🎯 Work Smart Wednesday - November 8, 2023
Why I often give my time away for free, a useful tool for Christmas, and a quote on being a billionaire
Work Smart Wednesday
👋 Hey there!
Here is your weekly dose of Work Smart Wednesday
In these emails I will share with you 3 things to help you work smarter in 3 minutes or less. That leaves you with 10,077 more minutes to conquer your goals this week
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1. 🕊️ Giving away your time GIVES you time
Well, giving away your time makes you feel like you have more time at least - which is almost the same thing (if not better!).
This article from Harvard Business Review explains why people who give time away actually end up feeling like they have more time, not less.
Giving your time to others can make you feel more “time affluent” and less time-constrained. Yes, objectively those that volunteer have less time at first, but they feel more effective and that feeling enhances their overall productivity.
I would argue that our sense of time is often more important than our time reality. Feeling like I have time helps me to feel both relaxed and focused (which in turns helps me be more productive and get more time!). Beliefs trump reality.
So, what can you do to feel like you have more time?
Volunteering is a great place to start. Now, I know you likely feel like you have limited time. Fortunately, research shows that it doesn’t matter how much time you spend volunteering - any time given makes you feel like you have more time.
Volunteering doesn’t have to be cause-led, I help organise my local board game event for example.
Start small, you can build up from there. It is worth it.
The benefits of volunteering are well documented. You can read more here, and here, and here.
What else can you do to feel like you have more time?
Aside from volunteering, research shows that thinking about the present moment instead of the future slows the perceived passage of time.
This one simple exercise, initially intended to treat anxiety but great for productivity, is amazing at improving your sense of time and control.
Studies show that breathing more deeply helps too. I always take multiple breaks in the day to simply breath deeply - it sounds unlikely but it really does help. I recommend building this into your schedule.
Whatever route you choose, you want to work towards the feeling of having more time right now regardless of how much time you currently have.
Feeling like you have time improves your decisions and your productivity, both of which actually bring you more time.
Feeling like you have time is an important first step to actually getting more time.
2. 🎅 A useful (free) secret santa generator
I have a fairly large family. Large enough that a few years back we all decided to switch to a family-wide secret santa rather than everybody buying individual gifts.
This is a practice I have extended to my friends and employees (can be great for teams!). Done well, these work wondrously, it is both easier and more fun.
Unfortunately, organising a secret santa is a pain. It takes a long time and usually it is obligatory that at least one person knows who everybody has been assigned (which ruins the ‘secret’ part of a secret santa).
However, for the last two years I have used this free github tool and it has been an absolute game-changer.
It automatically assigns everybody according to rules you set (e.g. people who don’t like each other can be prevented from being assigned each other) and, thanks to the clever link sharing, who has who remains secret.
Link: https://arcanis.github.io/secretsanta/
Enjoy the stress free pairings!
3. 💡 Quote I'm pondering
The phrase “Time Billionaire” was coined by investor Graham Duncan:
“A billion seconds is slightly over 31 years…when I see 20-year-olds—the thought I had was they probably have two billion seconds left. But they aren’t relating to themselves as time billionaires.” - Graham Duncan
Click here to share this quote on Twitter
If you are 50 or below, you are likely a time billionaire. While to an extent it depends on life expectancy and your lifestyle factors - your health is important - you still likely have much more time than you realise. Relax. Rushing decreases both your ability to make good decisions and to be productive. We want to move quickly, not hastily.
That's it! I can't wait to hear what you think. What did you find most useful? What do you want more or less of? Reply to this email now and let me know
Also, if you have anything interesting to share, I want to know about it😊
Have a great week,
John
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