When we were younger, we all had a parent, a grandparent, or other relative who told us, “The older you get, the faster time goes by.”
Naturally, being put up for the whole of this life, we didn’t really accept this as truth. Our more youthful selves simply thought, “When I’m older, I’ll be too busy doing awesome stuff like flying around the universe or leaping tall buildings in a single bound to think like that!” Oh boy, did we have a lot to learn.
A lot has been said about time over the course of its recorded existence. That it waits for no man, that it heals all wounds, that it’s the wisest counsellor, and that it makes fools of us all. Despite conflicting opinions about what time will bring, one thing is for certain: our supply of it is decidedly finite. Until we evolve into a technical revolution that can offer us Ghost in the Shell-like bodies to extend the lifespan of our consciousness, we’ve got to make the most of the time given to us to achieve our goals and exceed our own expectations. How do we go about building lifestyles that shift time from the position of a big threat hanging over our heads to a position in which we find it’s our greatest asset? Let’s take a look.
Accept Trade-Offs
Unfortunately, no matter how hard we try, it’s impossible to have everything. Sometimes, sacrificing one thing gives you access to something even better.
- Booking a helicopter charter may be an unusual cost, but it saves you time that can be better used elsewhere. The stress of traffic is removed, and a time-effective travel option is unlocked, giving you back your peace of mind and efficiency.
- More free time is likely to mean less income, at first. How you use that free time will build back into your life in tangible ways.
- Remaining focused on the truly important things may mean less time for frivolity, in some cases, but a better quality of life overall.
Stop Treating Time the Same as Money
As the old Benjamin Franklin saying goes, “Time is money”. Now, this great man is rarely challenged, and rightly so, but we’ve got a bone to pick with him on this one. Time is not money, oh no. Time is infinitely more valuable because of its finite nature. Money can be earned back, but despite taking rest or personal time, time will never return once it’s gone. The idea of spending time wisely is a good one, but ultimately flawed in its own context. Don’t think of time as a thing to be spent wisely, but consider the return you get on time spent instead. What brings long-term change or benefit to your life? What can you do with your time that compounds over months and years? Here are some examples.
- Building a skill compounds over time, making the ROT (return on time) and exponentially increasing it.
- Doom scrolling before bed spends time, yes, but with what result? No value is added through that activity.
Remember to stay effective instead of just staying busy for the optics of it: there’s no better use of time than that.
Plan Your Life Around Energy, Not Hours
Despite the stylish clock at your wrist ticking at the same pace throughout the 24 hours of any given day, time is not equal throughout the average man’s day. What we mean by this is that your energy level determines how valuable an hour in your day may be, not the clock. How do you game the hell out of this fact?
- Identify your peak focus windows and exploit them. For the majority of men, peak focus hours are in the morning: these would be used for your most important and high-value work.
- Identify your distracted and low-energy windows and exploit those too. Use these times to do repetitive tasks such as general admin or routine tasks, since not as much focus is required to complete these effectively.
Delegate or Eliminate
While we all have moments of thinking that we can handle everything life throws at us, it’s smarter to realise that trying to handle everything will leave you feeling deflated, time-poor, and potentially like a failure. It’s time to get used to delegating or eliminating! Ask yourself these three questions about the recurring tasks you have to complete in your daily life
- Does this task matter in the grant scheme?
- Can this task be simplified?
- Could/ should someone else be completing this task?
These questions will help you decide whether a task goes into the delegate or eliminates piles, or whether it remains with you. Even small wins like automating bill payments, batching your errands, or using templates for repetitive tasks will help.
Create Logical Systems
While your level of motivation may ebb and flow, a system is impartial and remains fixed, the way it was created. Crafting systems for yourself that work for your needs is essential to managing your time effectively. Instead of relying on yourself to do things like work out, make a well-rounded meal, or put in some overtime, create a timetable for yourself that stretches out fixed workout times, time to meal prep, and a pre-planned menu) and deep work (with no distraction) blocks. Thank us later.
Deal with Time Drains
Minimize the things that minimize the efficacy of your time. Here are a few examples
- Context switching: jumping between tasks requires your brain to switch and switch back
- Too much phone time: doomscrolling or refreshing to see if she texted back isn’t going to make things flow more smoothly.
- Being a “yes man”: saying yes to everything leaves you with nothing.
Instead, try
- Blocking time out for each separate task or aspect of a task
- Turn off any non-essential notifications
- Say no if you feel overbooked, and say it without explanation
Health, Wealth, and Happiness
Building a life that honours the time you have will set you on a path to the right future for you. Health, wealth, and happiness don’t come to those who wait: they come to those with the discipline to live well.