How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives.” ~Annie Dillard

Time. It is arguably our most valuable commodity.

If you lose money, you can make it back. Lose your job, you can get a new one, but “lost time is lost beyond recall” – Geoffrey Chaucer

Time cannot be wasted, hoarded, collected, earned, or bought with hard work or money – Heck time cannot even be “managed”.

Like the sands in an hourglass, time slips away and the only control we have over time is whether or not we choose to pack meaning into it. i.e Use it or lose it.

If the above paragraph is true then why do we sometimes act like we don’t know the value of time?

For many of us, 24 hours is no longer enough in a day.

We try to squeeze as much as we can into twenty-four hours – bargaining with Father Time, expecting a miracle that would allow us to produce more, accomplish more, be more and relax more – but there’s always an opportunity cost with time. The time you spend doing one thing is time spent not doing something else

Just like other treasures in life, time cannot be taken with us when we die.

This means you have to improve your relationship with time to get the best out of it

That said, Here are 25 ways to improve your relationship with time.

1. Live in the moment not in your head and thoughts.
2. Resist the urge to rush and enjoy the “journey”
3. Appreciate doing Single-task and be present.
4. Do things that bring joy and require little to no effort.
5. Say yes only when you mean it.
6. Learn to do nothing sometimes – Instead, play.
7. Block out a chunk of time only for yourself and learn to be comfortable alone.
8. Wake up earlier/go to bed later – if you have to “steal more time” in a day (don’t do this too often as your body needs enough sleep)
9. If you are a parent – delegate a task to your child – don’t try to do it all (Your kids can – put toys away, make his or her bed, etc.).
10. Learn to double-task the right way (i.e. go for a hike with a friend, an activity that takes care of two—social and physical).
11. Do only those things that matter.
12. End a conversation/relationship that isn’t going anywhere.
13. Stop doing things that don’t bring joy or results.
14. Skip a task – you won’t die.
15. Silence all distractions when you have to work( phones, notifications).
16. Choose a task or a path. Don’t relent. Focus.
17. Learn the joy of Saying no.
18. Ask for help when you need it (hire a professional. an or a volunteer).
19. Let chores slide (relax on the definition/expectation of clean).
20. Let things be (wrinkles, jiggles, warts and all).
21. Let go of guilt and enjoy every second.
22. Take a minute to list what you’d like to accomplish while being realistic about how long each item will take to complete

23. Let efficiency increase naturally (don’t force it).
24. Do only those things that have an urgent deadline.
25. Screen calls/scan emails – learn to respond when you are ready and prioritise.

That’s 25 ways you can improve your relationship with time. If you have any others, let us know in the comment section.

Feeling Inspired… Partner with us in doing more of the good works we do here