“The really efficient laborer will be found not to crowd his day with work, but will saunter to his task surrounded by a wide halo of ease and leisure.” – Henry David Thoreau

Are there a hundred different things you wish you could do with your life someday — anything from exercising to meditation or yoga to writing that novel you always wished you could write to reading more to relaxing and watching the sunrise?

But perhaps you never have the time, like most people.

The truth is, we all have the same amount of time, and it’s finite and in great demand. But some of us have made the time for doing the things we love doing, and others have allowed the constant demands and pressures and responsibilities of life to dictate their days.

It’s time to move from the second group back into the first. Reclaim your time. Create the life you want and make the most of the free time you lay claim to.

It’s not hard, though it does take a little bit of effort and diligence.

Reclaiming that free time

Take my life, for example: there was a time, not too long ago, when my day was packed from morning to night, when I had meetings and long to-do lists and worked long hours and the rest of my time was filled up with social engagements and meetings for civic responsibilities. I had little time for my family, which ate me up, and little time to do the things I’ve always wanted to do.

I’ve always wanted to write, but never had the time. I’ve always wanted to exercise, but was too busy. I always wanted to travel, but who can get away? I’ve always wanted to spend time with my kids, but work comes first, right?

Wrong. I finally got smart and decided that my life is my own, to do with as I wished, and so I took a time out to decide what I really wanted my life to be like. Then I designed my life, and made a series of decisions and steps to get my life to what I wanted it to be.

Today, I wake early and exercise or spend some quiet time reading and writing. I’ve written a novel and a non-fiction book. I write this blog. I run and have finally run a marathon (two actually) and completed a triathlon. I spend afternoons and evenings and all weekends with my kids and wife.

My life is what I’ve always wanted it to be, because I designed it to be that way and worked to make that design come true.

It can be that way for you, to the extent that you’re willing to make changes. Even if you just want to free up a little time for a hobby or for doing something relaxing, you can do that.

20 Ways to Find More Free Time

Not all of these will be applicable to your life — choose the ones you can apply and give them a try:

