By Davis Nguyen
There never seems to be enough hours in a day.
Day after day, we find ourselves committing to so much that we don't have time to do the things we find important. We're left frustrated and stressed.
What if there was a better way?
What if there was a way to say no to the things that aren't so important so we could have more time for the things that are?
Last week, time coach Elizabeth Grace Saunders released her book, How to Invest Your Time Like Money. Her book offers strategies for making time for what is important in your life without having to work harder or longer.
Saunders encourages us to identify the root causes for why we don't have time for the important things in your life. Instead of feeling frustrated when you don't complete everything you want, try identifying the root problem so you can avoid the same mistake in the future.
Begin with the problem, then ask yourself why the problem occurred. Then you ask why that problem occurred. You repeat this until you arrive at the root issue.
This was a version of the exercise I performed on myself.
What was the problem?
I didn't have time to go to the movie with friends.
Why didn't you have time to go to the movie with friends?
I had a paper to work on Friday night.
Why did you have a paper to work on Friday night?
I didn't do it Friday morning.
Why didn't you do it Friday morning?
I woke up late.
Why did you wake up late?
I was reading Reddit posts the night before.
Why were you on Reddit the night before?
I didn't have a reason.
From this line of self-questioning, I came to realize what actions had caused me to miss going to the movie with friends.
When it comes down to choosing between reading Reddit and spending time with my friends, I much prefer the second.
Instead of beating myself up, I make sure I don't make the same mistake in the future.
Be sure to check out How to Invest Your Time Like Money to find more time-saving exercises. At just under 80 pages, we think it's definitely worth the investment!
We’d love to hear from you in the comments:
What is something you wish you had more time to do? How can you invest your time differently this week to make it happen?
About Davis
Davis (@IamDavisNguyen) graduated from Yale University in 2015. He currently lives in San Francisco and works at Bain & Company. When he’s not helping CEOs transform their companies, he is helping recent graduates figure out the type of life they want for themselves and helping them get there.