How to Make More Time in Your Day: 15 Tips to Create Time

Ever feel like there’s not enough time in the day? Trust me, I’ve been there.

I remember meeting a friend for coffee and she asked, “How’s it going?”

Without thinking, I replied with my default response: “It’s busy! I’m good, but really busy.”

She started to laugh and said to me, “When was the last time you weren’t busy?”

Whoa—this question rocked me to my core. 

I couldn’t even remember the last time I wasn’t rushing through my days. 

If you’re nodding along, knowing exactly what I mean, you’re not alone. But here’s the good news: you can create time in your day, even in our hyper-busy world.

After that wake-up call, I dove deep into the art of finding time, which led me to reading Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less^{1 http://gregmckeown.com/} by Greg McKeown^{2 https://twitter.com/GregoryMcKeown} . 

What I discovered changed my life, and today, I’m sharing 15 practical tips to help you make more time in your day.

Here’s how to be less busy:

Adopt the Mindset of an Essentialist

Essentialism is a mindset; it is a way of life and it is a new way to be. Here is an overview of Essentialist philosophy by McKeown himself:

Essentially (get it?), it comes down to a fundamental difference in how we approach our daily choices and commitments:

A non-essentialist:

• thinks, “I have to”
• reacts and says yes without really thinking
• takes on too much and feels out of control
• is exhausted and overwhelmed

An essentialist:

• thinks, “I choose to”
• executes and says no to everything except the essential
• gets the right things done and feels in control
• does great work and experiences joy in the journey

Which mindset are you in right now? Which mindset do you want to be in? Keep this in mind as we explore the rest of the tips. 

Live Regret-Free

Before diving into the principles, think about why you are here. McKeown shares the story of an Australian nurse named Bronnie Ware who cared for people at the end of their lives and recorded the regrets most often discussed by patients. She eloquently states that most people express this regret at the end of their life:

“I wish I’d had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me.”

Now is your time to re-evaluate. What do you want to achieve in this lifetime? Who are the people you want to spend time with? What are the things you want to do for you? What do you want to prioritize?

Challenge: Write down the 5 things you want to achieve by the end of your life.

This list is what will drive you to be an essentialist. This list will center you and help you say no to the people you don’t want to spend time with. It will help you stop doing the things you don’t want to do and only prioritize what matters.

Remember: You Have Choice

One of the most powerful pieces of science McKeown shared in the book came from a study on learned helplessness by researchers Seligman and Maier. Their experiment with dogs revealed something profound about how we respond to feeling powerless.

The researchers found that dogs who had previously been unable to control their environment stopped trying to escape uncomfortable situations – even when escape became easy. They had learned to be helpless. They had forgotten they had a choice.

This perfectly captures how many of us live our lives. We become so accustomed to our daily routines, commitments, and obligations that we forget we have choices. We forget we have the power to change. We forget we can say no.

Challenge: What are 3 things you say yes to without even thinking? Think of the activities and people in your life. Remember that you have a choice. Do you still choose all of these activities and people to be in your life?

The “Heck Yeah” Filter

If you had to summarize Essentialism, it can be done in this headline:

No more yes. It’s either HECK YEAH! or No

I call this the Heck Yeah Principle. It is incredibly difficult to implement, but it is a profound guiding principle and worth every ounce of effort. Why? It means living with extreme purpose and gusto. No more maybe, no more meh, no more half-effort tries. You either do it and love it, or don’t do it at all. Can you live by the Heck Yeah Filter?

Challenge: Write “It’s either HECK YEAH! or No” on a post-it note next to your computer. When responding to emails, taking calls and making your to-do lists, run everything through the Heck Yeah filter on this note. Don’t do anything that doesn’t pass.

