Time; there’s only so much of it, and it continuously ticks away whether we utilize it or not. It’s for this reason that I wrote about the importance of time management in the life of a new adult. But one thing that isn’t stressed enough is utilizing the spare minutes that make themselves available throughout the day. Especially since doing so can give you the boost you need to reach your goals.
We have a lot more spare minutes than we typically realize; especially if don’t lay out our plan for the day in a planner of some sort. There may be the five minutes we’re waiting in line for lunch. The ten minutes between classes. Perhaps it’s the time you’re sitting in a car/bus/subway/etc., or even the time when your food is in the microwave. However you slice it, there are small snippets of time in all of our days. And when you add it all up, multiple hours in your week are composed of the spare minutes in your days…so utilize them.
It’s not easy (in fact, I still struggle with it quite a bit), but it’s immensely beneficial to reaching your goals faster. Whatever your goals may be, if you dedicate to performing activities that go towards reaching those goals in your spare minutes, you’ll be amazed at all that you can accomplish.
Far too often, we spend our spare minutes tapping away on our phones. We scroll through social media, play games, watch random YouTube videos, etc. But what if, even on our phones, we spend the time more efficiently? What if instead of social media, we reply to pertinent emails? What if instead of playing games, we read articles that align with our individual (and truly individual) goals? Or how about listening to books instead of watching videos?
I’m not a master at this so I won’t give you specific strategies or steps for utilizing the spare minutes (though once I will once I master it), but the lone tactic I stated above has helped me immensely. In my spare minutes, so long as I’m on my phone, I now (attempt to) utilize every second. In fact, I stopped playing any games on my phone. If you look over my shoulder, you’ll often see that I’m reviewing and editing my writing (both for school and otherwise), looking at business analytics for Statement Apparel, reading a goal-specific article, etc., often while listening to an audiobook. And when I’m really in the zone, I’ll listen an audio book instead of music for days on end.
Yet, once again, this is far from easy. Instead of forcing you to work all the time, however, as some people may view it, utilizing your spare minutes helps you be more efficient during your work day. You can still take breaks and take a Sabbath. but during the work day you should be focused on efficiency. Instead of social media, games, and all the other distractions that inevitably present themselves, you should focus on improving your efficiency and striving towards your goals. Whether you’re a teenager, a new adult, or anything else, you should focus on utilizing the spare minutes.
Until next time.
– JP
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