10 Ways to Gain an Hour in Each Day

Always late? Stack of papers on your desk? Laundry piling up? Here’s how to stop rushing, cramming and stressing

By Christine L. Hohlbaum

wristwatch\ 10 Ways to Gain an Hour Each Day \ photo: Shutterstock
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Editor’s Note: Christine Louise Hohlbaum is the author of The Power of Slow: 101 Ways to Save Time in Our 24/7 World (St. Martin’s Press). Christine lives near Munich, Germany, with her husband and two children. She also acts on TV shows and films to satisfy her inner thespian. Follow Christine on her book-related blog PowerofSlow.org, official website DiaryOfAMother.com and Twitter @ powerofslow.

The stack of books tumbled from my arms onto the floor. One look from the librarian told me I had better slow down or else. She even uttered the words, “Sometimes doing things slowly can actually be faster.”

Should I tell her I wrote the book on it? I opened my mouth, then thought better of it. I had, after all, potentially damaged her property. What she didn’t know was that I was conducting an experiment. I had decided to see what would happen if I actually went against the principles of the “power of slow.” I left the house in a busy state of mind and tried to cram five errands into 30 minutes so I could be at the auto mechanic by 11 AM. The librarian’s words proved the point.

You are more productive when you go slowly.

I breathed in the slow, releasing the cloak of busyness I had purposely donned, then drove the speed limit to the mechanic’s. I arrived right on time.

The power of slow says time is your friend, not your foe. When you embrace time with an abundant attitude, you actually have more of it. You can expand your experience of time itself simply through your mindset. Time savoring raises your awareness of what you have in the here and now. By enjoying the moment, you make decisions informed by that abundance. Time abundance, much like time starvation, is a self-fulfilling prophecy.

When asked if I would want one more hour in the day, I say, “No. I have more than enough time.” It seems like an oddball answer to a question most people answer with a resounding “yes!” The truth of the matter is time is a construct we designed. It is an organizing principle to help us make sense of our lives (and to meet up at the same moment at Starbucks). So if it’s not real, why do we treat it like the monster under our bed? Oh right. He’s not real either. Maybe, just maybe, time starvation is in our minds.

Our collective urgency, fear and yearning to stuff more into our day are merely symptoms of a much larger issue: how we relate to time itself. Establishing a positive relationship with time is a lot like investing. You have to give something to get a return. Investing a little time on the front end can give you a surplus at the end. Whether you’re a working woman, retiree, stay-at-home mother or single, here are 10 simple ways to gain more time in your day.

1. Manage expectations. Have you ever seen the look on the person’s face whose expectations you have improperly managed? It’s not pretty. To avoid mismanaged expectations, use the feedback method of communication. Essentially, you feed back to the other person what you think you’ve heard, then ask that person what they heard you just say. Once you have reached an agreement on what has been said and heard, you can be assured both sets of expectations are in alignment. This method can clear up potential misunderstandings on the spot. In addition, it will save you hours of cleaning up the mess you could have prevented had you managed those expectations properly in the first place.2. Set your priorities. Make a note of your top items each day. Include even the “little things” such as “take out the trash” that would otherwise simmer in your subconscious as a stress point. Create a success chart in which you log the things you would like to accomplish, then move each one to the complete column as you fulfill each task. (Excel is great for this). At the end of the day, you’ll be able to have a visual for all that you’ve managed in your day. Remain flexible in case your priorities shift (leaving a burning building, for instance, is more important than finishing that report on your desk).

3. Exercise. Mental clarity can improve your focus, thereby your productivity. Take a brisk 20-minute midday walk to get some fresh air and a new perspective. The movement can help you work through any problems you may be having as you increase the oxygen level in your blood. Exercise can also help you sustain your energy level throughout the afternoon. Turn that midday slump into midday inspiration with a change of scene.

4. Learn to say “no” (with kindness). We have all been there. We say “yes” to things we’d rather not do. Agreeing to edit your friend’s blog might be a nice gesture, but if it’s not an even exchange, it may be time-consuming over the long haul. Think of ways to realign your planning so she’s saving you time, too. Otherwise, politely decline.

5. Get up 15 minutes early to meditate or write in your gratitude journal, a notebook in which you write down all the things for which you are grateful. Research has shown that being grateful can increase your happiness level. Remember that your mental positioning is as important as your physical one. Bring your mind and your body into alignment with a quiet routine before your day begins. Stretch your muscles and your mind.

6. Get enough rest. Expanding your day by going to bed an hour later does not give you another hour over time. In fact, a non-rested thinker is a muddled one. Be sure to hit the hay at a consistent time throughout the week. Irregular sleeping patterns can stress out your system as much as irregular eating habits.

7. Stop multitasking. In scientific terms, what you are really doing is task-switching. The brain cannot concentrate on two or more comparably difficult things at a time. Attempting to multitask is, therefore, not only inefficient; it’s exhausting. Take one task at a time. Try it out for a few days by eliminating distractions such as your e-mail notification or your TweetDeck. You will find focus to be freeing, not frying.

8. Check e-mail at set times. E-mail begets e-mail. The more you send, the more you receive. Train yourself to check e-mail periodically instead of constantly. Close out of your e-mail system while working on other projects to avoid distraction.9. Unplug. Henny Penny may believe the sky is falling, but yours won’t if you go off-line for a few days. Most cell phones are equipped with personalized ring tones. Set it so you can identify who’s calling without having to even touch it. Or better yet, turn it off altogether.

10. Embrace time-abundant thinking. When you realize you have more than enough time to do what is required to fulfill your ultimate purpose, the pressure is off. You stop rushing through that project or stress out about your timeline, completely aware that you have enough time to complete the necessary steps. In a clear and focused frame of mind, you are able to accomplish more of what’s important in less time. Time abundance liberates you from the trap of “not enough.” Freed from the shackles of time starvation, you are able to spend more time on the things you love, thereby encasing you in even more joy and, yes, time! Stress recedes when you are present in the here and now. As a matter of fact, now is all there really is.