Maximizing Your Time: Turn Idle Hours into Productivity

Introduction: The New Year’s Fresh Start

The New Year always ushers in that fresh, new-start feel. The turn of the calendar year wipes the slate clean and allows us to turn a blank page and start from scratch. Who doesn’t love a fresh start this time of year?

It’s an opportune time to reflect on the previous year’s wins, accomplishments, and lessons learned, set key goals for the upcoming year, assess what’s most important, and get clear on the proper action to produce the outcomes you seek most.

Reflecting on Time Usage

An audit of time is one of the key components (and my favorite) of this overall assessment. Last month, while doing my usual Year-End Review and reflecting on how I had spent my time in 2020, I had a startling realization. According to my iPhone screen time calculator, I was racking up an average of 4 1/2 hours per day of screen time, most of which consisted of social media.

My jaw hit the floor! I wouldn’t have believed it if I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes. There was no way I spent a cumulative four and a half hours each day scrolling away, doing practically nothing. But the more I thought about it, the more it made sense. Twenty minutes here, an hour there, it adds up quickly! Admittedly, it was mostly idle, unstructured, purely unproductive time. In other words, it is a complete waste.

The Impact of Wasted Time

After my initial shock (and slight self-judgment) wore off, I deleted the apps off my phone and began reflecting objectively. How much time was wasted? What did this cost me? Most importantly, how will I use this time more productively moving forward?

The more efficient and focused we become with our time, the more likely we are to reach our target objectives, personally and professionally. The issue, however, is this is often easier said than done. It’s common to overlook how quickly little pockets of time add up throughout the day.

I was stunned when I did the math of what four and a half hours per day turns into over a week, month, year, and five years. Here are the findings:

• In one week, 4.5 hours compounds to 31.5 hours. That’s one full day plus seven hours!
• Over a month, that number quadruples to 126 hours, or a cumulative five days! To put it into perspective, that’s an entire workweek.
• In one year, it adds up to a cumulative 63 days or a little over two months. Think of what can be accomplished in two months. You can read four new books, start a blog, build a website, pick up an instrument, start an exercise regimen, and see significant results.
• Over five years, four and a half hours daily will amount to 315 days —almost an entire year!

The Realization and Change

Imagine the significant changes from spending one year on what mattered most. If how you invest your time isn’t paying off positively— helping you grow, heal, improve, evolve, etc.— it’s an unwise use of time.

Those 63 days over last year were entirely wasted on “checking FB” and scrolling IG. Worst yet were the hours at night getting sucked into the black abyss that is this wildly addictive habit. I imagine you can relate.

This had produced no significant positive impact. I had nothing to show for it except a frayed nervous system, increased stress and worry, and a fragile attention span. This stark realization that I had spent my precious time in a way that resulted in little to zero ROI (return on investment) was enough to make some significant changes.

The Benefits of Reclaiming Time

I had been weaning off social media since July 2020, and in December, I fully discontinued it, with Instagram being the last thing to go. The amount of time, energy, and focus I have gotten back by releasing this “time-waste” has been tremendous, and I certainly see and feel the difference! 

I now have many more hours in the day (four and a half, to be exact) to process, integrate, and digest. I have more space to reflect on what went well, what didn’t, and how I’ll improve next time.

I’ve consistently implemented self-enhancing behaviors and habits, like daily meditation, reading, and journaling. Self-care rituals, like evening baths and early bedtimes, have become the norm instead of once-in-a-while. I’ve been able to write more, work on integral components of my business, and create more. I’ve had more time for friends, family, and fun.

This is possible because I changed how I spent just four and a half hours per day. With this time gained back, I can’t imagine returning to how it used to be.

Intentionality vs. Unintentionality

Everyone has the same 24 hours in a day. But why can some people accomplish huge feats while others struggle to achieve the bare minimum? It boils down to the difference between intentional and unintentional.

I would propose that most people unintentionally spend most of their time on social media, television, and other “time-waste activities” (TWAs). They do it without intention, direction, or general awareness. Most often, it’s habitual. We do it without thinking, like picking up our smartphones at the first indication of boredom or coming home from work and immediately turning on the TV.