1. Take a time out. Freeing up your time starts with taking a step back to take a good look at your life. You need to block off at least an hour. Several hours or half a day is better. A whole day would be awesome. A weekend would be even more ideal, though not necessary practical for many folks. With this block of time, take a look at your life with some perspective. Is it what you’ve always wanted? How would you get to where you’ve always wanted to be? What do you enjoy doing, but don’t have enough time to do? What things actually fill up your day? Are there things you could drop or minimize to make more time? We’ll look at some of these things in the following items, but it starts with taking a time out to think and plan.
2. Find your essentials. What is it that you love to do? Make a short list of 4-5 things. These are the things you want to make room for.
3. Find your time-wasters. What do you spend a lot of your time on that isn’t on your essential list? Take a close look at these things and really think about whether they’re necessary, or if there are ways to reduce, minimize or eliminate these things. Sometimes you do things because you assume they’re necessary, but if you give it some thought you can find ways to drop them from your life. Figure out what you do simply to waste time — maybe surfing certain sites, watching TV, talking a lot at the water cooler, etc. You’re going to want to minimize these time-wasters to make room for the more important stuff, the stuff that makes you happy and that you love to do.
4. Schedule the time. As you sit down and think about your life and what you want to do, versus what you actually do, you will be looking at ways to free up time. It’s crucial that you take a blank weekly schedule (you can just write it out on a piece of paper, or use your calendar) and assign blocks for the things you love — the stuff on your essentials list. If you want to exercise, for example, when will you do it? Put the blocks of time on your schedule, and make these blocks the most important appointments of your week. Schedule the rest of your life around these blocks.
5. Consolidate. There are many things you do, scattered throughout your day or your week, that you might be able to consolidate in order to save time. A good example is errands — instead of running one or two a day, do them all in one day to save time and gas. Another example is email, or any kind of communication — batch process your email instead of checking and reading and responding throughout the day. Same thing with meetings, paperwork, anything that you do regularly.
6. Cut out meetings. This isn’t possible for everyone, but in my experience meetings take up a lot of time to get across a little information, or to make easy decisions that could be made via email or phone. As much as you can, minimize the number of meetings you hold and attend. In some cases this might mean talking to your boss and telling her that you have other priorities, and asking to be excused. In other cases this might mean asking the people holding the meeting if you can get the info in other ways. If so, you’ve saved yourself an hour or so per meeting (sometimes more).
7. Declutter your schedule. If you have a heavily packed schedule, full of meetings and errands and tasks and projects and appointments, you’re going to want to weed it out so that it’s not so jam-packed. Find the stuff that’s not so essential and cancel them. Postpone other stuff. Leave big blank spaces in your schedule.
8. Re-think your routine. Often we get stuck in a routine that’s anything but what we really want our days to be like. Is there a better way of doing things? You’re the creator of your life — make a new routine that’s more pleasant, more optimal, more filled with things you love.
9. Cut back on email. I mentioned email in an earlier point above, regarding consolidating, but it’s such a major part of most people’s lives that it deserves special attention. How often do you check email? How much time do you spend composing emails? If you spend a major part of your work day on email, as many people do (and as I once did), you can free up a lot of time by reducing the time you spend in email. Now, this won’t work for everyone, but it can work for many people: choose 2-3 key times during the day to process your inbox to empty, and keep your responses to 5 sentences. (Read more.)
10. Learn to say no. If you say “yes” to every request, you will never have any free time. Get super protective about your time, and say “no” to everything but the essential requests. Here’s how.
11. Keep your list to 3. When you make out your daily to-do list, just list the three Most Important Tasks you want to accomplish today. Don’t make a laundry list of tasks, or you’ll fill up all your free time. By keeping your task list small, but populated only by important tasks, you ensure that you are getting the important stuff done but not overloading yourself.
12. Do your Biggest Rock first. Of the three Most Important Tasks you choose for the day, pick the biggest one, or the one you’re dreading most, and do that first. Otherwise you’ll put that off as much as possible and fill your day with less important things. Don’t allow yourself to check email until that Big Rock is taken care of. It starts your day with a sense of major accomplishment, and leaves you with a lot of free time the rest of the day, because the most important thing is already done.
13. Delegate. If you have subordinates or coworkers who can do a task or project, try to delegate it. Don’t feel like you need to do everything yourself. If necessary, spend a little time training the person to whom you’re delegating the task, but that little time spent training will pay off in a lot of time saved later. Delegating allows you to focus on the core tasks and projects you should be focusing on.
14. Cut out distractions. What is there around your workspace that distracts you from the task at hand? Sometimes it’s visual clutter, or papers lying around that call for your attention and action, or email or IM notifiers on your computer that pop up at the wrong time, or the phone, or coworkers. See if you can eliminate as many of these as possible — the more you can focus, the more effective you’ll be and the less time you’ll waste. That equals time saved for the good stuff.
15. Disconnect. The biggest of distractions, for most people, is the Internet. My most productive times are when I’m disconnected from the grid. Now, I’m not saying you need to be disconnected all the time, but if you really want to be able to effectively complete tasks, disconnect your Internet so you can really focus. Set certain times of the day for connectivity, and only connect during those periods.
16. Outsource. If you can’t delegate, see if you can outsource. With the Internet, we can connect with people from all over the world. I’ve outsourced many things, from small tasks to checking email to legal work to design and editing work and more. That allows me to focus on the things I’m best at, the things I love doing, and saves me a lot of time.
17. Make use of your mornings. I find that mornings are the absolute best times to schedule the things I really want to do. I run, read and write in the mornings — three of the four things on my Essentials List (spending time with family is the other thing on the list). Mornings are great because your day hasn’t been filled with a bunch of unscheduled, demanding, last-minute tasks that will push back those Essentials. For example, if you schedule something for late afternoon, by the time late afternoon rolls around, you might have a dozen other things newly added to your to-do list, and you’ll put off that late-afternoon Essential. Instead, schedule it for the morning, and it’ll rarely (if ever) get pushed back.
18. The Golden Right-after-work Time. Other than mornings, I find the time just after work to be an incredible time for doing Essential things. Exercise, for example, is great in the 5-o’clock hour, as is spending time with family, or doing anything else relaxing.
19. Your evenings. The time before you go to bed is also golden, as it exists every single day, and it’s usually completely yours to schedule. What do you want to do with this time? Read? Spend time with your kids? Work on a hobby you’re passionate about? Take advantage of this time.
20. Lunch breaks. If the three golden times mentioned above don’t work for you, lunch breaks are another good opportunity to schedule things. Some people like to exercise, or to take quiet times, during their lunch breaks. Others use this time to work on an important personal goal or project.

