LIFESTYLE
Busy isn't productive, do we need to say it a little louder for the people in the back??
You can spend your entire week checking things off lists, answering emails, showing up to meetings, and still get to Sunday evening with absolutely no idea what you actually accomplished. Busy, yes. Productive? Not even close.
Here's what we figured out: you need to step back and look at the whole picture. Actually ask yourself if what filled your week mattered to you or you were just chasing your tail ticking off tasks for other people.
We finally figured out the solution after one too many times of asking where the week went. What's our solution? A three-hour weekly audit every week. It sounds like a lot until you realise those three hours will give you 165 others that actually work for you and not the other way around.
Now if you're ready to stop being a busy idiot, here's exactly how we do it.
Hour One: Find the Gaps
The first hour is for you to compare what you wanted / needed to do versus what you actually did. This is usually an eye opener and you'll likely have an "oh shit" moment where you realize you spent 12 on your phone but zero hours working towards a 2026 goal.
If you can't pull up your calendar and know what you did in the last week then you might want to spend a week tracking, just so you actually know what you're working with. How many hours went to sitting in traffic? How many times did you workout? How many hours did you spend working on your goals? Look at your screen time. Yes, we know it's brutal but its necessary. If you said social media wasn't a priority (and you want to spend list time on TikTok) but you spent two hours a day doom scrolling, that's worth knowing about.
You're looking for the disconnect between what you want to achieve and what you are doing to accomplish it. You said health was a priority but missed all your booked classes and your step count. You wanted more quality time with friends but spent every lunch on your phone. You planned to work on your side project but said yes to commitments you didn't even want to go to. The whole point of this hour is seeing where you're lying to yourself about what matters. Once you see the gap, you can actually do something about it.
Hour Two: Edit Ruthlessly
Now that you know where your gaps are, it's time to fix them. Start with the quick wins that you can fix immediately. If you spent 10 hours scrolling but wanted to work on your side project, delete the apps off your home screen. If you missed your workouts because mornings were too rushed from you, set a morning schedule and put your workouts in your calendar. If you wanted quality time with friends but kept cancelling, block off one evening a week that's a non-negotiable time.
Then tackle the bigger stuff that needs actual conversations or boundary setting. You know the kind of things we're talking about, that work meeting you sit through every week contributing absolutely nothing except your time and boredom. The volunteer commitment that sounded good in theory but drains you in practice. The friend who only calls when she needs something but never answers when you do. These are the things that require some uncomfortable conversations, but your future time is worth the discomfort.
Next, write down your non-negotiables for the week ahead. Write down what actually has to happen this week. A deadline that affects your paycheck, an appointment you can't reschedule, a commitment someone else is counting on you for or that you actually want to go to. If it's not on that list, it's optional, and you need to start treating it that way.
And finally decide in advance what you're saying no to. It's key because it prepares you to say no ahead of time instead of getting dragged into plans you don't want. You don't need to give a reason, a polite no will do. Your time is limited and saying yes to everything means eventually not doing what actually matters.
Hour Three: Build Your Dream Week
Now you plan the week ahead, but not wildly different from where you are right now. Baby steps, jumping in from getting up at 8am to I'm going to wake up at 5am and then run 5k never sticks and you're back to the start. Instead plan for reality with small improvements or habit changes and build from there.
Time blocking. Put everything on the calendar. Work blocks, yes, but also drive time, gym time, cooking time, when you're going to do laundry or other life admin. If it matters or its vital, it gets a spot.
Energy mapping. We know our own rhythms by now. You might be ready to jump into the day as soon as you wake up or you might come alive in the evening. Build your day around yourself as much as you can. We can stop pretending we can do hard things when we're running on empty.
The one big thing. Every week should have one priority that moves you forward on something that actually matters to you. A side hustle, learning a new language or a new skill, getting a revenge body, whatever it is, make time for it.
The buffer. You leave space for things to go wrong so you can still move towards your goals and also for rest.
Three Hours Will Change Your Life
Once you start doing this weekly, you'll be amazed at how on control you'll feel. You know what's coming instead of getting blindsided. You're already making the decisions ahead of time so you're not stuck in decision paralysis every time. Fires will still happen, but you'll be able to manage them because everything else is aligned. And that feeling of getting to Friday wondering what you even did all week? Gone. 3 hours once a week runs the other 165. The return on investment is almost ridiculous.
You don't need to do it exactly like this, you can edit and alter as you see fit, it's your audit after all! Maybe your version is two hours on Saturday morning or one hour three nights a week. The most important part is the habit of looking at your life from above instead of just living inside it. Instead of letting life happen to you, you choose how life happens.
Your life doesn't run itself. But three hours a week? That'll do it.