Typically, unintentional activities lack a significant purpose. They may alleviate feelings of discomfort or stress at the moment, but in the long run, they yield little to no ROI. We often have nothing to show for it— no positive payoff.

Intentionality, on the other hand, occurs with conscious awareness at the forefront. When we engage in intentional activities, there’s a clear direction, purpose, and positive impact.

The Value of Time

Time is one of our most valuable resources. Once it’s spent, there’s no getting it back. People often say, “When I have time, I’ll do it,” or, “I’ll have to find the time,” or, “When the time is right, I’ll get around to it.”

We all know what these kinds of phrases mean. The thing we want to do hasn’t been prioritized, and we don’t have a plan to implement it. And then we find ourselves in the same place as years prior. Nothing changes if nothing changes.

This is one of the main topics in my coaching sessions with private clients. Rather than waiting to “have” time, trying to “find” time, or waiting for the “right” time, aim to create more space to fill your time with what truly matters most.

Guard your time wisely and treat it like your most important asset because it is. Time isn’t going to multiply, although that would be nice. You are in charge of this precious resource. Use it well.

Action Steps: Audit & Assess Your Time

With that said, here’s my invitation to you. Since we all have the same 1,440 minutes daily, I challenge you to take an honest inventory. Assess how you’re spending your time daily without judgment. Then, reflect on what could be possible.

Identifying Time-Waste Activities

Where in your day might you be wasting it? Hint: If it doesn’t inspire, motivate, or elevate your mind/mood/energy, it’s likely a TWA (“time-waste activity”). If, on the other hand, it promotes feelings of excitement and expansion and gives you a sense of accomplishment (high ROI), it’s probably a wise use of your time.

For you, this might involve using social media, watching Netflix, or playing video games. For others, it might involve watching the news or television. Anything done without clear intentionality or purpose, or you find yourself doing automatically without thinking, indicates you’ve identified your TWA. Again, make sure you’re doing this without self-judgment. 

Calculating Your ROI (Return on Investment)

Now that you’ve pinpointed your TWA, let’s assess your ROI. I recommend you journal the answers to these questions rather than just passively reading them.

1. What positive outcome(s) is this activity providing you? What are you learning from it?
2. Taking a 30,000 ft view, what value and benefit is this bringing your life?
3. What’s the downfall? What does this cost you, your life, and your goals?
4. What are you sacrificing by spending your time in this way? Is it worth it? In other words, is this helping you become the person you want to be?
5. How would you love to spend this time otherwise in an ideal world?

Quantifying Time-Waste Activities

Finally, let’s quantify! Use the following sequence of equations to determine precisely how much time you are spending on a weekly, monthly, yearly, and 5-year basis on your TWA:

1. On average, how much time do you spend on this activity daily? For example, 2 hrs per day.
2. Multiply that by 7 (days a week) to determine how much time you spend weekly. For example, 2 x 7 = 14 hours per week.
3. Now, multiply that number by 4 (weeks in a month) to see how much time is spent monthly. For example, 14 x 4 = 56 hours per month.
4. Then, multiply that number by 12 (months in a year) to calculate the time spent yearly. For example, 56 x 12 = 672 hours per year.
5. Next, divide that number by 24 (hours in a day) to get the cumulative days over a year. For example, 672 ÷ 24 = 28 days per year.
6. Finally, take that number and multiply by 5 (years) for the cumulative time spent over half a decade. For example, 28 x 5 = 140 days over 5 years.

Conclusion: Small Changes, Big Impact

What we see here is that time adds up! If you spend 2 hours per day on television, you’ll invest a cumulative 2 days per month, 30 days per year, and half a year every five on essentially nothing. Not to be bleak, but this is the reality. Every little bit counts and adds up big over the long run. The small, subtle changes you make today will affect your life for years.

Your Next Steps:

How I want to hear from you. What did you learn from reading this? How do you spend your time and what changes will you make moving forward?

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