The Hidden Reason You’re Always Running Out of Time

How to Take Control of Your Time

You have a busy life.

Between work, family, social obligations, and that never-ending to-do list, it’s hard to feel like you’ve got enough time in the day. You’ve come to rely on coffee to get through the day, but you still find yourself running out of time at the end of every week.

It turns out there is a reason for this. Turns out that feeling of not having enough time is actually rooted in your brain! Here are some ways you can learn to beat this feeling and enjoy your days more.

How You Feel About Time Determines How You Use It

It’s been proven that people who look at the clock often and feel like they don’t have enough time, spend more time doing things. This means that if you feel pressed for time, you will end up spending it on other activities to make yourself feel better about not having enough time.

It turns out that how you feel about your time determines how you actually use it. If you see your time as a scarce resource, you will likely try to fill it with activities to make yourself happy. However, this is a short-term solution. In the long term, the feeling of being pressured will only get worse because there isn’t an end in sight!

Plan Your Day in Advance

You may spend a large chunk of your day on tasks that require little mental energy. For example, getting dressed, driving to work, and checking social media. While these tasks may not take much effort, we have a certain amount of decision-making energy in a day, and overloading ourselves can result in “decision fatigue.”

The solution: plan the day in advance! You’ll know exactly what you need to do before you even start working. This will help you save time and get more done throughout the day because you won’t be constantly reevaluating what needs to be done next.

Next time you wake up in the morning, make a list of all of the tasks that need to be completed or crossed off your list — before starting work or engaging in any other activities. You can take this to the next level by picking out what you want to wear the next day (or even simplifying your wardrobe) and planning out meals in advance.

Find What Keeps You Productive

In order to find more time in your day, you have to find out what it is that makes you productive. Is it a specific time of day? Is there a certain place you work best? What about a specific task that gets you going? You also have to figure out what distracts you from being productive.

If the internet is distracting you from your work, try StayFocusd. StayFocusd is a Chrome extension that increases your productivity by limiting the amount of time that you can spend on time-wasting websites. I’m not sponsored, I just don’t like to get distracted.

If the phone is distracting you, put it on silent or turn off notifications. If people are distracting you, ask them not to disturb you for the next hour or two. Once you know what’s distracting you from being productive, it’s much easier to mitigate those disruptions and get back in the zone!

Mind Your Energy Levels

You experience a natural energy cycle. It can be very hard to keep up with your responsibilities when you’re at the low point of this cycle, but there are ways you can help yourself! Some people find it helpful to take a break from responsibilities for an hour or two before they continue on their tasks. Others report that getting into a more upbeat mood helps them get back into the right headspace.

Personally, I side with the latter. By using caffeine and loud music, I raise my body’s levels of dopamine and adrenaline. This is the optimal state of consciousness for contributing your best work and enjoying the process!

Regardless of which method works for you, it’s important to make sure you give yourself enough time every day to refuel and recharge. Taking care of yourself will help you feel better and work more efficiently! Plus, if you make a conscious effort to transition your energy levels throughout the day, you’ll be able to do all those pesky things on your never-ending list without running out of time!