Right Now

My favorite thing to do at Science of People is to take big concepts and to break them down into practical tasks. If you want to be less busy, here are the 3 things you should do right now based on the Essentialist philosophy:

1. Write down your one goal for the month. This is your clarity of purpose. What is the one thing you want to do really well in the next month?
2. Now, look at your to-do list and cut it in half. That’s right. Remove all of the things that are “nice to do” not “need to do” for you to achieve your goal.
3. Look at your calendar for the next month and remove 5 events, calls and meetings that are non-essential for your goal.

Mark your calendar to do this on the first day of every month.

Remember, busy doesn’t have to be your default. Be an essentialist and choose time over busy.

Take Breaks to Do More

Think about your typical day. Are you trying to power through tasks for hours, only to find your focus drifting and your productivity declining? A groundbreaking study suggests that this push-through approach isn’t exactly the most conducive to productivity

Here’s the truth: our brains aren’t wired for constant focus. When I used to try to work for hours without breaks, both my energy and output suffered. But when I started taking strategic breaks, everything changed. As the researchers discovered, brief diversions from a task can dramatically improve our ability to focus on that task for prolonged periods.

By taking deliberate breaks, you can protect your ability to focus on what’s truly important—the foundation of Essentialism.

How to implement strategic breaks:

• Work in focused sprints (25-45 minutes)
• Take short breaks (2-5 minutes) between sprints
• Use breaks to briefly divert your attention to something different
• Return to your task with renewed focus
• Think of these breaks not as distractions, but as reset points for your attention

Challenge: For the next week, instead of trying to block out long periods of uninterrupted work, intentionally build in brief breaks every 30 minutes. During these breaks, completely switch your attention to something different. Notice how this rhythm helps you maintain focus on what’s essential throughout the day.

Are you ready to make more time for meaningful connections? Elevate your social skills with our resource:

The Art of No

“No” is a complete sentence, but for many of us—especially people pleasers—it feels like the hardest word in the English language. I know this firsthand. My calendar used to overflow with commitments I’d agreed to just to avoid that twinge of discomfort that came with saying no.

Learning to say no gracefully transformed my relationship with time. Here are some phrases that changed my life:

• “Thank you for thinking of me. I need to decline as I’m focusing on other priorities right now.”
• “I’m honored to be asked, and I want to be upfront that I can’t give this the attention it deserves.”
• “That sounds wonderful, but I’m currently at capacity. Perhaps we could revisit this in [specific timeframe]?”

Remember the Hell Yeah Filter? It helps you decide what to decline. But knowing what to decline is only half the battle—delivering that no with grace is an art form worth mastering.

Challenge: Write down three ways to say no that feel authentic to you. This week, when something fails the Hell Yeah test, practice using one of your prepared responses. Notice how the right words make saying no feel less like rejection and more like protection.

Quiet Your Devices

Our phones buzz with endless notifications, our inboxes overflow, and our attention scatters. To an essentialist, these digital distractions are the enemy of clarity. When I first silenced my notifications, I felt anxious. A week later, I felt free.

Here’s what worked for me:

• Silent hours (8 PM – 10 AM)
• Three daily email checks
• No phone in my workspace
• Tech-free zones in my home

Challenge: Choose one digital distraction that regularly pulls you away from important work. Eliminate it completely for three days. Notice how this affects your focus and clarity.

Do It Now

Small tasks can create enormous mental clutter. Letting them accumulate allows the non-essential to cloud what matters most.

The solution is surprisingly simple: if something takes less than two minutes and supports your priorities, do it immediately. This isn’t about being reactive; it’s about maintaining the mental clarity needed for your most important work.

Challenge: For the next three days, keep a list of all the small tasks you encounter. Ask yourself: “Does this support what’s truly important?” Handle the aligned tasks immediately, and consciously eliminate or delegate the rest.

Question Everything

Most people accept their routines, commitments, and obligations without question. When I started examining every aspect of my schedule and responsibilities, I uncovered dozens of activities that existed purely out of habit or outdated obligations.

A routine audit of your commitments can reveal surprising insights. Many activities that seem important are merely remnants of past priorities. By questioning everything, you create space to pursue what matters now.

