by Leo Wiles
26 June 2015
If Monday’s weren’t bad enough, this week it was also the shortest day of the year. And if you get to the end of the day and wonder if you achieved anything (or just groan at the ever increasing to do list), this one’s for you.
Download a new track – Choose something funky to set the mood for your new alarm that doesn’t make you want to crawl back under the covers. I don’t care if it’s Beethoven or Flo Rida as long as it doesn’t remind you of your lost love – and gets you moving in an energetic upbeat way.
Swap that third coffee for water – Sounds counter-intuitive, but all that extra caffeine is doing is ramping up your heart and getting in the way of that meditative flow. Same goes for that third glass of red before a big day. Put it down people, and get more out of your day.
Turn off breakfast TV – Even if you only have it on in the background, the reality is you’ll take longer to achieve tasks while it’s on. Same goes with calling back mum on speakerphone while you’re filing or doing other mindless chores.
Pick up your surfboard instead of surfing the net or You Tube – Having a workout and catching up with a mate in the surf or on any playing field is going to make the endorphins kick in. Compare that to catching up with the latest spoilers and losing time over more cat videos – which is just you sitting on your butt for an extra hour a day, and making you resentful about all that time you’re chained to your desk.
Keep track – Do you actually know where your day goes? If not, log your hours for a week or two and actually see where the time goes. It’s a great way to also see if you are undercharging your billable hours.
Hang up – If you were in the office would you have a three-hour chat with a gal pal about her latest hook up or new baby? Hell yes you would. So why are you ripping off your new boss – YOU! Put the phone down.
Kick the habit – Online games can be as bad for you as crack and one day you’ll wake up wondering where all your time, money and partner went. I should know – I used to own a Game Boy that had to be given away after one day too many realising I’d been playing it for over six hours and it was now dark.
Go for coffee – Instead of meeting friends for lunch that turns into a bottle of wine and a written off day, catch up on the weekends or after ‘work’. Better still, turn it in to a gym date before work or after work to counteract all those stationary hours.
Have you some deep dark secrets about wasted hours that you’d like to share?
Photo by Lukas Blazek, Unsplash
