By Dana Phillips

As cool as it would be to have 25 hours in the day, we probably wouldn’t get more accomplished. I have been working to be more effective, more productive in my working hours so I can be PRESENT with my spouse and family when I am not working.  So here are three hacks that are working for me. Hope you give one a try and let me know how it works for you.

  1. Charge your phone in another room at night. According to a 2-18 study by tech company Asurion, nearly three-quarters of Americans who live with their spouse or partner bring their cell phone to bed with them. There is quite a bit of research that sleeping in the same room as your phone is not healthy for you, your sleep, or your relationships. Better sleep gives you more “time” in the day because you aren’t so tired!
  2. Don’t look at your phone for the first 60 minutes of the day. This one was not so difficult for me because I get up, drink coffee, do devotion, eat breakfast and go to the fitness center. However, I noticed the days I don’t go to the gym, I reached for the phone. Bad idea? Why?  Because, like you, I don’t just check email or Facebook, I scroll, and scroll, and like. and love, and emoji, and comment.  And waste valuable awake time to plan my day.
  3. Train yourself to check your phone only ONCE per hour. This has been the worst for me!  I had to turn off notification pings (I suffer from ping addiction), I had to set a timer and if I reached for the phone, stop myself because it wasn’t time to answer. Nothing, except a family emergency is so important that you need to answer less than an hour. THIS one hack gave me more time than any other. I am no longer interrupted by someone else’s emergency. I get way more accomplished in an hour.

What Are Your Favorite Time Hacks?

As we have been working on our own productivity, we have discovered FIVE SHOCKING MISTAKES THAT ARE ROBBING YOUR TIME.  Register now for this webinar on May 14 (recording will be available).  We are asking for a $5 donation to end human trafficking. Find out more at https://teamconnections.org/5-shocking-mistakes-robbing-your-time-webinar/