The Most Simple Way to Get More Time

Everyone I know wants more time. And yet we sabotage our desire for more time by being attached to the device that steals our time: our phones.

Distraction through apps is an obvious time-suck. But apps can’t take all the credit.

Studies have shown that having your phone in the same room can drain cognitive function and reduce attention — even if it is on silent, off, or in a bag. When your phone is in the room, part of your attention is being pulled toward your phone and whatever news, updates, or other rewards it might contain, even if it’s off. This means that your attention isn’t where you are.

Your mind and body are in two different locations — you are essentially in two places at once. And therefore you are not fully experiencing life in the moment.

Another way having our phones around robs us of time is that it makes us acutely aware of the time in the linear sense — clock time.

Every time you check your phone, you’re checking the time — even if that’s not your intention. You can’t help it; the time is there, in big numbers. You see it ticking away, every passing hour reinforcing that you don’t have enough time.

The Most Simple Way to Get More Time

The most simple way to get more time is therefore pretty obvious: disconnect from your phone.

Keep it in another room while you cook dinner, read a book, or work on a project. Leave it behind when you meet up with a friend. Immerse in an activity that helps you forget about the clock and whatever news awaits you.

Or — my personal favorite — spend time outside in nature without your phone.

Eavesdrop on the birds in conversation. Watch the jackrabbits playing tag in the yard. Feel the sun kiss your skin, the breeze caress your back, and the earth nourish your feet.

Take in a sunset, noticing the slow pace at which the sun fades below the horizon.

Of course, without your phone you won’t be able to share the moment on social media.

That’s part of the point. Savor it.

Notice how much time you have when you’re not watching the clock. Notice how much time expands when you’re not aware of what “time” it is on the clock.

Let this time be time just for you.

Keeping your mind, body and attention in one place and claiming the time for yourself without sharing it instantly gives you more time.