How to Add Extra Hours to Your Day | by Demi Wait

It’s a Friday afternoon. You’ve almost finished work, and you’ve got plans. They’ve been set far in advance, and the weekend is sorted down to a T. 

Just as you’re leaving your house, your phone buzzes. “Sorry, I have to cancel.” 

Props to you for being organised, but what do you do now that your plans have been thrown askew? Perhaps you make new plans and find a good way to spend your newfound free time. 

Or maybe you spend those hours scrolling Instagram... Don’t worry, we’re all guilty of it- but why do we feel guilty about it? 

Probably because you recognise that beyond “chilling”, you’re completely wasting your time. The people who created social media aren’t stupid, they’ve found ways to make it addictive so you keep scrolling. It’s not your fault. Surely you want to find ways to maximise that time, inside and outside of the workplace?

Arguably, we turn to our phones as quick entertainment when we don’t know what else to do. We’ve become so afraid of a little bit of boredom that we’re all pretty addicted to the tiny computers in our pockets. 

The average person spends 6 hours and 37 minutes per day on screens. That’s 46 hours and 19 minutes per week, or 2,415 hours and 5 minutes in a year. 

Think about what you could do with around an extra hundred days every year if you weren’t on your phone. Being able to adapt and organise your time well could be a huge help. Easier said than done, I know. 

Here are 3 things that can help you organise your time a little better, that aren’t necessarily your generic “use a planner”:

• Power your phone off, or put it somewhere completely out of sight. I put mine in my locker, but it could just be off in your bag. It’ll remove the temptation to even take a second to check it (which is never really just a second). 
• Set personal goals and have someone hold you accountable. Human brains get the same rush of dopamine telling someone about what they plan to do that they get from actually doing it. One of these is clearly easier than the other. Having an external deadline and the extra encouragement could skyrocket your productivity. 
• Set aside time to complete tasks you’ve maybe not been told about yet. If you’re not given any new work, it doesn’t mean you need to waste time! Have a bucket of lower-stakes tasks you can do in that time if nothing comes up.

Different things work for different people! While organisation is a brilliant thing in itself, rigidity in your organisation can be just as harmful as not being organised at all. The argument that one of the only constants in life is change is absolutely true. And so, back to the original scenario, your friend has cancelled on you. But instead of adding to those hundred days the average person is on their phone, pause for a minute and think about what else you could actually be spending that time doing. Think of how much you can get done with an extra six hours every single day!

Demi Wait is an Advanced Data Fellowship apprentice at Multiverse based in London, England, and is writing for The Apprentice Lens. Here's more about her:
"Hi, I'm Demi. I currently work as an Apprentice Data Scientist for Colt. Outside of work, I love writing of all sorts and am most likely found with a book in my hand. I find huge inspiration in all sorts of tech, real-world or fictional!"