Try asking:

• If I weren’t already doing this, would I start?
• Does this activity support my current priorities?
• Am I doing this out of habit or true value?
• What would happen if I stopped doing this entirely?

Challenge: List everything you do regularly (weekly or monthly). Question each item using the prompts above. Identify three commitments you can release this month. Notice how removing these activities affects your ability to focus on what’s truly essential.

The Power Hour

The early morning hours have a different quality to them. McKeown emphasizes the importance of intentionally designating space for what matters most. I call this the Power Hour—a daily period when your energy is highest and the world is still quiet.

After countless frustrated evenings wondering where my day had gone, I claimed this hour for myself. Now I guard it fiercely, treating it with the same reverence others give to their most important meetings. Every day, same time, zero exceptions. This consistency transforms an ordinary hour into an extraordinary one.

Your Power Hour demands complete dedication. Choose the same time each day, eliminate every possible interruption, and focus solely on your highest priority. No email, no phone, no compromise. Think of it as an unbreakable appointment with your most important work—because that’s exactly what it is.

Challenge: Set aside one hour at the same time every day next week. Use it only for your most important work. Track what you accomplish during these focused sessions.

Guard Your Energy

Time isn’t your most precious resource—energy is. This insight from McKeown transformed how I structure my days. Learn to protect your energy and you’ll find more time.

Guarding your energy is all about know your own patterns, since everybody’s a little different:

• Track your peak hours
• Reserve your best time for important work
• Set boundaries around draining activities
• Build in recovery periods

The idea of honoring your energy levels strongly connects to the concept of a “social battery”—a metaphorical way to describe our capacity for social interaction. Just like a real battery, our social energy can be:

• Charged (feeling energized and ready to engage)
• Depleting (gradually becoming drained during social interactions)
• Depleted (feeling exhausted and needing to recharge through alone time)

Challenge: Monitor your energy levels for one week. Note when you feel most focused and creative. Align your most important work with these peak periods.

And if you’re an introvert, don’t miss out on our article! Are You An Introvert? 8 Ways To Make Introversion Your Superpower

Group Like With Like

When you scatter your attention across different types of work, you dilute your impact on what matters most. The essentialist approach shows us that creating space for focused work amplifies our contribution.

I discovered this when I noticed my best work was getting lost in the chaos of constant context switching. Now, by grouping similar activities together, I maintain focus on what’s truly important while eliminating the mental cost of jumping between different types of work.

Challenge: Identify your three most important types of work (e.g., creative, administrative tasks, meetings and calls). For one week, batch these activities into dedicated time blocks. Notice how this rhythm helps you distinguish between what’s merely good and what’s truly essential.

Daily Reset

Without regular reflection, we can’t distinguish between busy work and important work. I end each day with what I call “protective reflection”—a practice that helps maintain clarity on what matters most.

Ask yourself:

1. What moved the needle today?
2. What activities drained my energy?
3. What do I need to protect tomorrow?
4. How can I simplify?

Challenge: Take 10 minutes each evening to answer these questions. Use your insights to adjust the next day’s priorities.

Keep Score

What gets measured gets managed. McKeown emphasizes focusing on what truly matters. I’ve created a simple weekly scorecard that tracks only what’s most important in my life and work to track what matters:

• Progress on key priorities
• Energy levels throughout the week
• Quality of important relationships
• Time spent in focused vs. scattered work

Challenge: Create your own scorecard with just 3-4 key metrics. Track these for one month. Use the insights to refine where you invest your time and energy.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About Making More Time in Your Day

Make Time for What Truly Matters

The takeaway? Every no to the nonessential is a yes to what matters most!

The essentialist path shows us that by doing less—but doing what matters exceptionally well—we actually create more time for what’s truly important. 

Start with one tip that resonates most with you, practice it until it becomes natural, then add another.Want to further enhance your productivity? Check out our guide on 15 Tips to Master Attention to Detail and Be More Productive to complement your essentialist journey.