There are many tips and tools available to help you save your time. But let’s focus on the essential question: what is the best way to save time?
Different people may have different answers to this question, but I believe that the best way to save time is to avoid doing things that are unnecessary in the first place. Using the best tools and tips may save you hours here and there, but nothing beats not doing the task in the first place.
The problem, of course, is knowing whether something is necessary. It’s not easy, because what we think is necessary might turn out to be unnecessary and vice versa. In my post about lifetime regrets, for instance, I wrote about how dying people often wish that they didn’t work so hard. They thought it was necessary to work that hard to live a good life. Only at the end of their lives did they realize that it wasn’t the case.
So how can we know whether or not something is necessary?
This is where clarity comes to play. The only way to know whether something is necessary is by having clarity over your life. You must grasp the overall direction of your life. You must know where you are going in life and why. If you don’t, then you’ll likely follow the crowd and end up doing a lot of unnecessary things.
That’s why I believe that investing time in clarity is essential. Some people might think that investing time in clarity is a waste of time; why not use the time for something “productive” instead? But the fact is, investing time in clarity is the most productive thing you can do. It can save you a lot of time by helping you avoid the wrong things.
How do we invest time in clarity?
Well, there are different ways to do so. In my case, it’s my daily prayer time. During this time, I withdraw from the busyness of life and reconnect with my values and purpose. It helps me see the overall direction of my life and where to go next. It also helps me see if I’ve gone off track. I treasure this time because of the clarity it brings.
In your case, it might be a weekly review session, walking in the park, or something else. Just find what works for you. The important thing is that you take time to withdraw from the busyness of life and reflect on the overall direction of your life.
Investing time in clarity is not a waste of time. Yes, it might leave you with less time to do other things. But guess what? It’s better to go to slowly towards the right direction than to go quickly in the wrong direction.