20 Great Ways to Find More Free Time

“The real problem of leisure time is how to keep others from using yours.” - Arthur Lacey

Are there a hundred different things you wish you could do with your life someday — anything from exercising to meditation or yoga to writing that novel you always wished you could write to reading more to relaxing and watching the sunrise? But perhaps you never have the time, like most people.

The truth is, we all have the same amount of time, and it’s finite and in great demand. But some of us have made the time for doing the things we love doing, and others have allowed the constant demands and pressures and responsibilities of life to dictate their days.

It’s time to move from the second group back into the first. Reclaim your time. Create the life you want and make the most of the free time you lay claim to. It’s not hard, though it does take a little bit of effort and diligence.
Not all of these will be applicable to your life — choose the ones you can apply and give them a try:

Take a time out. Freeing up your time starts with taking a step back to take a good look at your life. You need to block off at least an hour. Several hours or half a day is better. A whole day would be awesome. A weekend would be even more ideal, though not necessary practical for many folks. With this block of time, take a look at your life with some perspective. Is it what you’ve always wanted? How would you get to where you’ve always wanted to be? What do you enjoy doing, but don’t have enough time to do? What things actually fill up your day? Are there things you could drop or minimize to make more time? We’ll look at some of these things in the following items, but it starts with taking a time out to think and plan.

Find your essentials. What is it that you love to do? Make a short list of 4-5 things. These are the things you want to make room for.

Find your time-wasters. What do you spend a lot of your time on that isn’t on your essential list? Take a close look at these things and really think about whether they’re necessary, or if there are ways to reduce, minimize or eliminate these things. Sometimes you do things because you assume they’re necessary, but if you give it some thought you can find ways to drop them from your life. Figure out what you do simply to waste time — maybe surfing certain sites, watching TV, talking a lot at the water cooler, etc. You’re going to want to minimize these time-wasters to make room for the more important stuff, the stuff that makes you happy and that you love to do.

Schedule the time. As you sit down and think about your life and what you want to do, versus what you actually do, you will be looking at ways to free up time. It’s crucial that you take a blank weekly schedule (you can just write it out on a piece of paper, or use your calendar) and assign blocks for the things you love — the stuff on your essentials list. If you want to exercise, for example, when will you do it? Put the blocks of time on your schedule, and make these blocks the most important appointments of your week. Schedule the rest of your life around these blocks.

Consolidate. There are many things you do, scattered throughout your day or your week, that you might be able to consolidate in order to save time. A good example is errands — instead of running one or two a day, do them all in one day to save time and gas. Another example is email, or any kind of communication — batch process your email instead of checking and reading and responding throughout the day. Same thing with meetings, paperwork, anything that you do regularly.

Cut out meetings. This isn’t possible for everyone, but in my experience meetings take up a lot of time to get across a little information, or to make easy decisions that could be made via email or phone. As much as you can, minimize the number of meetings you hold and attend. In some cases this might mean talking to your boss and telling her that you have other priorities, and asking to be excused. In other cases this might mean asking the people holding the meeting if you can get the info in other ways. If so, you’ve saved yourself an hour or so per meeting (sometimes more).

De clutter your schedule. If you have a heavily packed schedule, full of meetings and errands and tasks and projects and appointments, you’re going to want to weed it out so that it’s not so jam-packed. Find the stuff that’s not so essential and cancel them. Postpone other stuff. Leave big blank spaces in your schedule.

Re-think your routine. Often we get stuck in a routine that’s anything but what we really want our days to be like. Is there a better way of doing things? You’re the creator of your life — make a new routine that’s more pleasant, more optimal, more filled with things you love.

Cut back on email. I mentioned email in an earlier point above, regarding consolidating, but it’s such a major part of most people’s lives that it deserves special attention. How often do you check email? How much time do you spend composing emails? If you spend a major part of your work day on email, as many people do (and as I once did), you can free up a lot of time by reducing the time you spend in email. Now, this won’t work for everyone, but it can work for many people: choose 2-3 key times during the day to process your inbox to empty, and keep your responses to 5 sentences.

