Many people emerged from the pandemic with a sense of lost time. After all, from the early months of 2020 we were asked to stay indoors, to see less of our friends, to cancel vacations and family get-togethers, and even to work from home. In the wake of the pandemic, therefore, plenty of people are looking to find ways to do as much as they possible can – making up for lost time in the process. But how can you do this? Here are some lifestyle tips to help you squeeze value from every second in your life.

Social Plans

Making social plans in advance might feel less spontaneous, but it’s certainly better than reaching a weekend, firing out some texts and finding that everyone you’d like to see is already busy with other plans. If you’re working, you’ll have a strict calendar of tasks – so why shouldn’t you make a social calendar on top if it? Being able to manage your time and getting people to set dates in their own diaries means that you’ll see more of your friends and visit more of the events that take place in your city. More importantly, it’ll mean no more Friday nights twiddling your thumbs on the sofa.

Work

There’s a rising movement across the world that is reasserting the fact that you work to live and not the other way around. If you’re not overly ambitious in your career, it’s important that you establish boundaries so that as soon as you’re finished with work, you’re able to go out and enjoy life. Conversely, if you’re highly motivated in your career, you should make sure you’re putting in the hard hours to make a difference in your firm. This will help you earn promotion and also feel as if you’re using your time wisely.

Habits

A number of self-help books have recently highlighted the effectiveness of habit-building as a way to better manage your time. Stacking involves putting several healthy habits in a row in your routine – for instance, cleaning, exercising, bathing and making breakfast all within the first hour of your day. Experts suggest that habit stacking like this is one of the key ways in which you can cut down on your administrative and domestic tasks to make more out of your free time.

Reflection

Your time shouldn’t be filled with wall-to-wall plans. If you’re rushing at lunch to see a friend, then back to work and then straight over to your partner’s house, you’ll have very little time to be alone with your thoughts and to relax your mind. Even if you consider yourself extraverted and always switched on, this reflection time is important. Not only does it allow your working memory some space to filter the day’s events, but it gives you time to reflect on your emotions and mental health. If you’re interested in learning more about your mental health and how to reflect on it, consider visiting changefutures.org.au and speaking to a professional about the benefits of self-reflection.

Use these tips to make more of your time in the coming months and years.