The Twenty Minute Day

Finding value in new found time

Starting my time management evaluation wasn’t actually about trying to manage my time but rather started as a list of things I wanted to start doing more of.

I wanted to start exploring parts of the city I often don’t make it to. I wanted to start going to new restaurants with friends I don’t get to see as often as I want to. I wanted to read more. I also wondered how people had time to binge watch so many different programs.

All of these thoughts are what got me started on looking at how I spend my time through a new lens.

My 20 minute approach wasn’t about trying to schedule more into what felt like a relatively busy schedule, but rather about reminding myself what I would rather be doing with each of those time blocks.

If I have to move things around, there isn’t a penalty. I don’t want to create guilt. I want to do more of what I want to do each day.

I would suggest you create a list too. All those things you say to yourself, if I had more time I would… Next look at how many of those require new time blocks and how many of those you could switch up your current time blocks to accommodate already.

For example, I want to try new restaurants and see people I haven’t seen in awhile. Eating dinner is already a time block so to reach my goal I need to adjust that time block by adding friends to it. I acknowledge that it probably joins a few time blocks because most of us don’t eat and catch up in 20 minutes, but the beginnings of a new time management approach starts to take shape here.

If eating out at a new restaurant isn’t in the budget, then inviting the friend over to eat with you, or even for a coffee, can help achieve a satisfying part of the goal (at least for me).

Finding out what I am trying to make time for has really helped excite me rather than stress me out about this 20 minute time blocking approach. I hope it works for you as well.