6 ways to find free time even if you think it's impossible

Sometimes we think that if there were more hours in the day, or if we could magically clone ourselves, we would be able to do everything. Take part in charity races, keep a healthy sleep schedule, take care of the garden near the house. This feeling that we have too much to do and not a single free moment to do them, psychologist Cassie Holmes calls "poverty of time". But even if we get rid of it, we will not necessarily feel less overwhelmed and happier.

Together with her colleagues, Holmes studied the data of more than 35,000 Americans. Research results showedthat excess free time reduces productivity and purposefulness. Scientists have even determined the optimal amount of it - from 2 to 5 hours a day. In some cases, study participants who had more free time said they felt less satisfied with their lives.

And here's the secret: it matters what we do during those 2-5 hours. Two hours in the company of friends, most likely, will not bring the same results as three hours

doomscrolling. So if you're worried about not having free time, Holmes advises not to focus on the time you don't have, but to use the time you have strategically. Plan your day so that it has less of what gets in the way of your happiness, more of what matters to you, and enough time to do nothing at all. A few changes in the schedule - and you can find a happy medium. Here's where to start.

1. Rate your free time

These are not only the hours when you do not work and do not sleep, but also the hours that you spend the way you want, and not the way you should.

Grab a piece of paper or open the calculator on your phone and count up all the breaks throughout the day. Woke up half an hour earlier and were able to spend it on yoga? Add 30 minutes. At lunch went with a colleague for coffee? Another 20 minutes plus. Did you listen to your favorite podcast on the way home or call your sister to tell you how your day went? All this is also considered.

That being said, the breaks you account for don't have to be perfect. If your coffee trip was interrupted by a call from your boss, but overall you had a good time, include those minutes in your calculation.

Two hours of free time seem busy people real luxury. But if you add up all the small breaks throughout the day, chances are you'll almost hit those two hours that you wouldn't want to spend any other way.

Perhaps after assessing your free time, you will see that it is within reach, and no major changes in the schedule are required. And when we know that something is achievable, it creates a feeling of hope, not hopelessness.

2. Get rid of excess

If you have counted less than 2 hours, move on to looking for time that you spend on things that do not bring you satisfaction. For example, work and travel back and forth take a lot of time, and these duties, of course, are very difficult to give up, but you can make them more pleasant.

Another tip is to cut down on the time you spend on social media. You will not only free up a certain number of minutes, but also get rid of from envy how others spend their free time. That being said, you don't have to completely abandon social media. To protect yourself from temptation, you can keep your smartphone in a drawer, leave it in another room, or allocate, for example, a 30-minute limit in the evenings and even set a timer.

The goal is not to berate yourself for how you spend your time, but to find minutes that you can get back.

3. Delegate everything you can

If you have the financial ability, outsource all the unpleasant things that you can't do without. For example, order delivery instead of going to the store or cooking dinner, or hire a babysitter to babysit. This will take the weight off your shoulders and give you the opportunity to take a breath. In addition, research showthat people feel much happier when they spend money on services that save time.

If your financial situation does not allow you to delegate tasks in this way, reach out to friends with similar problems and share the responsibilities. For example, this week a friend will buy groceries or play with the kids while you are at the gym, and next week you will return the favor. If there is no one in your area who can help, look online for support and self-help groups.

4. Make time for others

One of the most unexpected ways to get rid of the feeling of lack of time is to spend it on others. This conclusion was reached by the authors of a small research with the participation of 100 people. Some of them spent 30 minutes doing something for others, and the other part - for themselves. As a result, participants from the first group said that they felt they had more than half an hour of time.

Of course, we do good to help people. But it also helps us. Even when we are acutely short of hours, spending a few precious minutes on others lifts us up. mood, gives a sense of accomplishment and competence, and changes our outlook on the passage of time and life.

Therefore, even if you are in a hurry and every minute counts, try to find time for spontaneous acts of kindness. For example, pay for someone's coffee, help neighbor carry heavy bags or give someone a sincere compliment.

The main thing is to make sure that your acts of kindness are dictated by your personal choice, and not by the feeling that you have to do it. Ask yourself: are you giving away your time or do you feel it is being taken away from you? You will not become a bad person if you think about yourself.

5. Plan your time according to your priorities

Another way to "poverty of time", according to Holmes, is to make a schedule without taking into account the activities that are most important to you and not allocate time for rest. But if you are more selective, it will become much easier to satisfy the need for free time. Sometimes this can be very difficult to do, and research explain why: we assume that we have more time in the future than in the present. And we take on too many obligations.

Share activities that are meaningful to you and worth every minute spent on them, for example communication with loved ones or a favorite hobby, and activities that do not bring benefits, but only make you acutely feel "poverty of time». To do this, Holmes suggests using a “happiness filter”: as far as possible, choose only what you would gladly spend time on today, and not sometime in the future.

In addition, Holmes strongly recommends allocating segments in the schedule for doing nothing. A crowded calendar exhausts us, leaves no room for spontaneity and does not allow us to live here and now. Therefore, always plan for free time, even if it's just a few hours on weekends or 1-2 evenings a week.

6. Ignore distractions

The next step after you have updated schedule, prioritized tasks and planned time for doing nothing - learn to direct attention to what you are doing.

Research showthat almost half the time we don't focus on what we're doing. You probably noticed such a feature in yourself: for example, instead of actively listening when partner talks about how his day went, thinking about his work project or furtively flipping through social network.

Let's be honest. Being distracted isn't always bad. It helps us to cope with difficulties and at least somehow hold on. Still, don't waste half your life pushing away the present or planning for the future. It is important not only to make time for activities that make you happy, but also to pay attention to what you are doing in order to feel this very happiness in the moment.

Great if you are already familiar with meditation. Rely on Familiar Techniques to Reclaim Yourself at present. For those not yet practicing mindfulness, Holmes advises trying meditation, which engages the five senses. This is a quick "grounding" practice where you stop and focus on what you can hear, see, touch, taste and smell right now. You can meditate in this way anytime, anywhere to get in touch with your body and surroundings and enjoy your free time more fully.

As in many other areas of life, quality rather than quantity can give you exactly what you are looking for - the feeling that you have a lot more free time than you think.