“The real problem of leisure time is how to keep others from using yours.” – Arthur Lacey

Leadership is critical to Greek development. These are a few pointers from the classic book How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie

Building Personal Relationships

Never criticize, condemn or complain.
-Self-criticism is extremely rare. Your criticism won’t be welcome.
-Criticism makes others defensive and resentful.
-Positive Reinforcement works better.

Become genuinely interested in other people.
-People are most interested in themselves.
-Remember people’s birthdays and other important details.

Talk in terms of the other person’s interests.
-Find the interests of others and talk about those things.
-If you know nothing of their interests, ask intelligent questions.

Be a good listener.
-Give your exclusive attention to others.
-Urge others to talk about themselves. Ask pointed questions.

Make the other person feel important.
-People yearn to feel important and appreciated.
-Praise others’ strengths and they’ll strive to reinforce your opinion.

Use Names whenever possible.

Smile.
-Greet others with smiles and enthusiasm.
-Smiling comes through even over the phone.

Selling your Ideas: Establish a Space for Cooperation

Avoid arguments: you can only lose.
-Arguers will defend and embrace their previous positions.
-Even “winning” will hurt the loser’s pride and build resentment.

A Guide to avoiding arguments:
1. Welcome the disagreement. Be thankful for a new opinion.
2. Stay calm.
3. Listen first. Hear your opponents out.
4. Identify areas of agreement.
5. Admitting errors will make it easier for others to admit theirs.
6. If no resolution is found, postpone action and promise to explore the opposing perspective.

Begin in a friendly way.
-Open conversation with sincere praise, appreciation and sympathy.
-A friendly tone will allow others to broach discussions more openly.

Let the other person do a great deal of the talking.
-Eagerly listen to concerns to diffuse tension and build relationships.
-Others need to finish spilling their ideas before listening to you.

Be sympathetic.
-Most people hunger for sympathy.
-Tell them: “I’d feel the same way under those circumstances.”

Respect others’ opinions. Never say, “You’re wrong.”
-People don’t like to admit they’re wrong and may take it personally.

If you are wrong, admit it quickly and emphatically.
-Demonstrate your willingness to rationally examine the facts.
-If another is about to criticize you, don’t let them start!
-A harsh self-rebuke may prompt the others to soften their critiques.
-Admitting errors clears guilt and everyone to move forward quickly.

Try honestly to see things from the other person’s point of view.
-Another’s perspective and motivation is the key to understanding their decisions, agenda and personality.

Frame requests in terms of what others find motivating.
-Ask yourself: “Why would someone want to do what I’m asking?”

Selling your Ideas: Closing the Deal

Get the other person saying “yes, yes” as soon as possible.
-Emphasize things all parties already agree on.
-You will build momentum toward acceptance.

Dramatize your ideas.
-It helps to make a visual, visceral demonstration.

Let the other person feel that the idea is his or hers.
-People are more committed to their own ideas.
-Make suggestions and let others come to the desired conclusion.

Appeal to the nobler motives.
-Appeal to ideals: a mother’s love, personal character, integrity, etc.

Throw down a challenge.
-Stimulate competition among co-workers.
-Challenge someone’s capabilities/self-perceptions.

