We all hear adults say ‘time goes quicker when you are older’, ‘life is too short’ and it’s very true. I never believed that time would go quicker when you were older. It really does. I wish I made the most of being a young when I was, because it will never come around again. I missed out on so many opportunities when I was younger, and now being slightly older, I can’t turn back time to take part in some of those opportunities. That is why now to this day, I am making the most of every moment there is and practicing gratitude whenever possible.
Try your hardest to feel the gratitude in everything, as you never know if that moment with come again.
Realizing that there is only so many hours in a day and so many days in the week and before you know it, the next week has arrived already. Here are four tips on how you can make the most of your time, whether you are a busy bee or more of a lazybones, we can all make complete gratitude of each and every day you have.
1. Get up earlier
This is probably the most simplest things you can do with less preparation. However you are probably going to dislike me if you are not a morning person. This step to making the most of the time you have, is getting up earlier. This could mean setting your alarm for an extra 30 minutes earlier or getting up a whole hour or two earlier. I’m not saying get up at 4-5 AM to do this. This step would be individual to every single person, so if you usually wake up at 10 or 11 Am maybe set your alarm for 8 AM. If you usually wake up at 8 AM, set it for 7 Am and so on.
Just by getting that extra hour in the morning has so many benefits. You will be able to have plenty of time in the morning to properly wake up, have a cup of morning coffee whilst catching up on the latest news. This will also help with being on time if you have to head to a meeting, work or meeting a friend.
You could start preparing things the night before for the next morning so you feel you don’t have too much to do in the morning, which will less likely make you want to go back to bed once the alarm has gone off. I also find personally with myself, that if I have prepared little things the night before I can go to bed with a clear mind as I don’t have to think to myself whilst trying to sleep.. ‘remember to get the sausages out of the freezer, don’t forget to finish writing up that note in the morning oh and also remember to go to the post office on the way to your appointment’. Which is just going to keep you up longer, which means you will wake up later and the cycle follows. This follows onto my next tip quite nicely.
2. Make lists
Write to-do-lists and goals that you would like to achieve is probably my favourite tip as it can be as it being as simple as you make it. Whether you are planning on having a chilled day or have a Marathon of jobs to get done, this tip is perfect for any kind or day you have. You can easily make this list as simple as you like. For a simple list, you could note down things as simple as:
- messaging a friend,
- planning any exciting events for the following week,
- a meal plan,
- writing a shopping list,
- watering the plants
- or even catching up on the latest episode of Pretty Little Liars or EastEnders.
These tasks can be something you do whilst watching TV, waiting for a bus or if you just have 2 minutes free. For a more ‘hands on’ to-do-list it could be anything from, doing the grocery shop, finishing work at home, or catching up with a friend. By writing down what you have to get done that day, it allows you to visually see what you have to do. The whole day is thus put into perspective. I also find it quite satisfying ticking off the tasks I have completed. It leaves me feeling accomplished which makes me feel even more motivated to get things done. At the end of the day you can then think, today I have done this, this and this with a pleasant feeling whilst looking forward to what the following day brings.
3. Face your fears
Have no regrets, and do what you really want to do. Don’t fear the things you have always wanted to do, go for it and do it! If you are thinking about going to a spa day or a trip away, look into it, research it, look at dates and look to when you can afford it, and just do it. Don’t put it off and think ‘I’ll look at that later’. We are more than likely to forget then when we do remember we will be like or I didn’t do that or I really want to do that.
Start doing the things you really want to do rather than dreaming about it. Make those daydreams come true.
I constantly used to think, ‘I really want to do that… I would like to do that to but…’ Until I realized that I will never ever do anything if I keep thinking about the what ifs and buts. So, I made a pact with myself – this summer I will do this things I have wanted to do. I wouldn’t let any fears prevent me from doing them nor would I allow myself to overthink about it. Yes, I will prepare a Plan B in case things don’t go to plan! I once saw this quote that has really stuck with me -“90% of the things you worry about, don’t even happen”. This is a quote worth remembering. Less fear and start to make things happen.
4. Be productive
Do things that are productive and that you will remember. By this I don’t mean don’t relax and watch the TV because whether you already do or not or believe it, but we all need the correct balance between ‘work, rest and play’. If you’ve heard it, that’s great.. if not, let me explain. Learning to have the balance between work, rest and play is vital to living a happy and well equitable life. The balance between working, the fun things you want to do and resting in between these two. Even if you watch TV, that’s great because we are always learning things.
We learn so much every single day and sometimes we don’t realize it. These skills we can then perform in the future. To make more of your time productively, if you watch TV 4+ hours a day, try to reduce this. You can spend the spare time doing something else you have wanted to do but haven’t seem to find the time to. Prioritise the things that are important to you and that you value. In doing this, you will treasure it and remember those moments.
