5 Ways to Create More Free Time
In the modern context, we enjoy every opportunity to be busy, stressed, and frenetic. My experience has led me to believe that this fast pace doesn’t ever lead to lasting happiness – or even short-term happiness. This concept is the core philosophy of Slow Life, so I wanted to share with you some radical ways to start living more simply. To get you started on Slow Life….
1. Seriously limit time spent on devices
Your Kindle, Smartphone, television, and Computer can easily hijack hours of your day in somewhat meaningless engagement. I am astonished how often I see parents ignoring their children’s creativity and play whilst endlessly commenting on social media, only to lament having teenagers who do precisely the same. Or lovers at a dinner table writing Whatsapps to their respective mates. Why not consider dropping your digital thing to just be totally present to what’s right in front of you? Otherwise, what’s the point?
You will, of course, need to part ways with those nasty friends/colleagues who freak out when you don’t respond within one minute. But you will be better off. Put that thing down and observe how hours of your day open up before you.
2. Do everything to shorten your commute
This is absolutely crucial, and potentially one of the hardest to achieve. You probably work in a city, but it’s too expensive to live right inside the city. True story of most people’s lives. What most people don’t understand is the concept of options. As in, you don’t HAVE to be doing it like this. There are hundreds of opportunities opening up for freelance, work from home, and combined home/office jobs. Or just work that exists outside of large cities, where driving times are shorter. No one is forced to live in the suburbs and work in the city these days. You’ve created that reality by believing in it. Why not choose to believe that your time is SO valuable, that you will do work which does not require a long commute.
3. Break up with materialism
I had a watershed just after my first baby was born. I suddenly realized that I had to work my tail off earning tons of money in order to have the money to pay for the privilege of doing that job. Suddenly, the whole scenario seemed completely absurd. My office was in a city where house rental was high, and groceries were expensive, and eating out was de facto after a hard day of work. And yes, I had to drive and park which was also costly. We get caught in this web so easily. We work really hard so we want to reward ourselves with nice things for working hard. We want to show everyone that we have a big house/car/stuff as our reward for working hard. And so on. Why not show the world that you’ve earned the privilege of working smart, earning your time back? When you are rich in time, you feel twice as wealthy as you do after a new purchase. This I know.
4. Get organized
The world has all types of wonderful personalities, so it would be foolish to suggest that everyone could be the organized ‘type.’ However, I believe everyone can learn to be organized, even if that requires a little help from our friends. If you need to do errands, for instance, group them together so you are doing everything at once, and enjoy the following day being with your loved ones or otherwise doing something you really enjoy with your spare time. Create a clean clear space at home and your head feels clear. Make a meal plan so you shop only once in the week for food. And so on. It’s worth the extra little bit of effort to create hours of time to just BE.
5. Learn to say 'NO'
I recently heard a quote that really resonates with the ethos of Slow Life: “I’m not saying No because I’m busy….I’m saying No because I don’t want to be busy.” And this is the crux of it. When we are in a habitual pattern of saying yes to everything, we run around madly doing things that aren’t essential or even important in the context of our own lives. We are effectively living for others, and becoming stressed or unhappy in the process. Learn to say ‘No’ in a loving and kind way; your friends, family, and children will grow to understand and even respect you for honoring your own time and space.