Your Result
Make mindful choices about how you spend your time
To be happier, consider a habit that will help you make mindful choices about how you spend your time.
Why this aim is likely to make you happier
When we mindfully manage our time, we can spend more time doing the things that make us happier and healthier. While we don’t always have control over our schedules, with reflection, we’re often able to identify ways to to spend less time on tasks we don’t enjoy or don’t value—or at least get them done more efficiently.
Aims you might consider
Practice the one-minute rule: if there’s something you can do in less than a minute, do it without delay
Limit social-media time to two slots a day
Make a plan to regularly assess your workload
Delegate or outsource a chore or task
Schedule time to worry
Know Yourself Better
Self-knowledge is an essential aspect of happiness, because we can create a happy life only on the foundation of our own nature, our own values, and our own interests.
As you consider ways to make mindful choices about how you spend your time, ask yourself:
- Can you identify an area where you might prefer to spend money to save time or energy? Or vice versa?
- During your ordinary days, at what times do you feel most productive, energetic, and creative? If you can, adjust your schedule to tackle complex tasks during these periods, and plan breaks for times you tend to drag.
- What are some activities that take up your time, but aren’t particularly interesting or useful? Of all the work you do, what task would you most like to stop doing? Can you delegate it?
- Do you often find yourself doing something because the people around you are doing it?
A few notes of caution…
Consider your Tendency. Learn whether you’re an Obliger, Questioner, Upholder, or Rebel by taking the free Four Tendencies Quiz.
- If you’re an Obliger, you may struggle to set boundaries and say “no” to projects or tasks. To avoid “Obliger-Rebellion,” remember to ask for help or check in with someone to make sure you’re not over-burdened.
- Upholders will meet an expectation, even if they don’t actually need to. When you assess your workload or schedule, check for superfluous tasks or things that don’t line up with your priorities.