Here’s some changes I recently began implementing to improve my life. Hopefully some of them can help you as well.
1. Turning my cell phone off
I get so many calls a day about all kinds of things; neighbors needing help with their groceries, friends needing advice, business calls, friends calling to make plans, women calling to chit chat, and much more. On top of that, people call me at all times of night; 1:00AM, 2:00AM, etc. with so-called emergencies that are hardly ever serious. All of these calls were becoming rather inconvenient and I knew something needed to be done. Every time I would sit down to meditate, write, or even sleep, someone would call me with something.
So what did I do? I simply turned the ringer of my cell phone off. As Occam’s Razor says, “The simplest answer is usually the correct one.” This new method accomplishes three main things. First, it stops me from being interrupted while I’m in the middle of whatever I’m focusing on. Second, it gives me the chance to assess what I’m going to say instead of just reacting to whoever is on the phone at the moment. And third, it allows me to batch call everyone back when it’s convenient for me to do so.
Now many people might be horrified at the thought of turning their cells phones off. Also, some of my readers might be parents who have kids that might need to get a hold of them. Unless it’s something you think is urgent, an emergency, or of value, let the call go to your voicemail until it’s convenient for you to respond back. There is no need for you to be on twenty-four notice for the world. A simple voicemail greeting can save you a ton of time. Here’s the one I use: “Why are you calling me?!?! Just kidding. I’m either working, sleeping, or away from my phone so leave me your name, number, and a brief message and I’ll get back to you when I can. Thanks.”
2. Being direct
Another change I began implanting in my life is being more direct with the people I interact with. This change has saved me a lot of time and headache. From relationships, to business deals, to family matters, everything has improved because of this new change. For instance, when someone now asks me to do or be a part of something I don’t want to, I simply say “No” or use Steve Pavlina’s method of turning an offer down. It goes something like this; “This doesn’t resonate with me at the moment but I wish you the best of luck with it.”
When someone calls me to whine, complain, or vent, I now ask them this question I got from my good friend and an amazing doctor and teacher, Dr. Peter Goldman; “Are you calling me to vent or do you want my input?” If the person is calling to vent, I find they usually wrap it up fairly quickly when I put them on the spot. If they want my input, they usually state their situation, and then I tell them what I think they should do. There’s no need for a lengthy conversation. We get to the point and move on. If they’re simply complaining on and on, I now tell them that they’re complaining too much and that we need to come up with a solution to their problem.
Speaking of conversations, I now end phone calls that I feel are a waste of time. If someone’s just calling me to blabber, I tell them I have to go do something or ask to call them back at another time. My time is important. It’s like that saying, “Time once lost can never be regained.”
In my relationships, I’m also being more direct. If there’s a relationship that I want just for sex, I’m now open with my partner about it. No need to beat around the bush or pretend that there’s other things that I want. If there’s a woman that I want to have a relationship with, I let her know that as well. By being truthful with myself, it makes for better relationships with everyone else.
3. Batch emails
Instead of checking my emails a bunch of times throughout the day, I simply do them in batches. For instance, I might check my email at 10:00AM, respond to any important ones, and then check them again one last time at 3:00PM. This is a pretty simple method that can save you a lot of time, especially if you’re one of those people that checks their email a hundred times a day.
By the way, you can batch pretty much everything; errands, phone calls, house work. By doing it all at once, you save yourself time to focus on other things.
