Ask HN: How do you find time for everything in life?

make non-critical communications poll not push. poll less frequently.

replace the parts of your day that make you sad with something else. experiment.

if you are financially secure(ish), do all this aggressively.

I get basics done. I do make time for gym twice a week 50 mins and side project 10 or more min per day. I watch to zone out, usually some fictional cop shows with limited number of characters. Happy with those really.

I’m a stranger on the internet, so take it or leave it, but since you asked, here’s a hot take:

You aren’t being honest with yourself about how you spend your time. Reread your own question. 17 waking hours. Did you account for them all in your post? You listed a lot of things you don’t waste time on. A lot.

So what are you spending your time on?

What are you leaving out?

Try writing it down. Yeah, that’s stupid. But either you need some insight into how you’re spending your time, or the exercise will get you thinking about something you haven’t been.

That’s all just nonsense from a stranger though, so if it doesn’t resonate with you, maybe it missed the mark.

i don't know how it's really possible to live a full life otherwise, unless you're insane, doing coke, or used to burning out over and over again.

my project https://nomeetingsfriday.com/ is a small step towards a 4-day work week, which in theory helps free up some time for people, but also helps to continue to shift us away from capitalism and markets and workism towards socialism and humans and relationships.

Time ebbs and flows like a river, better in my case to write down future appointments and tasks. Then throw your heart into the work you want to do in the current moment and mean-time.

It's possible to come to appreciate how much you do, that goes unrecorded and unresolved in the back of your heart, making you think you've done much less than you have... writing down what you have done, helps a lot to clear up mental space to perceive the next step clearly.

What happens if you get busied up with chores and life and can't do your leisure activity? Write it down. Now you know where your time is going, and can schedule THAT too.

Also, a tip: make the chores your significant other dislikes your top priority. Oft appreciated and will mean you both reap the benefits instead of just you.

Nope.

Most probably you’re either don’t really want what you say and think you want. Or something else is sucking up your mental or physical energy.

I don't. I have to prioritize what is most important, and let the other stuff drop.

Such is life.

You didn't mention how much time you spend working per week? It sounds as if it could be a boundary thing: maybe you allow your work time to "creep into" your other things / the rest of your life: "just one more thing"

I certainly find I procrastinate hard / scary tasks, by doing things which I don't really like but which are less scary / hard. Maybe try some reading on procrastination, the psychology of it. I find meditation gives me "more time" as well, in that my bandwidth is lager, my mind is clearer, and it's equivalent to, after a session, coming back "refreshed and ready to go". I'm more productive with the time I have, and I have more time. Meditation has really high ROI for time.

I also chunk things into tiny tasks. And if I'm avoiding something, it's often because I haven't chunked it into the smallest "next achievable step" yet.

Best of luck to you!

Instead of thinking mundane things I have to do this, do that to I GET to do this.

Able to things without getting motivated like going to gym.

Cutting myself from distractible things.

What important to have is not motivation but self discipline.

Here are some lessons and things that have helped me along the way:

(1) Taking care of energy levels and mood is top priority. I think being productive is more about these things than making more time. Can be done via: regular physical activity, sleep quality, journaling, supplements, supportive group of friends.

(2) Knowing WHY you want to do these things is super crucial (+ making sure that it’s actually aligned with your values and goals and vision for the future)

(3) Not having unrealistic expectations for myself - I've learned the hard way that this is a surefire way to burn out.

(4) Knowing my best hours of the day and using that "premium" time on what's most important. For me, that's from 8-12 in the morning, right after my walk and coffee.

(5) Being in front of a computer for a long time can be languorous so if your extra activities also involve cognitive work in front of a screen the solution is to mix in something different like a walk or even a shower, etc.

(6) Making it fun - I'm a bit of a nerd for pens and paper, so I take my notes by hand even though it's slower and harder to move information around. But I just love how it feels to write on real paper, so learning is more fun that way.

(7) Combining things - like listening to podcasts while on the treadmill or doing projects with friends.

(8) Having a partner that shares your goals/way of living/hobbies/interests is a killer life hack for doing more things. For example, trying to flirt in German with the 400 words you know is so much more fun than just doing flashcards.

(9) Outsourcing whatever I can.

(10) Remembering that I don't have to do everything - doing one more thing than I've been doing before is good enough.

Hope that helps!

One learning I had over the years is: A) See where and when you actually spend time or loose time. Just listing YT, Netflix and co is too easiy. Beeing busy surfing, pondering about career changes etc is busywork and uses time/mental energy. B) Don’t push things just to the evening and to the next morning: It won’t happen. Block time either in calendar or somewhere to get it done.

I don’t say it is easy. For me I decided to do a few learning (new language and some personal development with a coach): So I block time as I meet my coach during the week and do some reflection/exercises.

My advice and TLDR: Block time in calendar & take a coach/motivator if you can’t get started.

98/100 it's a motivation problem, not a time problem until you have kids etc. Doesn't sound like you do anything?

You're either wanking away the time with indecision over what to do (I speak from experience, used to do that before my son was born :P), or you're not that interested in whatever you think you want to do.

I used to have trouble motivating myself to stick with a hobby (that I was really generally very fond of) and do it consistently over months. Now, I get maybe 30 min a day (bonus luxury when it's in one batch...), and I don't have to motivate myself - I just do, because my brain is burning for action ;)

Edit: or are you falling in the rabbit hole of "just 5 minutes on tiktok/yt/etc...oh my, it's 2h later"?

Schedule each day in a calendar and put as much effort into planning not to do things as you do into planning to do things. Accept that there’s a season for everything, and not only can you not do it all at once, you can’t do it all, period. And that’s okay. Real achievement comes from sacrifice, not the eager experience hoarding of a dilettante.