5 Strategies for Spending Less Time and Work and More Time on You

5 Strategies for Spending Less Time and Work and More Time on You

From Managed Services to Focus Apps, Learn to Make Your Time at Work Go Further so You Can Spend More Time Further From Work

Whether you are a young professional, an experienced professional, a working mother, or some combination of the three, one thing’s for certain — no matter how important your work is, it isn’t your entire life. It can’t be. Regardless of if you’re pouring your heart into getting a startup off the ground or working 9-to-5 for an established company, there are people and things outside of the office that demand your attention as well.

 

If it feels like work has been taking the lion’s share of your time and attention, don’t worry. There are some simple things you can do to take back your time to spend it on what’s most important to you, including:

• Knowing when to do it yourself and when to dictate tasks
• Learning how to maintain focus to make your hours on the job count
• Finding a system of organization that really works for you
• Keeping yourself healthy mentally and physically
• Defining what’s truly important to you

1. Eliminate routine tasks by partnering with a managed service provider

It’s no secret that when you have a team working on a project, you should take advantage of everyone’s unique skills. That means giving people with highly specialized skills tasks that require or can benefit from their specialized knowledge. Imagine having an event planning team that includes a tremendously talented graphic designer — would you have that person standing on a corner handing out flyers? Of course not! They would be working be doing what they do best — producing jaw-dropping visuals.

 

Similarly, unless you are an IT professional, you don’t need to be spending your time managing IT tasks. Hiring an IT service provider to keep your company’s tech in tip-top shape frees you to spend more time on the other things that are important to you.

2. Keep your head in the game (and your eyes off of Facebook) with focus apps

We’ve all been there. You settle in behind our desk with every intention of really getting down to business when, all of a sudden, that fateful notification pops up. Even if it breaks your attention for just a minute, it can have a much longer impact on your overall focus and productivity.

 

Get more out of your dedicated work time so that you don’t have unfinished business hanging over your head when you’re trying to relax. There are a variety of apps and solutions to help silence notifications on different devices — from simply turning on “Do not disturb” on your apple device to paid applications. Either way, if an app can block out notifications or even your ability access to distracting websites, you’ll be able to squeeze much more work out of the work day (ultimately leaving you with much more personal time at home).

3. Know thyself (especially when it comes to organization)

Everyone gets organized a little differently. Maybe you’re the type of person who likes to write things out by hand, a nice big desk calendar helps you stay on track. Or maybe you like having access to your calendar and to-dos from every device you own. Either way, the best way for you to stay organized — and therefore to make the most of your time — is to know your personal organization habits and create a plan that caters to them.

4. Practice mental health hygiene so that you can be your best self wherever you are  

No matter how much you love the work you do, it can absolutely become overwhelming at times. Whether you’re working on a big project or the everyday stresses of your day-to-day grind have started to build up, it’s important to find ways to de-stress. Practicing mental health hygiene means maintaining an awareness of your emotional status and taking steps to maintain emotional wellbeing.

 

A few simple ways you can practice good mental health hygiene include:

• Establishing a mindfulness practice
• Practicing good sleep habits and regularly getting enough rest
• Making time to spend with people who love and support you
• Identifying and stepping back from major stressors when necessary

5. Sit down and actually define your goals and priorities

If your life’s dream is to travel to Spain, it doesn’t make much sense to spend all of your free time studying Polish. That may be an extreme example, but in the hubbub of daily life it’s easy for our actions and our goals to become misaligned. 

 

Make sure you’re truly spending time on the important things in your life. If you formally define your personal goals and priorities, you may find time you didn’t know you had by eliminating to-dos that aren’t serving your goals.

 

Work is certainly important, but it isn’t everything. Following these 5 strategies will help you get more out of the time you spend working — which ultimately means more time to spend on you!