One of the two things people want more of, is time. We all get the same amount of time, so the issue isn’t with somehow miraculously gaining more time. The answer lies in using the time we have more wisely. In this post, I’ll share the five ways I found more time for myself, which allowed me to achieve more and be much more happy. 

I’m a father of 4 children, who currently are five years old and younger. Needless to say, I don’t have a lot of spare time during the day in what would otherwise be spare time. 

I’m committed to spending quality time with my kids and ensuring they reflect on their childhood with memories of fun times together. Having kids made me reflect on how I spend my time. 

Through a necessity to be a good dad, I went searching for ways to make better use of my time. I tried for years to sacrifice sleep, rest, health and exercise. It never worked. They are fundamental to your performance in every area of life. To find more time for yourself and be more successful, you must find ways to manage yourself better. 

5 Ways to Find More Time for Yourself

1. Schedule your time. Enter absolutely everything you need to do each week and each day into a calendar. What doesn’t realistically fit must be moved to the next week. Ensure there is time scheduled for yourself. This is non-negotiable time and must be included in every day along with time for family, friends, exercise and rest. 
   
   
2. Create down-time. Schedule time into each day for rest and to spend with those who matter most. It’s easy to overlook this time, especially when things get busy at work, but even in those really busy times, allocate some time to rest, meditate, spend with your family and get a full night’s sleep. 
   
   
3. Prioritise. Do the things that matter first. If you don’t get through it all, it needs to be moved to another time. If this is a recurring issue, you need to look at your workload and come up with creative ways to fix it before it becomes a problem. 
   
   
4. Turn off all distractions. When you’re working, do just that - work. On a Mac, Alt+Click the notifications button on the top right to turn off notifications. Turn your phone and tablet to ‘Do Not Disturb’ too. Your efficiency will drastically be improved.
   
   
5. Learn to say no. When you’re asked to take on a task, check in with your weekly and daily schedule first. If there’s time available that you’re willing to give up for it, then say yes; otherwise say no. Remember, when you say yes, you’re actually saying no to something else, which might be important.

Your health is fundamental to your success. Time for yourself is important to be productive and efficient at work. Learn how to manage yourself better to find time for yourself and perform better in every other component of your life. 

What’s your number one way to find time for yourself? 

Share it with us in the comments section below.