Leadership: Giving Criticism & Driving Improvement

Begin with praise and honest appreciation.
-It is easier to take criticism after some praise.
-Look for things done well before calling attention to failings.

Talk about your own mistakes before criticizing the other person.
-The burden of criticism is easier to bear when shared.
-It’s motivating when another has overcome the same challenges.

Call attention to people’s errors indirectly.
-Direct, harsh criticism can destroy incentive to improve.
-Suggest alternatives: “How user-friendly will this feature will be?”
-Suggest that the idea isn’t flawed; it’s the environment or situation.

Let the other person save face.
-Others will get defensive for fear of being embarrassed.
-Additionally, always try to give criticism in private.

Make the fault seem easy to correct. Use encouragement.
-Make faults seem easy to correct and new skills easy to learn.

Praise the slightest improvement and every improvement.
-Praise reinforces the development of a desired behavior.
-Make praise as specific as possible.

Give the other person a fine reputation to live up to.
-Example: “You’re quite capable, but your recent projects aren’t up to your old standards.”
-Respecting others’ capabilities will empower them to succeed.

Leadership: Motivating Others

Ask questions instead of giving direct orders.
-Example: “Would it make sense to organize these alphabetically?”
-Try to make the other person happy about doing things you suggest.

Make others feel too important for tasks you don’t want them to do.

Give out titles and authority: make others happy contributors

Step by Step Guide to movtivating others to do tasks:
1. Be Sincere. Don’t promise what you can’t do or deliver.
2. Know preciesly what it is you want the other person to do.
3. Be Empathetic. Try to understand what others want.
4. Focus on any benefits the other person might receive.
5. Explain how those benefits match the other person’s wants.
6. Frame requests to communicate that the other person will personally benefit.

“For every problem, there is a solution which is simple, neat, and wrong.” – H. L. Mencken

If you’re above 40 years of age, you probably remember the comedian Buddy Hackett. He said, “My mother’s menu consisted of two choices: Take it or leave it.”
Well, in most of our jobs, we may feel like we’ve only got two choices: to do it yourself or to let it go. In reality, there’s an excellent third choice in some situations … and that is … to delegate a particular task to someone else. Mind you, I said “delegate,” not “dump.”

There is a big difference. Delegation … done right … can be an excellent choice because it’s a win-win. It shows you trust the other person to do the task and do it well. You’re developing his potential and boosting his self-esteem … at the same time you’re clearing a task off your plate.

Here’s the right way to delegate.

=> 1. Communicate the importance of the task.
You see, when you ask kids to do something, they always ask, “Why?” Well adults are simply babies in big bodies. They wonder the same thing. So don’t leave the other person in the dark as to “why” a particular task is important. Tell them.

=> 2. Clearly define the task and your expectations.
Don’t assume the other person understands what you want. Many times he won’t. And as a result, the other person may do what he thinks is right, but you won’t be happy.

Leave no room for misinterpretation. Ask lots of questions and get lots of feedback on his understanding.

It’s like the couple in their 60′s, married for 40 years. An angel came to them and said, “You’ve been such an ideal couple that the Lord wants to bless you with one wish each.”
The woman said, “Great. I want to be on a Caribbean cruise,” and instantly she was on a cruise. The man said, “I’d love to have a wife 30 years younger than me.” And poof, instantly, he was 90 years old.

=> 3. Give the task and instructions to one person only … if possible and feasible.
In several studies of information flow in corporations, the researchers have discovered that the average hourly employee gets less than 20% of the message the CEO thinks they are getting. As the message from the top goes through several people and several levels of bureaucracy, the original message gets badly distorted.
Such was the case when Billy Graham brought his crusade to Russia. His advance commercials stated that he would be preaching on the Bible verse that read, “The body is weak, but the spirit is strong.”
Of course, his commercials had to be translated into Russian. They were, and they came out saying, “He can’t stand up, but he has good Vodka.”
The point is … the fewer people that have to translate your message, the clearer it will be. So delegate to one person if possible.

