“Work is hard. Distractions are plentiful. And time is short.” -Adam Hochschild
The Start Of My (Not) To Do List.
6 months ago, I quit Instagram.
Why?
I had been saying I wanted to read more for a long time, and the excuse was always the same: “I don’t have enough time.”
So I crunched some numbers.
We have 24 hours every day. 7-10 of those hours are usually spent sleeping. Students and full-time workers spend about 7-8 hours daily at a job, in class, or studying. Then there is unpaid work, like laundry, shopping, or cooking, and the time you spend showering, commuting, using the bathroom, or having meals.
Altogether, according to estimates from 2024, paid work, housework, leisure, eating, and sleeping takes about 80-90% of every person’s day.
So what takes up the remaining 10-20% of the day?
And how do we make sure there is time for the activities we care about?
We relentlessly cut out the time-wasters we don’t care about.
That way, you can be empowered to go through each day with intention and purpose, and actually make room for what you care about most.
(Not) To Do #1: Committing to anything that isn’t a “Hell yes”.
You know that networking event you feel like you “should” be interested in, but just aren’t?
You know that book you’re halfway through, but you can barely remember what you’ve even read?
Quitting is for winners, and if that makes you nervous, this one’s for you.
(Not) To Do #2: Explaining your vision to those committed to misunderstanding it.
When you’re on an incredible journey, you might feel tempted to share your excitement with everyone, all the time.
Sometimes, though, there will be people who just don’t get it.
That’s okay.
Give yourself permission to keep your journey to yourself sometimes, until you are ready to filter out external opinions.
But right at the beginning?
Just focus on building. Sharing will come later.
(Not) To Do #3: Scrolling through social media when task-switching.
You finished classes, so time for a short break. Let’s check out what reels people sent me today- just really quick.
Before you know it, one video turns into two, and two turns into ten. You think, “I’ve just been here for 5 minutes”, but it’s actually been 15.
Ever been there? Because I have.
Most of us massively underestimate how much of our day goes just to social media between the other important tasks (sometimes even during).
If you want to spend more time on the tasks you care about- bonding with family and friends, reading that book you haven’t gotten around to, starting that business, or launching that passion project- go into Setting right now and see what apps consume most of your screen time.
If you can cut back on those, imagine what else you could do…
(Not) To Do #4: Sharing for praise.
Have you ever asked someone what they think, hoping they will say what you want?
If that’s you, join the club. I can’t count the number of times I have shared information with someone hoping they will tell me what I want to hear.
Honestly, if you already know what you want to hear, consider why you bother to ask. Do you need permission to follow your intuition? Are you afraid to make the decision without external approval?
Be courageous in your conviction, or ask for feedback that is specific and structured.
When you’re building, too much praise can keep you trapped in your comfort zone rather than focused on making real progress.
(Not) To Do #5: Taking advice from someone who hasn’t achieved what you aspire to.
I’m talking financial advice from someone who’s broke, parenting advice from the person with no kids, and business advice from the person who has never run their own business.
I don’t mean we can’t learn from other people’s failures. I mean, we can’t learn from the person who hasn’t even tried.
If you ever suffer from advice overload, remember this: the people who know what they’re talking about are the people who have done it, tried it, failed, or succeeded.
(Not) To Do #6: Measuring your worth in productivity.
When you’re starting a new journey- whether it’s a new hobby, side project, or even a new fitness journey- it can be easy to get discouraged by the fact that your time seems to get filled with seemingly wasted effort.
You don’t see the output yet, so it becomes hard to feel like what you’re doing will even amount to something.
I have definitely felt this way before, and I know it can be incredibly disheartening.
Just think of all those New Year’s resolutions that only lasted a month because we didn’t see the results by February 1st.
If you are looking for progress and don’t see any, but are doing all the “right things”, consider this: your progress isn’t linear; it’s exponential.
This means that at the beginning, improvements will be barely noticeable, but the more you keep it up, the more significant the changes.
So, how do you give yourself grace?
By redefining what it means to win.
Instead of saying “if I read 20 pages today, I have met my goal”, I say “I need to read for 1 hour”.
Some days, I can fill an hour of reading with 50 pages, and other days, I am preoccupied and can only get through 15.
Ultimately, though, if I showed up, I have succeeded. I have made progress. I have cast a vote for the person I want to be.
Thought To Action
- Design a Life You’d Want to Live In: List three feelings or values (e.g., curiosity, calm, freedom) you want to feel more often. Now ask: What would a day designed around these look like?
- Choose One Thing to Repair or Repurpose This Week: Whether it’s sewing a hole in your sock or reusing packaging in a creative way, practice seeing value where others see waste.
- Imagine a Future Without Trash: Write a short paragraph or draw what your neighborhood would look like if nothing was disposable. What would change?
- Audit Your Footprint (Literally): Check the label on your most-used shoes or clothes. What are they made of? Could a more sustainable material work instead?
- Read About the Next-Gen Materials: Check out mushroom leather, mycelium bricks, or algae packaging. Explore how artists and engineers are already building that future.
Sources
Ortiz‑Ospina, E., Herre, B., Acisu, T., Giattino, C., & Roser, M. (2020, November; updated February 2024). Time use. Our World in Data. https://ourworldindata.org/time-use
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