Reclaim Your Time by Aligning It With Your Values

Are you constantly busy, yet feel like you're not accomplishing what truly matters? Traditional time management often focuses on doing more, squeezing every last drop of productivity out of each day. But what if the key to a more fulfilling life isn't about doing more, but about being more aligned with your core values?

Identify Your Core Values

Before you can align your time with your values, you need to know what those values are. This isn't always easy. We're often so caught up in the day-to-day that we lose sight of the bigger picture. Consider taking some time to reflect on your values.

Here are some exercises to help you identify your top 3-5 core values:

1. The Life Compass Exercise: This exercise helps you to identify what matters to you in different areas of your life and determine what acts as your "life compass."
2. Values Brainstorm: Simply brainstorm a list of values that resonate with you. Don't overthink it; write down anything that comes to mind. Examples include: family, creativity, learning, growth, connection, service, authenticity, and financial security.
3. Group and Label: Once you have a list, group similar values together. For example, "learning," "growth," and "curiosity" might fall under a broader value like "Knowledge." Choose a single word or short phrase to represent each group.
4. Add a Verb: Transform your values into actionable statements. For example, instead of "Family," you might say "Nurture my family relationships." Instead of "Creativity," try "Express my creativity."

Remember that there are many benefits to learning about your personal values, and these identified values will change over time.

Audit Your Time

Now that you have a clearer sense of your values, it's time to see how you're actually spending your time. A time audit provides a realistic picture of your daily activities.

Here's how to conduct a simple time audit:

1. Track Your Time: For a week, track how you spend your time in 30-minute or 1-hour blocks. You can use a notebook, a spreadsheet, or a time-tracking app.
2. Categorize Your Activities: After the week, categorize your activities. Examples include: Work, Family Time, Personal Care, Hobbies, Social Media, Errands, etc.
3. Analyze the Results: Look at how much time you're spending in each category. Are you surprised by anything? Are there any areas where you're spending a significant amount of time that don't align with your core values?

One startling statistic states that the average worker spends 51% of their workday on tasks of little to no value. Don't let this be you.

Values-Based Prioritization

Traditional prioritization methods often focus on urgency. The problem is that urgent tasks aren't always important. This is where the Eisenhower Matrix, a concept popularized by Stephen Covey, can be helpful. However, we'll add a values lens to it.

The Eisenhower Matrix has four quadrants:

1. Urgent and Important: Crises, deadlines, pressing problems.
2. Not Urgent but Important: Activities that align with your long-term goals and values. This is where you should ideally spend most of your time.
3. Urgent but Not Important: Interruptions, some meetings, some emails. These often feel important but don't contribute to your core values.
4. Not Urgent and Not Important: Time-wasters, busywork, excessive social media.

Now, add your values lens:

• When evaluating tasks in Quadrant 2 (Not Urgent but Important), ask yourself: "Does this activity align with my core values?" If not, consider whether it's truly important.
• Be ruthless with Quadrant 3 (Urgent but Not Important). These tasks often steal time from value-aligned activities.
• Eliminate as much as possible from Quadrant 4 (Not Urgent and Not Important).

As Stephen Covey emphasized, it's about "Putting First Things First"—organizing and executing around your most important priorities, driven by the principles you value most, as detailed in his book, "First Things First."

Eliminate, Automate, or Delegate

Once you've prioritized your tasks through a values lens, it's time to free up more time for Quadrant 2 activities. Here's how:

• Eliminate: Are there any tasks you can simply stop doing? Are there meetings you can skip, reports you can stop generating, or commitments you can decline? If something doesn't align with your values and doesn't contribute to your goals, consider eliminating it.
• Automate: Can any repetitive tasks be automated? Explore tools and apps that can save you time. Examples include email filters, social media scheduling, and online bill pay.
• Delegate: Can you delegate any tasks to someone else? This could be at work (delegating to a team member) or at home (hiring a house cleaner or using a grocery delivery service). Freeing up time spent doing these tasks can help allow time to focus on priorities.

The objective is to eliminate, automate, and delegate as many non-essential tasks as possible.

Mindful Scheduling

It's not enough to just say your values are important; you need to schedule time for them. This includes activities that might seem "unproductive" on the surface but are essential for your well-being and fulfillment.

• Schedule Value-Aligned Activities: Block time in your calendar for activities that nourish your soul and align with your values. This might include:
  • Quality time with loved ones.
  • Exercise or other forms of self-care.
  • Creative pursuits or hobbies.
  • Learning and personal growth.
  • Spiritual practices (meditation, prayer, time in nature).

As Laura Vanderkam suggests in her TED Talk, "How to gain control of your free time," we have more time than we think; it is about making our priorities fit.

The Power of "No"

One of the most powerful time management tools is the word "no." Learning to say "no" to commitments that don't align with your values is crucial.

Here are some tips for saying "no" gracefully:

• Be Direct and Honest: Don't beat around the bush or make excuses. A simple "Thank you for thinking of me, but I'm not able to commit to this right now" is sufficient.
• Offer an Alternative (if appropriate): If you genuinely want to help but can't take on the full commitment, offer an alternative. For example, "I can't chair the committee, but I'd be happy to contribute an hour a week to help with a specific task."
• Don't Over-Apologize: You don't need to apologize profusely for prioritizing your values.

For further support in this, you may find WonderSage's blog post on the topic, "Unlock a More Fulfilling Life by Saying No," useful.

Living a Values-Aligned Life

Reclaiming your time isn't about cramming more into your day. It's about intentionally choosing to spend your time on what truly matters to you. By identifying your core values, auditing your time, prioritizing value-aligned activities, and learning to say "no," you can create a life that is both productive and fulfilling. It is also about consistently reviewing whether you are satisfied with your progress. Remember, it's about investing your time wisely in what truly matters to you.

For more information on aligning your time with your values, take a look at "Reclaim Your Time Live a Life Aligned With Your Values." For related articles, WonderSage has also published "Unlock Authentic Living A Guide to Finding Your Values," and "Design a Life You Love Intentional Living Through Core Values."

Ready to take the next step in creating a values-aligned life? Start a conversation with WonderSage's AI to begin building your personalized self-help book.