Consider the hours between getting home from work and going to bed. How are you currently using those hours? Is it the best use of your time or could those hours be used more effectively? Rework your time by saying no to low value tasks and yes to high value tasks.
For years, I would get home from work, turn on the TV and watch it while cooking and eating dinner, then lie around still glued to the box, fade fast, fall asleep and later peel myself off the lounge and drag myself to bed. Although I was with others during this nightly ritual I wasn’t connecting with anyone.
After realising I was wasting four hours each night on TV and missing out on quality activities, I decided to turn the TV off for good about 15 years ago. The four hours I’ve saved every day has amounted to 1460 hours a year and given me back a total of 21,900 hours over the last 15 years! The time I reworked enabled me to include high value tasks in my life such as exercise, hobbies, reading and learning, connecting with loved ones, as well as fun with friends. High value activities contribute to a better life not just for us but also for others.
And if turning the TV and Netflix off still leaves you drowning in other technology, Dermot Crowley, in his book Smart Work, shares solutions on how to take advantage of digital tools to reprioritise and refocus so we can get to more of the things that matter.
What low value tasks are you willing to turn off, say no to, delete or delegate? Saying no to low value tasks is a big yes for a high value life. The first step is to decide which is which. The second is to act on those decisions and be disciplined about it.
Before saying, “I don’t have time” – choose to rework your time. That way the only thing you won’t have time for is low value tasks!