=> 4. Document the date you gave the instruction.
Simple enough. Both of you should write down the date you give out the assignment. Better yet, both of you should write out the details of the delegated task, answering the questions, “WHO will do WHAT by WHEN?”
And yes, I know people hate to write things down. They’ll say they don’t need to do that because they’ll remember what has to be done. But I always tell people, “The shortest pencil is better than the longest memory.”

=> 5. Agree upon the expected deadline for the completion of the task.
It’s critical. Research says that a goal without a deadline … almost NEVER works. In fact a goal without a deadline is nothing more than fanciful thinking.

=> 6. Never give an instruction to someone incapable of completing it.
Too many bosses think they can simply dictate the fact that something has to be done … and that’s that. No it isn’t. Sometimes the other person needs more than a clear instruction on WHAT to do. He may need a little help on HOW to do it.

=> 7. Require periodic progress reports and meetings.
It’s the best way of ensuring the other person is making progress.
And then when you hold your meetings, facilitate, don’t dictate. Pose questions that guide and encourage her to find answers to her own questions … rather than spoon feed answers. That way, you’re developing the other person’s potential instead of creating more dependency.
As it says in the book, “Power Tools” by Sam Deep and Lyle Sussman, “Replace orders with suggestions. ” Or use statements such as, “Here’s another possibility … or … you might consider this,” if the employee is failing to reach the desired result.
Also use “preview” in addition to “review” at your meetings. Don’t get caught up thinking that reviews have to be entirely on the past — rehashing every right and wrong move the other person made. Spend time previewing the future. Ask, “What do you expect to happen between now and the next time we meet?”
Of course, don’t forget to recognize success. As the other person makes progress on the delegated task, express your admiration and appreciation. As Dr. Richard Curwin notes in his research, you’ll be much more effective when you challenge the other person to succeed rather than threaten him if he doesn’t.
You simply can’t skip periodic progress reports. You’ve got to dig in with some questions.

That’s what one police officer had to do, according to jokester Ruben Quezada, who shared his story in “Reader’s Digest.”
Ruben said, A cop pulls this guy over and says, “Sir, I need you to breathe into this Breathalyzer for me.”
The guy says, “I can’t do that. I’m asthmatic and if I do that I’ll have a really big asthma attack.”
“Okay,” the policeman said, “Then I’ll need you to come down to the station with me. We’ll have to do some blood work — just to make sure.”
“Sir, I can’t do that either.” responded the motorist. “I’m a hemophiliac, and if I do that I’ll bleed to death.”
“Okay, fine. Then, I need a urine sample from you.”
“I can’t do that either, sir. I’m sorry, but I’m a diabetic, and if I do that my sugar will get really, really low.”
“Okay, then why don’t you step out of the car and walk this white line for me,” the officer says.
“I can’t do that either, officer.”
“Why not?”
“Because I’m drunk.”

=> 8. Offer to help … if it’s appropriate.
The emphasis here is on the word “appropriate. ” Remember you are delegating a task and you don’t want to pick that task back up and do it yourself. But sometimes the other person needs a bit of training, motivation, or guidance to get the job done.
So ask yourself, before you give some extra assistance, “Will your extra assistance help or hurt the other person in the long run? Will it develop his skills or increase his dependency?” If you decide your assistance is mostly for the good, go ahead and offer it.
It’s like the divorce court judge who said, “I’ve reviewed the case and have decided to give your wife $350 a week.”
The defendant replied, “That’s really generous of you, your Honor. And every now and then I’ll try to send her a few bucks myself.”
Again, offer to help if it’s for the good of the other person.
Finally,

=> 9. Follow through.
Never assume your instructions have been completed. You’ve got to check it for yourself. As the old adage goes, you can’t EXPECT what you don’t INSPECT.
So now the ball’s in your court. You may not have to … need to … or even want to … do everything by yourself. In fact, you probably shouldn’t. Some things should be delegated for your good and the good of the other person. And I’ve just given you the proper way to do it.

Action:
Pick out the two steps that you most often overlook or that need the most improvement. And figure out how you will do them better the next time you delegate a task.