18 Nov How to Spend Your Time on What Matters Most
It’s very possible that our greatest resource is … our attention; what we focus on.
It’s also very possible that staying focused on what really matters is one of the biggest challenges we all face.
Life is distracting; there are so many distractions. And there are so many temptations inviting us to divert from what we really should be attending to.
But thankfully, as always, there’s some good news. And you’ll find it in this Greater Good article by Jill Suttie …
Like many people I know, I often feel like there aren’t enough hours in the day. Working, daily meal prep, household repairs, and seemingly endless appointments occupy large chunks of my days, leaving little time for the things that matter most to me—like hiking in nature, creative projects, and hanging out with the people I love.
How can I change this pattern? That’s the topic of Cassie Holmes’s new book, Happier Hour. Holmes, a researcher and professor at UCLA’s Anderson School of Management, provides a treasure trove of ideas on how to reassess the way we spend our time and prioritize the things that make for a happier, more meaningful life.
One could argue that this topic has been mined before, but Holmes comes at it a little differently than most. For one thing, she doesn’t assume the only way to feel less busy is to give up bunches of activities—or to cut back or retire from work. In fact, as Holmes points out, being not busy enough can have similar effects on our well-being as being too busy, because it can make us feel idle or without purpose.
Instead, she and fellow researchers have studied how happiness is linked to discretionary time—when we aren’t doing what we have to do, but what we want to do. It turns out that there are better and worse ways to use discretionary time if happiness is our goal. Following the guidance and exercises contained within the book can help you figure out which activities to forgo and which to prioritize to create a more fulfilling life for yourself.
How we spend our time now
To start, Holmes recommends doing a detailed accounting of how we actually spend our time, so that we know where we’re currently using up discretionary time and can make better choices. Most of us have a vague sense that we’re wasting time watching TV, scrolling through social media, or gaming, but do we realize how much or how little enjoyment or sense of meaning we derive from these activities? Only if we analyze our days can we figure out what makes us happiest and when we’re just mindlessly filling our time, she argues.
For most people, doing an exercise like this makes them realize that the biggest source of happiness and meaning in life is their relationships. But many of us give these short shrift—or aren’t fully present even when we’re with the people who matter most. If we’re leaving on our cell phones while socializing with friends or thinking about work while walking a child to school, we are missing out on the moments when we could be fully engaged with the people we love and build the deep social connections that make life worthwhile…
… keep reading the full & original article HERE