Getting rid of time-killers: a time-saving 3-minute guide

Preamble (really short)

Time killers remove the focus from what is really important for us. I’ll show you the ways to get rid of them by telling my story. You can apply it to your own cases, which might be different.

At some point, I understood that scrolling social networks feeds is a drug for me — I can’t help turning on the phone screen and clicking on Facebook/Instagram icons. The first step (took me years!) is to admit you have a problem. The further journey is thrilling and beautiful and this is what I did:

Before reading forward don’t forget to subscribe to my medium account and check what we are doing at FusionWorks.

Add an additional step

As simple as it sounds — just put the icons of the time-killing apps on the second (or third if you are brave enough) screen. Or protect it with a password. In these cases, when you switch on your screen you’ll need one more step to reach your life-killers and you can think twice whether you need it or not. The empty spaces on the first screen can be replaced by Trello, a chess app (if this is not your drug) or anything else you won’t use ‘just because’.

Remember, work|life balance is not an issue if you use your time efficiently.

Plank only mode

However, I don’t have an idea of stopping using social networks. So together with the restriction, I suggest you a cheat — plank-only mode: you can scroll the social feed when staying in plank. For half a year already I’m using Facebook/Instagram on the phone only standing in the plank. Started with 1-minute sessions (at least once per day) and I am adding 10 seconds each month, meanwhile improving my health condition. By the end of the year, the minimal batch will reach 3 minutes.

Caution: you’ll be able to stay more and more and will use social networks more as well!

Eventually, doing it in plank, you’ll realize that you don’t need to know about your ‘friends’ that much! Now I know much less about what people think about different matters — and this makes me happier. Indeed, you’ll find out that not knowing the opinion of the people you don’t care about is cool. And believe me, the tension of the plank will not let you enjoy the feed and, moreover, leave useless comments. As a result, you’ll realize you don’t want to scroll it anymore.

Caution: there is a trap — your brain will go for revenge and you may find yourself scrolling Youtube feed instead. This won’t be an endless battle if you acknowledge what you are doing and will respond fast.

Even more!

Let’s see some other productivity tips that will help you properly use the time you now have:

Berserk mode. I also call it coffee mode, others name it Monk mode. Whatever you name it, the idea is simple: you commit yourself to completing a specific goal without any distractions. So you shut out every possible distraction and focus on the task at hand. This means turning off everything — phones, apps, notifications, and email — so nothing can distract you. As there are people who wrote about it better than me, you can just read this article for more details.
Doing things in blocks. Book time slots in your calendar for certain tasks. Also do it for recurring tasks, such as reading books and learning. Thus you’ll always have time reserved for what is important for your personal development.
Use headphones. Doesn’t work for everyone, but definitely helps eliminate the outside sounds. Personally, I’m using this to the maximum — my colleagues complain they can’t work because of the loud music from my headphones.
Priority tasks first. Gosh, it’s difficult — our brain works visa versa. But we are here to train this powerful beast.
Do pleasant pro-dopamine stuff. From 5 minutes to half a day — depending on your schedule. Walking, running, showering, meditation — whatever makes you wait for it with excitement.
Delegate things. Delegate what gets you down or takes too much time without giving you pleasure: cooking, cleaning, working routines. You are the main architect of your life’s timeline — build whatever makes you comfortable and makes you enjoy every single day.

“You’ll be amazed at how many things you can actually do” — people who tried this approach

See you on the other side of procrastination!