Your initial reaction from the title of this post might be “Ew…that’s disgusting!” But before you judge me, hear me out.
I hate wasting time, especially when it comes to repetitive tasks. I only have one life, so I want be as efficient as possible with menial tasks, giving me more free time for the important things in my life.
For example, when I return from the grocery store, I’ll carry the grocery bags up to my apartment in one trip, even though it may be a bit more strenuous to carry two bags in each hand. Taking two trips to the car eats up 90 seconds of my life that I’ll never get back.
I don’t always do this. I am reasonable and assess when I’m trying to carry too much. Safety first!
Another example: I use time in the car to call my family. I live over 10 hours from the rest of my immediate family, so I like to chat with them on the phone once or twice a week. Since I’m stuck in a car by myself, I make use of my time by calling my parents or sisters. If I don't feel like talking, I listen to podcasts. This turns an otherwise menial task into an opportunity to do something enjoyable. I no longer feel like I’m wasting my time.
Along these lines, several years ago I started to brush my teeth and pee at the same time.
What can I say? I’m a percussionist. I like multitasking.
I see you, toilet. Let's do this.
Like most people (at least I hope), I brush my teeth twice a day: right after I wake up and right before I go to sleep. And like most people, I use the toilet at those times of the day as well. So why not do both tasks at the same time?
By doing this, I save 30 seconds at the start of my day and 30 seconds at the end of my day. That’s one minute of my life back, every single day!
At this point you’re probably thinking “Saving one minute is not worth getting urine all over my toothbrush.”
My two-point response:
1. I don’t get urine all over anything except the inside of the toilet bowl. Doing these two tasks at the same time is easier than patting your head and rubbing your belly at the same time. And if you have an extremely hard time doing those two things, this might not be right for you! (Having to clean up urine from all over the floor is definitely not a time saver).
Show us how it's done, Amy!
2. Saving one minute a day is totally worth it. Think about it. One minute a day means 365 minutes a year. That’s over six hours of your life back each year. If you do this for 60 years, that’s over 15 days you’ll save during your lifetime!
I think about this in the same way I think about expenses. Small purchases, like a cup of coffee, might seem insignificant when isolated. But if you track your spending for an entire year, you’ll realize that hundreds or thousands of your hard-earned dollars can slip away due to these “small expenses”.
Back to urine. Look, I get that a lot of people are probably grossed out by this example, but that’s all it is: an example. My point is that you should try to apply this concept to as many areas of your life as possible. It’s all about efficiency.
During your day, if you finish a task 5 minutes earlier than you thought you would, think about how you can effectively use those 5 minutes. Water the plants in your house, take out the garbage, or even meditate. Don’t pick up your phone and mindlessly scroll through your Instagram feed.
Have a to-do list for each day, so when those moments come, you’ll be ready to fill in the time with something productive. I recommend todoist.
And if you’re thinking, “That sounds like a lot of work.”, I promise you it’s not. With a little practice, you’ll see your productivity blossom.
So if you ever find yourself thinking “I just don’t have enough time in the day.”, try brushing your teeth and peeing at the same time. There’s your first 60 seconds back. Build from there!
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