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How To Find An Extra Hour In Your Day

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extra hour in your day
Image Credit | Joel Brown

What would you do with an extra hour in your day to invest in creating your ideal life? How about that project you just can’t seem to get around to, the quality time that always seems to elude you or the changes you know will improve your life but can never quite find the time to implement?

Our perceived lack of time is so often quoted as the major reason for us not being able to take the steps to achieve what we want in life, and with a juggling act of mortgages to pay, mouths to feed, kids to organise and countless other obligations, it’s likely we can make a compelling case for having very little choice in the matter. So many people will readily inform you that their days are bursting at the seams with busyness, whether they’re successfully creating extraordinary results in their life or seemingly getting nowhere, yet as Dr John Demartini observes:

“If you don’t fill your day with high priorities it will automatically become filled with low priorities”.

When we step back and look with fresh eyes upon our ostensibly packed schedule we can often be surprised at the solutions that are there to be noticed and how easy it can be to free ourselves from the many “time vampires” that are hijacking the hours of our most valuable resource.

Follow the five simple steps below to monitor, make better choices and reclaim control over the hours of your life.

 

1. What really matters?

If we’re to sift out the gold from the sand, we firstly need to know which is which.

Get clear on how you’d ideally like things to be – what is truly most valuable to you in life, what would you consider as time well spent and what are you ultimately wanting to use it to achieve?

 

2. Monitor your investment

It’s as simple as this – closely monitor and objectively record how you use your time over the next 7 days. Commit to honestly accounting for every hour you’re spending, noting the insights and opportunities that present themselves along the way.

Challenge yourself to look beyond just the surface level of your schedule into how effectively these hours are actually being utilised. Even take a peek under the hood to develop an awareness of how much valuable time your attention and focus are caught up in thinking patterns that may not be serving you or assisting your progress. Just through these observations, you’re likely to find your long-held beliefs around how much it’s actually possible to fit into a day begin to loosen considerably.

 

3. Reassess your strategy

“It’s been my observation that most people get ahead during the time that others waste.” – Henry Ford

Take a good look over your results for the week.

How well does the way you’re currently utilising your time align with what you identified as being most important to you?

How many of the activities into which you’re investing your time are actually moving you forward or leaving you with any real sense of fulfilment?

Where did you notice there would be far more efficient and effective ways of achieving the same – or even far better – outcomes if you were to adjust your approach to the way you do things?

What dead wood and distractions are you ready to let go of from your old routine?

Where could you find the time to get ahead if you truly decided to?

 

4. Make better choices

Stephen Covey tells an insightful tale about a lumberjack furiously hacking away at a tree with a blunt saw and getting nowhere, who considers himself far too busy to stop and sharpen his blade. This is where you stop and really sharpen up your tools. List all the simple changes you can implement right now to take back control of your time and focus.

How could these resources be most effectively directed toward creating the results you’d like to be experiencing in your life?

What easy and sustainable measures are you going to put in place to ensure these beneficial new ways of being become deeply integrated into your life?

“First we form habits. Then they form us.” – Jim Rohn

 

5. Use it wisely

When you map out and collate all your saved minutes and blocks of reclaimed hours, how much extra time does this give you in the bank each week?

Where will you spend or invest this to most powerfully enrich your life?

 

Remember, this shouldn’t just be a one-time process but a constantly evolving journey of progress. Rinse, repeat, and continue to refine as you enjoy more and more benefits from reclaiming control of your days.

 

Here is a great video that expresses the importance of making the most of the time in your day:

 

We’d love for you to share your discoveries!

Where did you find your extra hour(s)? What were your biggest time vampires?

What simple changes gave you back the most time? How are you better using your most valuable resource to create a life you love?

 

Let us know! #extrahour

Dave Beaumont is a Transformational Coach and NLP Master Practitioner. He specialises in empowering clients to break through the obstacles holding them back and harness their full personal power to become all they are truly meant to be. Visit lifemasterycoach.com.au and follow @YourLifeMastery on Twitter for tips, tools, insights and inspiration on living your life to the full and overcoming the challenges we all face on the journey to becoming our highest self.

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Life

How Learning the Skill of Hope Can Change Everything

Hope isn’t wishful thinking. It’s a state of being and a skill that has profound evidence of helping people achieve success in life

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Hope as a skill
Image Credit: Midjourney

Hope isn’t wishful thinking. It’s a state of being and a skill that has profound evidence of helping people achieve success in life.

Wishful thinking, on the other hand, is like having dreams in the sky without a ladder to climb, having a destination without a map, or trying to operate a jet-engine airplane without instructions. It sounds nice but is impossible to realize. You don’t have what you need to make it happen!

What Real Hope Is

Real hope is actionable, practical, and realistic. Better yet, it’s feasible and can be learned.