Learn to say no. If you say “yes” to every request, you will never have any free time. Get super protective about your time, and say “no” to everything but the essential requests.

Keep your list to 3. When you make out your daily to-do list, just list the three Most Important Tasks you want to accomplish today. Don’t make a laundry list of tasks, or you’ll fill up all your free time. By keeping your task list small, but populated only by important tasks, you ensure that you are getting the important stuff done but not overloading yourself.
Do your Biggest Rock first. Of the three Most Important Tasks you choose for the day, pick the biggest one, or the one you’re dreading most, and do that first. Otherwise you’ll put that off as much as possible and fill your day with less important things. Don’t allow yourself to check email until that Big Rock is taken care of. It starts your day with a sense of major accomplishment, and leaves you with a lot of free time the rest of the day, because the most important thing is already done.

Delegate. If you have subordinates or coworkers who can do a task or project, try to delegate it. Don’t feel like you need to do everything yourself. If necessary, spend a little time training the person to whom you’re delegating the task, but that little time spent training will pay off in a lot of time saved later. Delegating allows you to focus on the core tasks and projects you should be focusing on.

Cut out distractions. What is there around your workspace that distracts you from the task at hand? Sometimes it’s visual clutter, or papers lying around that call for your attention and action, or email or IM notifiers on your computer that pop up at the wrong time, or the phone, or coworkers. See if you can eliminate as many of these as possible — the more you can focus, the more effective you’ll be and the less time you’ll waste. That equals time saved for the good stuff.

Disconnect. The biggest of distractions, for most people, is the Internet. My most productive times are when I’m disconnected from the grid. Now, I’m not saying you need to be disconnected all the time, but if you really want to be able to effectively complete tasks, disconnect your Internet so you can really focus. Set certain times of the day for connectivity, and only connect during those periods.

Outsource. If you can’t delegate, see if you can outsource. With the Internet, we can connect with people from all over the world. I’ve outsourced many things, from small tasks to checking email to legal work to design and editing work and more. That allows me to focus on the things I’m best at, the things I love doing, and saves me a lot of time.

Make use of your mornings. I find that mornings are the absolute best times to schedule the things I really want to do. I run, read and write in the mornings — three of the four things on my Essentials List (spending time with family is the other thing on the list). Mornings are great because your day hasn’t been filled with a bunch of unscheduled, demanding, last-minute tasks that will push back those

Essentials. For example, if you schedule something for late afternoon, by the time late afternoon rolls around, you might have a dozen other things newly added to your to-do list, and you’ll put off that late-afternoon Essential. Instead, schedule it for the morning, and it’ll rarely (if ever) get pushed back.
The Golden Right-after-work Time. Other than mornings, I find the time just after work to be an incredible time for doing Essential things. Exercise, for example, is great in the 5-o’clock hour, as is spending time with family, or doing anything else relaxing.

Your evenings. The time before you go to bed is also golden, as it exists every single day, and it’s usually completely yours to schedule. What do you want to do with this time? Read? Spend time with your kids? Work on a hobby you’re passionate about? Take advantage of this time.

Lunch breaks. If the three golden times mentioned above don’t work for you, lunch breaks are another good opportunity to schedule things. Some people like to exercise, or to take quiet times, during their lunch breaks. Others use this time to work on an important personal goal or project.

BHEJA FRY!

This is what I call BHEJA FRY....

