We didn't even notice how life became unusually busy. According to surveys, most adults today feel like they don't get enough done during the day. What's funny is that the same polls found that most people were too busy to take part in the survey itself! For the majority, work is a priority today. And even if a person works from home, this implies 24/7 continuous productivity.
Many believe that it is the pressure of society that creates the feeling of inadequate productivity. Whether it's success at work or academically, others' accomplishments make you feel meaningless and unproductive. Many people choose to ignore these feelings, believing that they are already doing enough. We advise you to try to succumb to this trend and really fit more impressions and activities into your day.
Of course, this is easier said than done, but there are little things that can really make life more fulfilling. They will not drastically change your lifestyle, however, each of them will slightly affect your routine, making it a little smarter. Together, these methods can save hours of precious days.
1. Save time studying
No, I am not calling for dropping out of school or university. The method that I will propose is as old as the world. Or at least as a sound recording. However, surprisingly few people actually use this method. I'm talking about the practice of recording texts in a foreign language or even lectures on a dictaphone, and then listening to them. For example, you are learning Japanese. This technique will inevitably save time on it. It is enough to record lessons of language practice with a teacher and upload them to your player.
Then you can compose sentences or even a story with new words and constructions and record it on a voice recorder. You can listen to these recordings while you are doing something that does not require a lot of concentration: exercising on simulators, cleaning, or driving to school. As the collection of recordings grows, you can play them in random order or compose thematic collections.
This technique has two advantages: firstly, it allows you to improve both speaking and listening skills at the same time. Lack of speaking practice is practically the main barrier to perfect language proficiency.
Secondly, by listening to your own voice, you will remember how the words sound exactly in your performance, and not the voice of a stranger. No matter how carefully you listen, the lyrics will inevitably be remembered.
Some even go so far as to play the recordings in their sleep. Although we are not very supportive of this method, the intention to listen to the recordings as often as possible is commendable. However, if they interfere with sleep, it is best to refuse. Sleep is more important than study. Check out this article for Top 10 Reasons Why You Need To Get More Sleep.
2. Break your work into chunks
Few have heard of "The Tomato Method”, However, this is far from a new invention. Many successful people use this technique in various modifications. The technique will be especially useful for those who are distracted a lot.
So, you choose the length of time that will be yours "working block". This is usually 25 minutes. Then you set a timer for this time and work without distraction until the very end of the period. Then take a fixed pause of five minutes before starting the next cycle. After a certain number of cycles, you can take a little longer break, say 15 minutes.
The biggest advantage of this is that you will avoid the temptation to check your mail or have a cup of coffee, knowing that there will soon be a five-minute break. It is especially important not to be distracted during the work block with the advent of new technologies. So simple "just for a secondy »go to the Facebook or Tinder application, knowing in advance that a second can take half an hour. This should be avoided.
The best in "The Tomato Method”Is that now you are not counting hours in the workplace, but rather focusing on small work-rest cycles. You can even find a competitive element in it if your colleague also uses this method. Who will have more periods?
It also allows you to rest absolutely without worrying about it. After all, in fact, no one gets pleasure from procrastination, because all this time you do not leave the feeling that there is too much work, and you have not started to do it. With the new technique, you rest your well-deserved five minutes with peace of mind, without thinking that at this time you have to do something.
Try the tomato method today and you will be amazed at how much it can help organize your day.
3. Replace long runs with intense jerks
How much time do you spend in the gym or jogging, if at all keep fit? If you’re ready to spend hours treading paths to keep fit, then you’ll be happy to achieve even greater results in a much shorter amount of time.
High-intensity interval training (HIT) is all about speeding up your runs to a grueling sprint. Recommended time - 30 seconds sprint with a break of two minutes. The number of sets depends on your goals, but four sets is the standard setting.
You can experiment a little with the timing of the exercise, but don't get carried away. Starting with 30-second sets, you can vary the number of runs, set length, or rest time, but you don't need to overestimate your capabilities.
According to numerous studies, HIT burns fat much more effectively than running. And other calculations confirm that this format is even more beneficial for health. Anyone who trains with the HIT system says that over the same amount of training time in both formats, fitness improved much more with intense training.
So you can save hours on sports while achieving much better results! Since HIT removes fat much faster than long loads, you can go for runs of this format much less often.
Plus, the body will have a harder time getting through intense jerks than classic runs, so you will inevitably need extra days of rest, which translates into more time savings. This is exactly what you need, isn't it?
Just try replacing your daily runs with 10 minute HIT three times a week, your body will thank you. Time savings will be noticeable from the very first workout, and physical results after a week or two. You might be interested in Article 5 Effective Exercises for Busy People.
4. Choose a diet according to your plans
There is no need to repeat once again what a huge impact diet can have on the rhythm of life. It doesn’t matter if you’re brain or physically, the diet inevitably sets the limits of your capabilities. By adjusting your menu little by little in quantity or composition, you can gain time at school, work, in the gym, or even when chatting with friends.
For example, you want to spend less time studying. Instead of cutting back on your homework and stopping to keep up, you can improve your concentration and simply get more done in the same amount of time. One way to do this is to change your diet for better mental performance. The most common advice is to consume oily fish, eggs, and plenty of water.
If the time spent in the gym trying to burn fat continues to grow, a little dietary change will help shorten that time.On the Internet, you can find a huge amount of advice from professional nutritionists. But simple foods like green tea or chili peppers can dramatically speed up fat loss.
These changes, of course, will not immediately free up a huge amount of time. At first, the changes can be subtle, but over time, the minutes saved will accumulate and ultimately have a noticeable effect.
5. Reduce cooking time by switching to cyclic fasting
Few things can save you time like intermittent fasting. First of all, it is worth noting that this is not a diet, but simply a diet. This means that you only need to consume food for a certain period of time, say, eight hours. But the rest of the time you are content with water, green tea and black coffee.
But in this "food Time»You consume your usual amount of calories in 3-4 meals. This excludes the long cooking of breakfast, lunch and dinner. Some even settle for one, but very heavy meal. Of course, cooking and eating are enjoyable activities, they help to relieve stress, to express yourself. However, if these things do not occupy such an important place in your life, then it is worth freeing up time outside "meal time»From cooking.
Many fitness trainers and nutritionists have already confirmed the effectiveness of this method, and numerous studies add that some fasting improves concentration and improves sleep. So it's worth at least trying cyclic fasting.
More productivity doesn't mean less fun
This article is not intended to provide universal and win-win scheduling tips. If you want to do more, it doesn't mean you have to make hasty decisions.
You can't just give up one pastime to make room in the schedule for another, no matter if it's sports, study or walking with friends. If it makes you happy, you should never quit. The most logical solution would be to make small, measured changes in different parts of your day to make them more productive.
The techniques presented above can be tried right at this moment. Each method will save a small amount of time and together they will add up to noticeable productivity. But do not forget that it is better to clog the freed up time not with additional work, but with communication with friends and family.
In any case, time is your most important resource, and it is worth spending it wisely.
We recommend watching:
Women's magazine "Shpilki" often share all kinds of advice with its readers. And now the girls told in simple language about 10 rules of time management in order to have time to do everything that you have planned.