One popular approach is Hope Theory. This concept is used by colleges to study how hope impacts students’ academic performance. Researchers found that students with high levels of hope achieve better grades and are more likely to graduate compared to those with less hope.

Hope can be broken down into two components:

  1. Pathways – The “how to” of hope. This is where people think of and establish plans for achieving their goals.
  2. Agency – The “I can” of hope. This is the belief that the person can accomplish their goals.

Does Hope Really Work?

According to Webster’s Dictionary, hope as a noun is defined as: “desire accompanied by expectation of or belief in fulfillment.”

As humans, we are wired to crave fulfillment. We have the ability to envision it and, through hope, make it a reality.

My Experience with Hope

For 13 years, I was a hopeless human. During my time working at a luxury hotel as a front desk agent earning $11.42 per hour, I felt the sting of hopelessness the most.

The regret of feeling my time was being stolen from me lingered every time I clocked in. Eventually, I decided to do something about it.

I gave myself permission to hope for something better. I began establishing pathways to success and regained agency by learning from self-help books and seeking mentorship.

Because I took action toward something I desired, I now feel more hope and joy than I ever felt hopelessness. Hope changed me.

Hope Actually Improves Your Life

Wishful thinking doesn’t work, and false hope is equally ineffective. Real hope, however, is directly tied to success in all areas of life.

Studies show that hopeful people tend to:

  • Demonstrate better problem-solving skills
  • Cultivate healthier relationships
  • Maintain stronger motivation to achieve goals
  • Exhibit better work ethic
  • Have a positive outlook on life

These benefits can impact work life, family life, habit-building, mental health, physical health, and spiritual practice. Imagine how much better your life could be by applying real hope to all these areas.

How to Develop the Skill to Hope

As acclaimed French writer Jean Giono wrote in The Man Who Planted Trees:
“There are also times in life when a person has to rush off in pursuit of hopefulness.”

If you are at one of those times, here are ways to develop the skill to hope:

1. Dream Again

To cultivate hope, you need to believe in its possibility. Start by:

  • Reflecting on what you’re passionate about, your values, and what you want to achieve.
  • Writing your dreams down, sharing them with someone encouraging, or saying them out loud.
  • Creating a vision board to make your dreams feel more tangible.

Dreams are the foundation of hope—they give you something meaningful to aspire toward.

2. Create an Environment of Hope

  • Set Goals: Write down your goals and create a plan to achieve them.
  • Visualize Success: Use inspirational quotes, photos, or tools like dumbbells or canvases to remind yourself of your goals.
  • Build a Resource Library: Collect books, eBooks, or audiobooks about hope and success to inspire you.

An environment that fosters hope will keep you motivated, resilient, and focused.

3. Face the Challenges

Don’t avoid challenges—overcoming them builds confidence. Participating in challenging activities, like strategic games, can enhance your problem-solving skills and reinforce hope.

4. Commit to Wisdom

Seek wisdom from those who have achieved what you aspire to. Whether through books, blogs, or social media platforms, learn from their journeys. Wisdom provides the foundation for real, actionable hope.

5. Take Note of Small Wins

Reflecting on past victories can fuel your hope for the future. Ask yourself:

  • What challenges have I already overcome?
  • How did I feel when I succeeded?

By remembering those feelings of happiness, relief, or satisfaction, your brain will naturally adopt a more hopeful mindset.

Conclusion

Hope is more than wishful thinking—it’s a powerful skill that can transform your life. By dreaming again, creating a hopeful environment, facing challenges, seeking wisdom, and celebrating small wins, you can develop the real hope necessary for success in all aspects of life.

Let hope guide you toward a brighter, more fulfilling future.

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Life

The 5 Stages of a Quarter-Life Crisis & What You Can Do

A quarter-life crisis isn’t a sign you’ve lost your way; it’s a sign you’re fighting for a life that’s truly yours.

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what is a quarter life crisis
Image Credit: Midjourney

The quarter-life crisis is a well-defined set of stages—Trapped, Checking Out, Separation, Exploration, Rebuilding—one goes through in breaking free from feelings of meaninglessness, lack of fulfillment, and misalignment with purpose. I detail the stages and interweave my story below. (more…)

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Life

Here’s The Thing About Learning, Unlearning, and Relearning

Stop hoarding and start sharing your knowledge and wealth for the benefit of humankind

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sharing your knowledge
Image Credit: Midjourney

Few people have the habit of hoarding their wealth without spending.  However, it limits their motivation as they tend to get into their comfort zones.  When people start spending money, then there will be depletion in their coffers. (more…)

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Life

3 Steps That’ll Help You Take Back Control of Your Life Immediately

The key to finding “enough” is recognizing that the root of the problem is a question of self-esteem and deservedness

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How to build self worth
Image Credit: Midjourney

“It’s never enough.” (more…)

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