How to reclaim time (for things that matter)

99-SECOND READ

'Time isn't the main thing, its the only thing.'

Miles Davis


Imagine if you could reclaim an hour a day - that's 365 hours - 22 *waking days every year!


In 10 years, you would get back 7 months. Yes, 7 months!! 


You could use all the time for anything you want - I'd suggest prioritising these things: 


  1. Learning, growing and developing 
  2. Quality time with people you love
  3. Investing in your health - food, diet, exercise 
  4. Downtime - rest, recharge, think! 
  5. Doing things you love - sports, art/creativity, hobbies, travel and experiences. 


All that time that you could be using for these things is being stolen from you.


If you want to get it back, it's quite easy, here's how. 


The device in your pocket/bag/hand is responsible. Yes, your phone. You are checking it many times a day. You are reading notifications and then getting distracted from what you were doing. You are looking at things on apps - from BBC News to TikTok - that have no relevance to you, that you don't care about, and that unlike the 5 points above, won't improve your life in any way. They waste your time and ruin your productivity.


It's a trap we all fall into. I got fed up with it and found a solution, I've tried it myself and with a number of my clients, with much success. 


All you need to do is download and set up (ironically) one more app - here's the link. 


This app allows you to lock yourself out of certain apps and kill different notifications at specific times of the day.


If you use strict mode, you won't be able to disable the setting while they're active. 


The only reason that our phones are so distracting is because of the automatic nature of how we use them. Our brains seek distractions and use them to procrastinate and avoid things we don't want to do. 


AppBlock stops that because it locks you out. And slowly, the automatic urge disappears. Then you will be transported back to life pre-2007 when we didn't carry these highly distracting time thieves in our pockets. 


You will remember what it is to be present, undistracted, to notice life around you again and heaven forbid, to daydream. 


Download and enjoy that time.


*waking days - we're awake and active for roughly 16 hours per day. So to calculate I divide 365 hours by 16.

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Written by Simon Tomkins

17 July 2023

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