Since the mid-1960s, American researchers have been conducting time-based surveys. They have thus gained relatively accurate knowledge of average work schedules. Today, men work 12 hours fewer a week than in the 1970s. Women, on the other hand, work more, partly because more women have full-time jobs. At the same time, when working mothers in the research kept diaries for several weeks, they found they actually had much more time with their children than they thought.
The research also shows that being unaware of the passage of time can impair your ability to make rational decisions. For this reason, a sense of time pressure can lead you to bad decisions about how you use your time - and it can quickly become a vicious circle.
In fact, people who have a high perception of time and are very well aware of their schedules tend to set aside more time for their hobbies and other activities that they want to pursue. These people invest time in contemplation and thinking, which makes them feel like they have more time. On the other hand, people who perceive little time spend more hours watching television or staying on social networks and more often get into psychological pressure.
How to improve your perception of time
1. Track your activities
Start by keeping a diary and following your activities. Be honest! If you spent half an hour on Twitter, record it. If you spent 20 minutes looking at shoes online, write it down as well. Nobody will see this diary, only you. The more honest you are, the more useful this exercise will be.
Once you know how much time you work, how much you spend on social networks, and how much free time you have, you can start asking important questions, such as: How much time do I want to spend browsing the net or e-mailing? Do I want to exercise every day? How long should supper take? Use the answers to these questions to create guidelines for yourself.
2. Create a plan
For example, make two ideal plans, one for the days you also want to spend playing sports and one for the rest of the week. You may want to create a plan for weekdays and another for weekends. Customise your daily plans according to the preferred activities you want to accomplish on a given day.
Ask yourself: What is the ideal use of my time on a daily basis? Make a list of things you would like to do every day, plus things you need to do. Then spread them out throughout your day.
Such a plan is only a suggestion; do not regard it as a restriction. It will certainly change regularly, for example, according to meetings with clients or other activities. But if it helps you gain better control over the activities you want to limit, you'll ultimately get more time for yourself.
-bb-