Cut These Five Useless Things From Your Life to Reclaim Control Over It.
Productivity series: Time is the only resource we can’t recover. Use it wisely.
Hi,
This week, I’m writing about a topic that may not look connected with content marketing, but it’s still crucial. We had “R U Ok day” here in Australia a few days ago; I needed something like this, so I wrote it for myself and you - everyone needs a tap on the back from time to time.
Please let me know if:
You liked it
You think it’s “Nah”
WTF?
Hugs,
Angelina
You may get hurt if you go into a productivity gurus rabbit hole.
I’ve been learning about productivity and applying it to self-improvement for years.
But whenever I came across one of the big productivity names, I felt overwhelmed and worthless. Like I don’t know what I’m doing.
That feeling was amplified by my failure to apply their overcomplicated systems I was taught. That’s probably why I failed to become a millionaire before 30.
I struggled for years to keep up with three small kids, one full job, and two side hustles. The primary goal wasn’t self-improvement.
It was to keep my sanity.
After countless books about productivity and self-help guides, James Clear’s “Atomic Habits” and his approach to habits as a tool for self-improvement is something that finally shifted my mindset.
Productivity is not doing more.
It’s doing less of the crappy things you don’t need in your life.
It’s to appreciate more our only irreversible asset: time.
If you binge—watch Netflix for 5 hours each day, does that make you a productive Netflix addict?
Perhaps.
I spent almost the entire 2022 watching Netflix almost every day.
I was lost.
I was mourning my father's death.
I gave myself time to do nothing and heal.
Then, it comes time to wake up and say:
What I’m going to do with my life?
I finally came to the realisation I would never achieve everything I wanted.
Even close.
To-do lists are endless.
Our feeling of guilt is perpetual.
A relentless pursuit of productivity and success is pointless if you are left empty and overwhelmed.
I realised I have to be ruthless in all my tasks and chores.
To cut all shitty things, I convinced myself I had to be in charge and make space for what really mattered.
I listed some things that helped me for years to finally stop overloading myself with things that do not make my life better.
1. Identify and eliminate useless things.
Instead of writing endless to-do lists and feeling so unsuccessful in the evening when I cross just half of the things on the list, I started focusing on one or two important things in the main areas of my life.
I try to ask myself:
“What are the top three things that have the biggest impact on my life (level — my life wouldn’t be same without them)?”
How I did it:
My “done list” instead of the to-do list.
I have detailed to-do lists, plans and goals online. But, for every day, I have my notebook where I list the essential things for each day, separated by an area of my life:
Kids and their errands
Family time
My side hustle
Home and cooking
My health and wellbeing
And I focus on just one or two things that have to be done; not five of 10.
That way, I’m avoiding decision fatigue and stress (on most days, some days are just crazy).
According to AMA Member Lisa Maclean, MD:
By the time the average person goes to bed, they’ve made over 35,000 decisions and all of those decisions take time and energy, and certainly can deplete us.
This decision fatigue is the reason number ONE why we feel so overwhelmed as our days come to an end.
2. Have a “baby schedule”.
Regular sleeping time.
Morning schedule and waking up at the same time.
Regular eating.
Regular walks.
That’s how our parents looked after us when we were babies.
Why did we abandon that perfect routine?
We tend to underestimate these basics, and they are the true foundation of our well-being — regular sleep, regular and healthy nutrition, and exercise.
How I did it:
In my case, my body gave clear signals that I wouldn’t listen anymore. So I got my shit together and tuned my schedule to be like a baby’s.
Since I have start going to bed at 10 PM and getting up at 4.30, I feel 100% better — physically, psychologically. I can achieve more, and my productivity rocketed.
Not to mention two hours for me every morning! (This is THE gold for a busy mum of three like me).
3. Say goodbye to Time-Wasting Habits
I’m not a big fan of the “We all have the same 24 hours in a day” mantra.
No, 22-year-old Molly—Mae doesn’t have my 24 hours.
Sure, we can all make choices.
But, let’s not pretend that we have the same options.
Says Alice Snape, and I agree.
But there is a silver lining.
How we spend time we have under our control can make all difference.
So, if you have just an hour or two in a day of your own time, it’s even more valuable than having a full 24-hour cycle just for yourself.
Find what eats your precious time and start using it intentionally.
How I did it:
The easiest to get rid of and the most satisfying is to minimise our mindless screen time.
You don’t need to:
Check emails 50 times per day.
Peak on Instagram and TikTok and consume worthless content that won’t make us feel better, just the opposite.
Scroll through our multiple feeds before bed to ruin our melatonin production, which is vital for healthy sleep (I recommend this excellent Dr. Huberman’s video on optimising sleep and wake time).
How to decrease screen time:
Create different habits for your morning routine.
Do not look at your phone for the first hour or two.
Decide on two slots during the day to check your emails. Nothing is that important; you’re not Elon Musk or Joe Biden.
A good list of possible actions to keep your focus can be found in this article by Alba Tay.
As James Clear perfectly noticed, one way to ditch bad habits is to make them less attractive:
— Grayscale your mobile phone icons. (Burk has a great set of iPhone black/white icons, so I feel bad for switching from iPhone to Samsung last year.)
—Delete social media apps from your phone and access them through the browser.
-Find something to replace that bad habit (read, listen to a podcast, take a walk).
4. Automate what bores you.
Don’t let repetitive tasks eat your creativity. Automate them and free up more time for the things that matter.
Look at your daily schedule, work, family obligations, house chores, and everything you must do repeatedly, from paying monthly bills and meal prepping to adding new customers to CRM at work.
Then, look if you can:
Delegate the task to someone.
2. Automate it or let machines do it.
How I did it:
This is the field I’m struggling with the most. I’m a bit of a control freak, and giving control is not easy.
But I’m practising with my kids, so they all have delegated household tasks.
I’m trying to ask for help at work and learning to delegate more to my assistants.
5. Learn to Say No
We are wired to say yes.
Also, we’re addicted to that little “badge of honour” that says we’re important, even necessary, whilst so many people ask for our help and depend on us.
“Know your limits and stick with them”.
-Jodi Picoult
The problem is we don’t know our limits or ignore them.
Then, we’re bragging about how busy and stressed we are.
Vicious circle.
And the only right way to cut this circle is to learn to say NO.
This is the long process of reclaiming your time and well-being. First, start paying attention and ask yourself what you really want for you.
How I did it:
I didn’t.
I’ve analysed the roots of our people-pleasing behaviour.
It’s from how we are raised and what values are imprinted in us.
No one taught us to set boundaries.
What I did is to develop a good understanding of when to “run an extra mile”, so I can focus more on people and things that matter.
Conclusion
We’re all a work in progress.
Whenever we say no to something, we free up space to say YES to something else.
The sooner we hit the bull’s eye, the sooner we will see the benefits of more intentional, well-used time.
The time that leaves us fulfilled and peaceful is when we stay alone.
The path to success is paved with intentional choices and disciplined actions.
p.s.
These past few weeks were so intensive that I feel I need a reset. I feel that Substack is not the right platform for me as I don’t intend to introduce a paid subscription.
I rather want to make and sell digital products, “one-on-one” consulting and training. I’ll send a separate update about my major life and newsletter changes.
Big hug from Angelina
Stay productive and sane!
I was probably what most would consider a 'bad mom' because my son had no typa schedule as a baby - but I really like that idea of a baby schedule for me.