Save 20 Hours a Week By Removing These 4 Useless Things In Your Life.

1. Save 20 Hours a Week By Removing These 4 Useless Things In Your Life
“Get more done by doing this!” “Do this and be more productive!”
These are common headlines in the productivity space.

2. As a contrarian, I usually feel like I need to do the opposite when I
see everyone doing something. Now, that’s not always a smart thing
to do.
But when it comes to career, business, and productivity, it usually
pays off if you do what’s counterintuitive.
So while everybody’s focused on doing more — what about doing
the opposite?
Do less. Remove things. That’s because time is limited.
The Stoic and Roman Emperor, Marcus Aurelius said it best:
“Your energy and time are both limited, so don’t
waste them on what those inconsequential to your
life are doing, thinking, and saying.”

3. So let’s remove all those inconsequential things to make space for
things that actually matter. Here are 4 things you can remove from
your life to gain 20 extra hours each week.
1. Your to-do list
A cluttered to-do list leads to decision fatigue, which gets you
stressed. “Analysis paralysis” is a thing. When you’re faced with too
many choices or a list of things to do, you’re more likely to feel
overwhelmed.
So ditch your to-do list.
Every time I say this, people freak out. “How can I live without my
to-do list??!!”
There are days when we really have a lot of things to do. Maybe you
have a tight deadline coming. Or you’re way behind on your house
chores that you have to do everything in a single day.

4. In these cases, just go with your to-do list. The point is that you
don’t want to become a robot who just can’t function without lists.
How often do you have tasks on your list that shouldn’t even be
there in the first place?
You want to be intentional about everything you do if you want to
save time.
So always ask yourself: “What’s the top 3–4 most important things
that make the most significant impact on my life and career?”
You don’t need a to-do list to remember those things. And you can
focus that time and energy on execution instead of obsessing about
your list. When you prioritize this way, you’ll find that you can
accomplish more in less time.
If you’re finished with those top 3–4 tasks and you still have
time/energy? Then you can switch to all those other tasks you
usually put in a to-do list.

5. Don’t be that person who makes a never ending to-do list.
2. Uncertain waking hours
Do you ever feel like you’re just trying to survive the day before
you’ve even started?
This happens when you’re in reaction mode. You probably didn’t
plan your day the previous night. Your mornings are so important.
Even if you’re not a morning person (take it from me, someone
who’s also not an early morning person).
When I spend my first waking hours “right,” which is usually
between 8 and 9 in the morning, I feel that I have more energy and
focus throughout the day. I think that’s true whether your first
waking hours are 4am or 4pm.
Remember, it’s not about WHEN you wake up but rather about
WHAT you do when you wake up.

6. When you wake up not knowing what you’ll do, you’re more likely
to procrastinate or stay in bed for too long or browse your phone.
I like to plan my day the previous night. It just takes a few minutes.
And it makes a huge impact on how focused I am in the morning.
My editor, John, also told me about his lawyer friend who prefers to
plan his day in the morning. John’s friend says he’s too tired at
night (which is usually around midnight or later) to plan his day
and he’s more focused in the morning.
So he blocks 15–30 minutes of his first waking hour to journal his
thoughts and plan his day. That’s the key here: John’s friend makes
it a point that the first thing he’ll do is journal the day’s plans. So he
always wakes up focused.
If you think that would work better for you, try that too.

7. 3. Repetitive tasks
Software and AI are becoming better at automating menial,
repetitive tasks. So far, many of these tools are inexpensive or free.
So use them.
This also helps with mindset. When you start thinking about
automating your tasks, it puts you in a mindset where you’re trying
your best to be efficient. You’re forced to take a deeper look at your
work. And you can ask yourself:
“What am I doing that I don’t really have to do myself?”
You’ll be surprised at the amount of things you can leave either to
machines or other people. And you can focus more on things that
have a significant impact on your life and career.
Do that, and you save yourself more time.
Imagine the things you could do with an extra 20 hours each week.

8. You have better focus on the creative aspects of your career, be with
loved ones more, tackle a new hobby, or simply relax and recharge.
By automating repetitive tasks, you free up time to focus on what
truly matters.
4. Unnecessary screen time
It’s easy to fall into the trap of endless scrolling and mindless
browsing. We sometimes forget how much time we spend on our
screens.
And that’s aside from the time we spend working; where many of us
likely spend 90% of our work time in front of a screen.
So what can you do to minimize screen time, even if your work is
mostly screen-based?

9. ● Set specific time for checking social media and emails. And
stick to those times. Try to curb the urge to check your
phone consistently.
● Keep your phone away when you’re working. Physical
distance from it will help keep you more focused on the task
at hand.
● Finally, don’t bring your phone to bed. Leave it out of your
room. Your sleep and your dreams don’t need your phone
screen.
I know people who sometimes use their phone up to 8 hours a day.
That’s waay too much.
My goal is to keep it around 2 hours a day. When I notice I’m using
the phone too much, I tone it down. That’s because phones are
mostly for consuming content and communicating.
We don’t need a lot of that every single day.

10. It’s not enough to be “busy”
Henry David Thoreau once said:
“It is not enough to be busy; so are the ants.”
Thoreau lived in the mid-19th century. But what he said is even
more relevant today. So always ask yourself; “Are these things that
keep me busy truly important in my life and career?”
Say goodbye to your to-do list, uncertain mornings, unnecessary
screen time, and repetitive tasks. Make time for what truly matters
to you and live life on your terms.
You can always earn more money or work more in the future. But
time is something you can’t get back once it’s lost.
So use it well. And avoid spending it on things that don’t matter.