5 Activities I Cut Out To Save Time

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Want more time, but lacking focus, already stretched thin, or simply living the busy mom life? Instead of trying to find more time in your already busy schedule, eliminate the unnecessary to hack your productivity. Read on to find the 5 activities I cut out to save time.

I can’t talk about time or money without mentioning motherhood, because becoming a mother is a shock to both your finances and your free time. My free time never has been so productively utilized in all my life. Our finances have taken top priority as well, to be able to provide for our growing family.

Through many moments of complete exhaustion, books read, and observations made, I vowed to cut out these huge time wasters so I could be a better mom, teacher, and human. Also, so that I could also meet goals outside of my family, goals like becoming an author, writer, and business owner.

So far, this list has held true. Although, I still have bouts of distraction, for the most part these time wasters are not part of my daily habits anymore. Here is my list of 5 activities I cut out to save time.

1.Watching T.V.

Last year I read 50 books and people always ask how I have enough time to do so. I really think it’s because I don’t watch much T.V. There is only one show I really like and it’s on after I put my daughter to bed. I don’t watch sports, game shows, or reality T.V.

I most definitely don’t watch the news. Not because I don’t want to be informed, but because I think the news uses complete fear tactics to get people to tune in. I get my news from other credible sources, and a variety of them. If interested, I wrote a blog post on how to stay informed, not overwhelmed. You can check it out here.

The reason I cut T.V. out is because I get very little benefit from watching it. There is of course one exception – I love watching comedy movies, and I do get a benefit from that. I laugh, hard.

Yes, entertainment is a benefit, but I think as a society we are constantly entertained and it’s good to experience boredom. You become more creative, productive, and your brain actually benefits from moments of complete boredom. Having the T.V. on in the background all day long, or every evening is really something that can be cut out. Instead fill it with a good book, family time, or some self-care.

2.Excessive Cleaning or Tidying

One of the main reasons I choose to embrace minimalism is because it saves me time, not because I’m obsessed with tidying. I’m actually not a naturally organized person. I’m organized enough, enough to get by, enough to meet deadlines, but I don’t get a high from color coding folders and alphabetizing spices. I really admire people who enjoy this. They are the yin to my yang. Honestly, if I made enough money, I would pay someone to clean my house. I would love to provide an income to someone who enjoys organizing and cleaning.

One purpose of minimalism for me is that when I have less stuff to pick up, dust, clean around, move around, or organize I actually spend less time cleaning. I reside with a toddler. To exude the idea that my house is kept spotless would be a complete lie. It’s messy most of the time, but it doesn’t take long to pick it up. I actually can clean my whole kitchen in about 20 minutes, since I have less stuff on my counters, a simple cleaning system, and less clutter.

I also refuse to fold my daughter’s clothes or match her socks. Nope, I see no benefit of this. She scrambles through them every morning, and pulls her socks off at every chance so wasting even 5 minutes trying to organize a space (her dresser) that will be riffled through when I turn my back is torture. Nah.. I’m good.

3.Staying Up Late

Another one of the activities I cut out to save time is staying up late. I’ve always been a morning person, so this comes naturally to me. However, it’s also really easy to turn on a show and watch until late hours in the evening. This is a huge waste of time because by doing this you’re wasting precious morning time at your most productive energy levels.

Waking up before my family does keeps me sane. It is the only time the house is completely quiet. No one is interrupting me, and I can do whatever I please. I can sit in the dark with a cup of coffee and just think. I never get this type of deep thought, or energized productivity late at night, and that’s why it’s a waste of time to stay up late. Instead go to bed early, and wake up before your family to organize and set intentions for your day.

Also, staying up late drinking alcohol is even worse! I researched this thoroughly in my 20’s! 😉 Of course then I thought I had all the time in the world, and would give loads of energy anywhere. Now, that I realize I’m not super human, I try to actually conserve my energy to the most important people and tasks. Don’t get me wrong, I love hanging out with good friends, swapping stories late into the evening or early morning, and laughing. I just don’t do this every weekend.

4.Commuting

I spent 6 long years commuting an hour both ways from my job as a middle school teacher. I absolutely hate driving. Now that I work from home I have no commute. It is amazing. It is so amazing that I plan on working at the middle school across the street from where I live, because I could walk to work. I love the idea of walking or biking to work. Completely abandoning the need to get in a car.

Obviously, you can’t just quit your job because you hate commuting, but you can look into different options. For me, I never thought in a million years as a teacher I’d be able to work from home, but here I am, living the dream. You also can negotiate for one day a week where you work from home, or seek out employment that is closer to where you live. Honestly, calculate the time you spend in a car every day and then figure out how much time that is per week, how about per year? For me that was 10 hours a week I was just sitting in a car. That makes a 40 hour work week into 50 hour work week! Yikes!

5.Worrying About Things I Can’t Control

Obviously, I’m not a professional at this. I still worry about a lot of hypothetical situations. However, in recent years I feel like I am more aware of when I’m getting into a worry cycle. I read The Power of Now and realized that the voice in my head could be ignored, quieted, and calmed. Yoga and meditating have helped me practice awareness and identifying when I can make a difference and when I can’t.

This is one of the reasons I don’t watch the news. It only makes me scared and angry. I instead got involved with some community groups that I feel passionate about. As a result, I am a much more optimistic, energized, and joyful person because I have eliminated worrying about problems I cannot help, and instead have focused on problems I can work to solve.

Honorable Mention: Social Media

Social media is actually made to be addictive, and if you think that you are not addicted to it and you check it more than three times a day, you’re probably not being honest with yourself. It has also been proven to create more feelings of loneliness, even though it’s supposed to help to connect with people. It’s a huge platform that steals your attention for its own profits.

Possible Solutions

One way I alleviate addictive behaviors with social media is through bi-annual social media detoxes. I take whole months away from interacting on social media. This allows me to see some of my patterns and then hit reset after the month is over. You also can educate yourself on the attention economy, and how most media is made to steal your focus.

Final Words

Hopefully this blog post “Activities I Cut Out to Save Time” helps you critically think about the ways you spend your time. Time to me is the ultimate currency. You can’t get any more back. Your time is the way you show yourself and the world what is important to you.

This blog was one of the ways I help to solve problems I see, and I try to motivate others to think differently, question the status quo, and be unique. I use my “talents” if you can call it “talent” to inspire others, question, and hopefully change their lives for the better.

Join the Discussion

How do you set boundaries with social media? What time wasting habits have you noticed in your life?

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Author

Maria Halcumb is a teacher, writer, reading specialist, and mother. You can find her reading books, being in nature, minimizing her life, and spending time with family and friends in the great PNW, or Northern Minnesota. If you want to learn more about Maria, check out the About page.