6 Habits to save your valuable hours

When you have a todo list that would take days to get through, it’s easy to feel stressed but you have just hours available. Nonetheless, you can still accomplish those goals, and more, with some time-optimization.

I began looking for easy habits that would offer me extra time back in the day, so I could focus on what I really intended to do.

Here are six activities that saved me some valuable hours in a week:

1. Prioritize your list of all the things to do 🚩

Just arrange the to-do list in order of priority or urgency and get things done in the order you expect. That sounds like a small thing, but it will save you valuable minutes that can add up. I keep a physical notepad with me and add to it when I know I have a new assignment or task that I don’t want to forget. I also use digital notepad and add tasks line by line after injecting all my tasks I add all the task as a batch in Todoist. If you try this, you don’t waste time thinking “what’s next?” whenever you move from one task to the next.

I use Todoist a lot for my task management here is a screenshot of my Todoist account (Thanks 🙏 Todoist for sponsoring lifetime free account).

2. Comprise a weekly review and plan the next week 📅

If you want to stop wasting time, consider reviewing the previous workweek over the weekend and save for the next. This won’t take long, but it will enable you to gain valuable knowledge on what you can tweak to maximize your work (and non-work) hours.

Have some meetings were entirely unnecessary or unproductive? How can you improve or prevent similar situations so that inefficiency can be eliminated from your day? It has taken me a habit to write down the answers to these questions 5 to 10 minutes on a Sunday.

Trial, error, assessment, and the resulting “rectification” are your friends. With a bit of patience, you’ll strengthen your work routines and processes, which may end up saving hours a week based on where your inefficiencies lie.

This is how my weekly review looks in Todoist.

3. Don’t procrastinate answering to emails 📧

Reply quick emails right after reading them. It doesn’t make sense for you to open an email unanswered if your reply is straightforward, and that will take no more than one minute.

It brings me to my second suggestion that emails are only reviewed at scheduled times. Turn off your notifications to concentrate on your task and leave your email alone between the scheduled check-ins. Almost every person I know who wants to save time and mental resources. It stresses a lot on your brain to switch between two entirely different activities constantly.

Here is awesome article on email procrastination.

4. Watch online classes, instead of attending local classes 🌎

You may want to learn new skills to give you a professional edge you can’t get from books, but you don’t have the time to attend local classes.

Rather attempt to learn something new by watching videos online during downtimes every week on YouTube / Coursera / Udemy / eDX etc.

Choose videos that you have wanted to learn more about like coding, public speaking, effective management, organizational management, etc and use this screen time to learn, rather than just seeing Netflix.

5. Take a look at passive reading 📚

You should add a passive read to your life if you want to develop new professional skills and perhaps even become a better team leader. This is an easy way to use your time and is easy to fit in with your day.

I listen to audiobooks and podcasts while solving my Rubik’s cube, coding, commuting, or doing any mindless task like washing clothes. It helps me make the most of my time. Moreover, recent research shows listening to audiobooks is pretty close to traditional reading concerning absorbing and retaining information.

I save up to an hour a week by not having to spend more time reading from my already busy days. Passively reading helps me acquire the knowledge to fulfill every technical goal I have.

6. Embrace the proper approach to clothing 👕

Several successful people, including Albert Einstein and Steve Jobs, have worn uniforms throughout history.

When you feel so inclined, or want more freedom, you can choose your weekly work outfits over the weekend. I prefer not to use the monochromatic look that certain CEOs wear daily, so I have five different shirts, pants or other accessories I want to wear.

This is a simple exercise that takes only some minutes every week, but every morning can save you precious energy and time.

🚀 Share on Twitter