How to Make the Most of Your Time

Our time is precious, finite and often wasted.

Demands, distractions, and obligations can leave us feeling overwhelmed. With the right mindset, we can learn to be more intentional and productive. One simple strategy is to divide your week into three buckets of roughly equal size.

It’s how I’m learning to make the most of my time.

Bucket 1: Sleep

A good night’s sleep is foundational.

Doctors and research recommend around 8 hours sleep a night. We can’t always choose when we wake up. But most of us can decide when to go to bed.

56 hours of sleep each week fills up the first bucket.

Bucket 2: Work

We spend a large chunk of our lives at work.

Commuting also takes time. So does any work we bring home. Or the times we need to communicate with our boss or coworkers when we’re not at work.

56 hours of work each week fills up the second bucket.

Bucket 3: Leisure

That leaves 56 hours each week for the third bucket.

It includes everything else you want to do. Think about how you’d like to spend this time each week. Know what you’re spending it on.

Make sure it’s on the things you love.

Reflection

I often waste time.

Sleep is sacrificed. Work suffers. I lose touch of my values.

This simple strategy puts things back into perspective.