How to Get Back an Extra Hour in Your Day

Do you ever find yourself wondering If I just had one more hour in the day, I’d be able to do XYZ?

Maybe you need more time to get work done. Maybe you want to sleep. Maybe you want to spend more time with your family. Whatever the case, I’m sure we’ve all pondered the thought of what it would be like to have more time in the day to accomplish more.

I’ve always fantasized about the idea of having 30 hours in each day instead of 24 but I had to face the facts. We’re only given so much time each day to work, eat, sleep, spend time with our loved ones, have fun and enjoy our lives. Time is limited and it’s important to use it wisely.

If you often feel short on time, on the flip side, there are plenty of ways to get back more time in your day and even an extra hour can do wonders. Here are a few ways to help you get an extra hour back in your day.

Plan out Your Day

Each day will run a lot smoother if you prioritize what you need to get done and create a plan. Getting started with something without a plan is hardly ever a good idea and it just takes a few minutes each day to get organized.

Those few minutes can end up saving you a ton of time. When you don’t have a clear plan, it’s easy to get distracted, lose focus and take longer to do things that normally shouldn’t require much time.

Write out what you need to do each day in order of importance and estimate how long everything will take. The key is to not overbook yourself and to work efficiently to accomplish the most in the least amount of time.

Go to Bed or Wake Up Earlier

Sometimes this is easier said than done. First you have to decide on whether you’d like more time in the morning or at night and make a slight change to your sleep schedule.

I’m more of a morning person and I usually go to bed at 9:30 or 10 on weekdays so I’ve been trying to take up at 5 am instead of 6 am. I love working in silence in the morning and getting a productive start to my day before I even get ready for work. It’s been a hard adjustment on my body though and I even missed my alarm one day last week and got up at my normal time of 6 am instead. What a fail. But it happens.

If you can manage losing an hour of sleep in order to get more accomplished throughout your day, I’d say it’s worth a try. But if you don’t get enough sleep as it is already you should stick to your normal schedule and try to gain an hour back by cutting something else out of your day.

Turn Off the T.V.

Television can be such a distraction when you have a busy schedule. But I do feel that watching T.V. can be a relaxing way to unwind and escape the real world for a while. Yet and still, it’s an easy way to suck up time.

Try turning the television off during the week or only giving yourself a small amount of time to watch your favorite shows on certain days of the week. Placing your T.V. time at the end of the day or just eliminating it completely will free up a ton of time. I usually watch T.V. at the end of the day (if at all) before I go to bed and after I completed all my tasks for the day. That can make it more or an option than an actual part of your daily schedule.

Temporarily Block Social Media

How much time do you spend browsing and posting on social media? Business Insider used a study from BI Intelligence to indicate that Americans spend more time on social media that any other major activity, including email.

While that may not be surprising, Facebook attracts roughly seven times the engagement Twitter does and according to Global Web Index, people spend about 1.72 hours on social networking sites each day. That adds up to just over 12 hours a week.

If you spend a lot of time browsing through your newsfeed on social networking sites, there may be better ways to spend your time if you’re short on time to begin with. I get that social media can be extremely engaging and it’s not necessarily ‘bad’ to catch up with others and stay connected, but a lot of people deactivate their profiles temporarily to avoid the temptation of checking social networks constantly.

To decrease the time you spend browsing on social media, you can also block certain sites on your computer like Facebook, Instagram etc. until you feel comfortable enough that you won’t spend too much time browsing online.

Delegate Tasks

Trying to do everything yourself can leave you feeling stressed and overwhelmed every day. Letting go and allowing other people to help can not only free up your time, but it can reduce the stress and pressure you may feel.

Don’t be apprehensive to ask people for help when you need it. Small routine tasks can always be passed off to other people to help things go more smoothly on your end. Whether it’s your spouse, friend, family member, or a paid assistant, delegating certain tasks will make your life easier and help you get back an extra hour of your day.

What life hacks do you use to get back more time in your day?