How to Develop a Routine to Stop Wasting Time

Have you ever noticed how much time we can waste in a day? Time we could use for something truly useful? From checking email incessantly to spending too much time flipping through channels or dawdling when we don’t have time to, many of us have become experts at wasting time. What’s needed to change all that is a routine we can count on. Here’s how to develop one and stop wasting your hard-earned time.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Daily planner
• Checklist
• To-do list

1. Study yourself. Take one full day and make notes of how much time you waste throughout the day when you could be getting something done.
2. Get organized. It’s hard to develop a routine when your life is an all-out mess. Get it cleaned up and go from there.
3. Set a schedule. Yes, a schedule. You know, those things we hated our parents imposing on us as children? Everyone needs a schedule to get things done during their day. Follow it.
4. Schedule yourself to do something useful in the time slots you normally while away. If you generally waste time between 3:00 and 4:00 surfing the Internet, use that time to get something done that’s been neglected for far too long, like laundry.
5. Reward yourself. Once you’ve set up a schedule and been able to follow it on a regular basis, allow yourself to schedule in some free time. And yes, free time is time you can waste however you like. Only now you don’t have to feel guilty about it because you’ve actually accomplished something during your day.

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