tablet, etc.
- Google Keep: This is another Google app. It’s an online evolution of the popular Posts-it. This tool allows you to arrange your ideas in note format and it’s great for small reminders. A nice complement for Google Calendar.
- Trello: It’s a great app both for managing work tasks and organizing your time, even with personal duties. The software is very intuitive and you can learn to use it very quickly. It also has beautiful default templates to facilitate your work.
- TickTick: Tasks & Calendar: This app is excellent for those who love checklists and prefer this tactic to organize everything. Believe me, with this tool it’s quite easy to plan your day.
- The Notes tool on your phone: As you read it, the Notes section on your phone can also be a powerful ally to arrange the time you have. Besides, most of these apps already include special settings like reminders (for example, bullet or alarm style). I’m not lying when I say that this small selection of your cell phone can be very powerful.
Keep in mind that every smartphone has its small calendar, and it can work as a personal agenda for everything you must do in your day.
Having a planner is not for girls or executives
Do you know what has helped me to organize my plans? A planner. But not an online planner or calendar, I’m talking about a paper planner, which in my case is quite colorful and according to my style.
You can choose the best one depending on your preferences. It doesn’t have to be an expensive one since the only thing that’s important is to have it on paper. You can even change the typical planner for a bullet journal if you prefer.
I say this because sometimes the Internet or our electronic tools can fail us, and that’s where the pencil and paper become our best friends.
The clock and its enormous influence
Why are we addicted to time? Perhaps this is because, with each passing day, everything happens faster. Advances come with increasing force, and while everything is progressing without obstacles, many times we feel that we are stagnating or that we are going slower than normal. But I’m here to give you an online hug –yes, a digital hug– and to tell you that no, you are not slow, you are going in your time.
Just because the world is fast with many things, it doesn’t mean you’re slow, you’re doing fine.
The obsession with the famous clock is what forces us to learn quickly how to save time, even if that means risking peace for the mind. It’s okay to want to learn some tricks, but it’s unhealthy if it becomes obsessive.
On the contrary, take advantage of the clock tool to enjoy more every minute. Sometimes it can be a tremendous support to finish our work, even in fewer hours than it usually takes!
In short, the best advice for learning how to save time as an adult is not to become obsessed with it. When you’re aware of this little detail, every minute of the day becomes worthy.
