Have you ever met those people who seem to get a ridiculous amount of work done and you’re left scratching your head wondering ‘how’?
I confess that I’m one of the people that tends to be high on productivity, but it wasn’t always this way. There used to be a time where I did accomplish a lot, but it was work or school related and I never felt like I was having fun or pursuing things I wanted to do. And I started to resent the things I had to do.
One of the biggest changes that helped me was establishing Time Pockets in my life. Now it wasn’t like time pockets didn’t exist, but I never used them. And if you’re reading this, then you might not be aware of them either.
First let me define what time pockets are. Very simply, they are those 10 or 15 minutes that pop up all over the place in our lives when we’re waiting for an appointment or between meetings. We arrive early and have nothing to do. While I admit it’s hard to accomplish significant tasks during these time pockets, we can do any number of activities.
Let me give you some examples of time pockets and how I’ve used them as a writer:
- When I was commuting by bus to and from work before Covid19, I spent that time reading books about writing. It was the only I time I spent doing that, but I did learn a lot and read quite a number of books even though my commute was only a 10 minute bus ride!
- Perhaps I have an hour between finishing work and a meeting. I use that time to edit a chapter or work on an outline. Or maybe there’s a podcast I want to listen to.
- A lot of times inspiration hits but I don’t have time to stop and write because I’m driving to get groceries. When I stop my car, I pull out my phone and use the notes app to write a few of those ideas down for later.
When we live with an awareness of time pockets, and fill them with productive activities that bring us joy, this also has a positive impact on our well-being. We no longer feel trapped, but we can experience the momentum of pursing our dreams, hobbies and interest.
So the next time you have a few minutes and are tempted to scroll through Facebook or a news feed, stop and do something valuable to you. The minutes will disappear and you’ll be on your way to increased productivity coupled with an increase of contentment.
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(Picture created with Canva)
K. M. Wray 