1)
what is the cube of 13?
Its : SUROOR
wondaring how?
thats bcoz....
TERA * TERA * TERA = SUROOR
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2) ek aadmi k 6 fingers thi,use log hanuman bulate the...batao kyon?
kyonki uska naam hanuman tha..
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3 ) wht did the kangaroo say when she found her baby missing?
Aaila!!!!! kisne mera pocket maar liya
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4) n elephant falls in luv wid n Ant.but Ant's parents r against their
marrige guess y??
they gave a solid reason Ladke k daant bahar hain**
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6) Full from of MATHS ?????
Mentally Affected Teacher Harassing Students
_____________________________________________________________________________
9) what wud u call a girl who never laughs??
Ans: hasina
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10) 3+ 3 =8
Bataao Kaise?
Bataao Bataao!
Nahi Pata?!!
Are
Galati se!!!!!!!!!!!
11) Teacher: 'A' for?
Student: Apple !!!
Teacher: Jor se bolo
Student: JAI MATA DI
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1) Smoking
2) Drinking
3) Charas
4) Ganja
5) Chicken
6) Mutton
7) Oily food
8) Masala
9) Sleep & obesity
10) Pollution
= Heart Attack
Matlab
scrolll down
DUS bahane karke le gaye DIL !!
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What's the opposite of "Dominoes"???
think
think
think
think
think
tired of thinking???
Well the answer is "Domi doesn't know"
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Whats the opposite of "Pizza Hut"
....
....
..
......
okei don't kill me "Pizza.... Hutna mat"
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ok whats the opp of venky's..
venlocks...
(now,now,dont bang ur head plz..)
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Whats the opposite of Gopalakrishnan?
' Come
' palakrishnan.
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A sardarji went to a STD/ISD/PCO SHOP and slapped the operator twice.
:-(
Guess why ?
because there it was written "Number dial karne se pehele do lagae"
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ek aadmi marne vala hei to use kya khilaoge .......
sweets nops
salt nopes
think
think
are yaar
birla white cement
kyunki iske ander jaan hei.......
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whats difference between a man jumping from 1st floor and a man
jumping from 10th floor?
..
..
..
..
..
..
..
..
..
..
..
..
former goes (hit) aaaaaaaaa
later goes aaaaaaaaa (hit)
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Other than being fruits, what is common between an Apple and an
Orange ?
think......
............
............
............
............
............
............
............
............
............
............
............
............
............
socho socho
............
............
............
............
............
............
............
............
............
............
the answer is ..........
They Both Are Not a Banana !!

Decoding Doublespeak

The following list of phrases and their definitions may help you understand the mysterious language of science and medicine. These special phrases may also come in handy for anyone reading an academic paper.

"IT HAS LONG BEEN KNOWN"
I didn't look up the original reference.

"IT IS BELIEVED THAT"
I think.

"IT IS GENERALLY BELIEVED THAT"
A couple of others think so, too.

"A STATISTICALLY-ORIENTED PROJECTION OF THE SIGNIFICANCE OF
THESE FINDINGS"
A wild guess.

"CORRECT WITHIN AN ORDER OF MAGNITUDE"
Wrong.

Different From vs. Different Than

The expressions different from and different than have been used almost interchangeably for at least 300 years.

Different from is preferred to introduce a phrase; however, different than may also be used.

Example: New Orleans natives’ speech is different from that of New York natives’ speech. Example: New Orleans natives’ speech is different than that of New York natives’ speech.

Different than is preferred to introduce a clause; however, different from may be used if more words are added.

Example: The boulevard led to a different street than the map showed.
Example: The boulevard led to a different street from the one the map showed.

Differently is used as an adverb. Use differently than with a clause following. You may use differently from if you add extra wording.

Example: He walked differently than he had hoped after getting the leg cast off.
Example: He walked differently from what he had hoped after getting the leg cast off.

When to Capitalize People's Titles

When should you capitalize someone's title? I get this question quite often so here are some guidelines:

Rule: Capitalize a person's title when it follows the name on the address or signature line.

Examples: Sincerely, Margaret Haines, Chairperson
Margaret Haines, Chairperson
1234 South Wallace St.
Portland, OR 97232

Rule: Capitalize the titles of high-ranking government officials when used with or before their names.

Do not capitalize the civil title if it is used instead of the name.

Examples: The president will address Congress.
All senators are expected to attend.
The governors, lieutenant governors, and attorneys general called for a special task force.
Governor Connelly, Lieutenant Governor Martinez, and Senators James and Hennessy will attend the meeting.

