Before I share my thoughts and proven methods for how to create time, I’m going to give you a little tough love.

No matter how much you’ve convinced yourself that you ‘do not have time’, we all have the same amount of time. We have different responsibilities, granted, yet we are all adults making decisions on what we want to do and what we don’t. The first point in the below list highlights more detail.

1. Be empowered

You could say (while rolling your eyes) – ‘I have to wash the floor, deal with the laundry, or cook dinner’, or you could say (while thinking positively) –
‘I have to wash the floor (then think -I want to because that means our busy, happy house is clean)’
‘I have to deal with the laundry (then think – I want to so we can have have clean clothes to wear)’
‘I have to cook dinner (then think – I want to so I can feed my family nutritious meals)’
See how by simply acknowledging that you’ve consciously made that choice for a good reason, you feel empowered?

2. Take things off your to-do list

Now let’s say you’re going to do something, and you cannot think of a valid reason why you want to do it. For example’s sake, let’s go with something simple like ‘clean carpets’. Yet your carpets are clean because you washed them a few days ago and they’ve been vacuumed just yesterday. Then that’s good enough reason to say no to that task.

3. Make conscious decisions

For every thing you say yes to, you’re saying no to something else.
Our time is not limitless. Think things through and do not make rash decisions.

So, before saying yes to anything at all (especially if this is a recurring commitment), think about what you’re ready to give up in place of it. This is a good blog post to read. It’s short, but lists the 5 conscious decisions my husband and I took to live a slower paced life.

4. Prioritise

This ties in with the above. When faced with a decision such as whether to sign up for that class, whether to volunteer your time somewhere, or whether to add another extra-curricular for your child (PS: think pre-lockdown) – think about your priorities. Don’t say yes right away, but don’t say no right off the bat either.

Consider your options, commitments and wants and desires. We change, our lifestyles and needs change too. What was important yesterday might not be as important today. And what was not important yesterday may now be very valid and deserving of your time. Whatever it is, do not brush things off. Think. What’s most important to me? What’s most important for my family? What makes me happy?

5. Focus on the task at hand

The truth is, we cannot multitask. Our brains are unable to carry out two important tasks at a time. Think about it. Are you able to write email and chat on the phone, for example? The short answer: no. What we are able to do is shift from task to task and back again very quickly, some faster than others. But it can get very overwhelming, slow us down, and have us produce work which is not our best.

6. Limit the distractions

One word: your phone. Experts have designed them to be addictive. All the notifications, ability to connect, flashing buttons, instant gratification through social media – they’ve been designed to have you hooked. You can track your screen time and usage via your phone’s settings, and even set limits. Just being aware of how much time you’re spending on it will help you be more diligent. I’ve also set most app to not send me notifications, and will frequently mute Messenger conversations when they start to get out of hand and I need to focus elsewhere.

7. Simplify

Simplifying your routines, to-dos, errands, and lifestyle choices will free up a substantial amount of time. Think about the time you spend cleaning, and how less time you’d spend had you had less belongings, carpets that are easier to clean, everything put away in it’s space, or no clutter running around. Your routine. How much simpler life would be had you reduce the number of errands by doing more online. There are a lot of ways to simplify life – I have a list of 99 ways listed right here in this blog post.

8. Automate, delegate, eliminate

We’ve already covered eliminate indirectly, but automation and delegation are two other very important things to be mentioned when talking productivity. Anything that can be done automatically, should always be set up to do so. Think paying bills online, sorting your emails into folders, setting the washing machine to start at a good time, and so on.

Delegation also shouldn’t be ignored. And delegation starts at home. Don’t think your 4 year old is too little for chores. Age appropriate chores are something I strongly suggest because they foster an independent child for whom chores are a part of his normal day-to-day. You cannot expect a child to turn 7 and magically start loading the dishwasher, or taking out the trash. It takes time, patience (LOTS of it) and the right attitude.

9. Do a time audit

Track your daily activities for a few days, sit down with a cup of tea and have a good look at how you’re spending your time. You might find out that a simple shift can save you an hour at one go. For this to be totally effective, you have to be honest with yourself. If you spent 30 minutes mindlessly scrolling through Instagram, write down. If you spent 45 minutes dragging your feet to cook because you were on the phone chatting away, take note if it too.

This will answer the question of ‘where has my time gone?’ and will help you be aware of what’s eating it up, and force you to think about how you can do better.

10. Design your ideal day

I learnt this from productivity expert Michael Hyatt. Find some alone time, and sit down with a pen and a piece of paper. The goal is to literally design your day. Be realistic. But really think about what you wish to do and how you can make it possible.

The time audit will also lend a hand over here. You could, for example, stumble upon the fact that your husband could drop off the kids on his way to work (again – post-lockdown of course), which meant you gain 45 minutes driving back and fro in morning traffic.
Your ideal day will help you highlight your priorities, dreams and desires, so you can move close to making time for the things that matter and move you closer to living the life YOU want to live.

11. Have a consistent & simple meal routine

I may be biased, but I have evidence to back me up here.

If you want to save hours every single week, and a lot of stress and overwhelm — so you can be present with your family to have time to spend with the kids every day, then you definitely need a meal routine.
One that is simple, yet so smart, you’re spending way less time in the kitchen, and in the stores or thinking about dinner, yet you’re serving homemade meals most night of the week.

Notice I say serving, and not cooking. Why? You honestly do not need to cook everyday. With a little planning, meal prep, and batch cooking (and no, I’m not asking you to spend hours slaving away either) – this could be you.

If you want to cut through the chase and figure it out without having to look for answers, and go on a trial and error journey, you have to check out Dinner in a Flash. We close our doors on Sunday, and honestly, if you’ve been considering coming in, I do not want you to miss out.

Go here to sign up.

We have payment plans available. It is spread over a number of weeks so I do not overwhelm you. One topic at a time, one week at a time. Recorded lessons available to watch on demand in a member’s site and app. Facebook group where I show up daily to motivate and support you.

It is LIFE CHANGING.

The testimonials say it all.

Are you in?

I’ll be waiting for you inside of Dinner in a Flash.

Love,

Nakita xxx