Don’t just manage your time, make the most of it!

You know we have it pretty good, our life expectancy is over 80 in Australia (81.2 to be exact) and we tend to take it for granted. The fact is our time here is finite and we already spend over half of our life sleeping, eating and working. Over half!

How do you want to spend the time you have left? Here are some tips to get the most out of your time:

Don’t Wait

Do you know we spend up to 42 days on hold on customer service calls and up to two years waiting in line? It’s no wonder we get so frustrated in these situations. You may say there is little to be done but is that really true? I don’t know how many times I’ve seen people waiting in line at the movie theatre, the zoo, or the museum when all they had to do was buy the tickets online. Be efficient. Use technology to reduce or even erase your waiting time. Almost anything can be done online now: grocery shopping, customer service questions, paying bills. It may take some time initially to put systems in place, but soon you will find that you are spending far less time in ‘pause’, leaving far more time to ‘play’.

Prioritise Pleasure

We often do things out of obligation or habit, rather than mindfully making choices about what we want to do with our time. We talk about how busy we are and how we wish we had more time to do what we want to do. Yes, we have routines and responsibilities but are these mutually exclusive from spontaneity, enjoyment, and working toward our personal goals? Of course not! Don’t know where to start? Think back to your childhood or to a time when you had fewer responsibilities—what did you like to do or dream about doing? Make a list and then choose one hobby, interest or activity that you can begin now or at least work toward pursuing. Remember, this is your life we are talking about, get the most out it!

Use Your Time Wisely

There will be times when you have to do things that add little value to your life, like commuting to and from work or waiting for a prescription or doctor’s appointment. Just like you can choose to eat nutritious food or to fill yourself up with empty calories, you can choose to use your time wisely or to just let it go to waste. Think about what you like to do and how you can incorporate them in these, otherwise, idle times. Why not do two minutes of mindfulness, read a chapter of your favourite book, or colour with your child when waiting for an appointment? In the car, you can listen to an audio book, or crank up the tunes.

Time is too precious to delay joy. Make a conscious decision to make as many moments in your life have value by choosing to fuel your mind, body and spirit no matter where you are and what you are doing.