Make a conscious commitment to prioritize your own time affluence, understanding its positive impact on personal well-being and relationships.
To improve happiness, learn to do a lot less, as our minds often lie to us about what truly makes us happy.
Engage in idling, which involves loafing and taking time to do nothing in particular, such as long lunches, midday naps, daydreaming, or spending time with friends, as it is very good for mental and physical health.
View creating free time for yourself not as laziness, but as a noble act that benefits your well-being and helps break free from the ‘mind-forged manacles’ of overwork.
Understand that time famine has dramatic negative consequences for subjective well-being, potentially worse than unemployment, and avoid choices that exacerbate it.
Address time poverty to gain more cognitive resources and an outward focus, enabling self-transcendent values and the ability to use time to benefit others and become better citizens.
Challenge the idea that any kind of hard work is morally good, as overwork can lead to stress, heart disease, and negative impacts on family life and relationships.
Challenge the societal belief that busyness and prioritizing money over time confer higher status, as this mindset often leads to less time affluence and reduced happiness.
Make time for social interactions, as prioritizing money over time can reduce engagement with peers, despite small social moments being some of the happiest parts of the day.
To be happier, throw away your alarm clocks to avoid a horrible start to the day and allow for a slower, more civilized transition from sleep to wake.
Allow for a slower transition from sleep to wake, enjoying the in-between state of half-consciousness, as it is considered more civilized and pleasant.
Take a full, uninterrupted hour for lunch, engaging in proper conversation rather than checking emails, as overwork can be detrimental.
Consider taking a short nap after lunch, especially during the period between 2 PM and 4 PM when productivity and mood can dip.
Treat travel time as a gift to unplug, gaze out the window, read a physical book, sleep, or doze, rather than using it for work.
Consciously give yourself the gift of free time, as it is completely free and can provide incalculable benefits for your mental health by allowing moments of non-work.
Consider reducing commute time, even by paying more for rent, to gain daily time that can be spent on happiness-boosting activities like walking and enjoying scenery.
Allocate budget to outsource disliked tasks like house cleaning or grocery delivery, as this buys back time and reduces dread, increasing time affluence and relationship satisfaction.
Analyze monthly purchases, like takeout, to identify where time was saved and then reflect on how that saved time was used, planning to spend future time savings more deliberately.
Recognize that part of the happiness benefit from time-saving purchases comes from consciously thinking you’re saving time and then deliberately deciding how to spend that gained time.
Understand that time affluence is a subjective sense of having free time, and even small gains or the feeling of a break can significantly boost your mood and well-being.
When unexpected free time arises, use it wisely for positive activities rather than squandering it on quick checks of social media or email.
Keep a list of non-work-related, positive life activities (e.g., sending gratitude letters, calling loved ones) to do during small, unexpected pockets of free time, and note them in your agenda.
Use small free time blocks for connecting with friends, expressing gratitude, practicing mindfulness through quick meditation, or deep breaths to boost mood and well-being.
On flights or other travel, commit to spending at least a few minutes gazing out the window, unplugging from work, to promote mental well-being.
Carry a small notebook to write out every single commitment, including start and end times, to keep track of daily tasks.