Rule: Capitalize a title when used as a direct address even when the person is not named.

Examples: Will you be holding a press conference, Madame President?
Please give us your opinion of this latest development, Senator.
We need your response quickly, Mr. President.
We need your response quickly, President Obama.
Will you help me with my homework, Dad?

On Missing Someone

I miss you

I look at the vast endless sea before me and
I see the vast expanse of the gray skies above
I notice the little raindrops caressing the leaves,
the trees and everything around.
In all these and much more, I see my love for you
-mirrored

I no longer miss you

PREDICTIONS for 2058

Anticipating and predicting our future world is a huge undertaking, with twists and turns that may take us down technological roads very nearly impossible to foresee. However, 60 top professionals gave it a shot in Mike Wallace's book, The Way We Will Be 50 Years From Today. These projections are from present-day geneticists, astrophysicists, neurologists, military commanders, world leaders, economists, inventors, and astronomers. The year is 2058.

1. Reprogramming aging cells to breathe new life into failing organs has the potential to increase the human life-span to over a century.

2. The paralyzed will be able to walk again due to nanotechnology. Nanofibers formed from molecules injected into the spinal cord will eliminate the formation of scar tissue and spur new cell growth.

3. We will meet with other people holographically, as well as taste, touch and smell online products before purchasing because of technological advances in the virtual world.

4. We will find a cure for AIDS and will develop vaccines against many chronic diseases such as certain cancers, heart disease, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, autism, obesity, rheumatoid arthritis, and multiple sclerosis.

5. Contingent upon genetic compatibility, couples will obtain permission from the government to get married and have children. If they do not follow these guidelines, they will be charged a heavy tax based on any ill or debilitated children they bear.

6. With space-age, hand-held neuroimagers, we will be able to discern (like a lie detector test) when others are lying.

7. We will engineer germ-free meat to replace the livestock that we now consume, thus preventing the spread of diseases like mad cow and SARS.

8. Due to labor shortages as well as advances in the medical field, the offspring of the baby boomers will work well past 70 years of age.

9. We will seldom have household pets like cats, small rodents, and birds, due to the dawning awareness that animals carry and transmit many diseases to humans. Dogs, however, are not included in this list, as they have been cohabiting and sharing pathogens with humans for 14,000 years.

10. We will be able to transform information files into solid products. An example of this might be emailing a carton of milk to a friend, who will be able to print it to a desktop "nanofactory."

11. In 2058, there exists the possibility of downloading human memory into remote storage devices as well as adding memory to the human brain similar to increasing the capacity of a hard drive. Inasmuch as some think that we are the sum of our memories, the capacity to download and store a human's memories tiptoes into the area of immortality.

12. We will be able to communicate with people of all languages as we master simultaneous translation technologies. The power of nation-states will be diminished as money and information are able to flow freely across borders, allowing each individual global interdependence.

13. Privacy will be almost completely eradicated as digital data from technological advances such as face recognition software, retinal scans, full body scans, and possibly microchip implants, is forwarded to intelligence "fusion" centers. This information will give governments knowledge of the people's actions in addition to their exact whereabouts.

14. Virtual worlds will become destination points for many 21st century earthlings' vacations. Hand-held devices will be able to track friends and family as well as coordinate our vacations by matching up our free time with our destinations of interest.

15. Children born deaf and blind will be able to hear and see. This will be done by rewiring nerve signals to the brain's auditory or visual cortex.

16. Of all children born in 2058, 5-10% will start their lives with genetic enhancements, thus accelerating human evolution.

17. Scientists will develop artificial retinas, which with only a thought will allow us to switch between reality and virtual reality.

18. To prevent the spread of disease, human contact such as handshakes and kisses will only be shared between family members.

19. We will be able to fashion medical treatments to our own genetic profiles based upon our knowledge of our individual DNA sequence.

20. We will be able to recreate life in a laboratory as we come closer to understanding the origins of life.

We look forward to this brave new world!