How to be more productive in fewer hours

WHILE 40 hours has been the standard work week length for the last few generations, the promise has long been that technology will give us more free time. Yet many still find work spilling over into nights and weekends.

- ELIZABETH GRACE SAUNDERS

Whether you want to cut back your hours to make room for a side hustle, spend more time with your family or to pursue your own interests and hobbies, it is possible to open up a significant amount of time in your schedule. And although getting down to 30 hours or less per week isn't doable in all circumstances, it is possible in many.

Here are the steps to make it happen:

Set clear constraints

If you're used to working more, you will need to put very intentional time constraints in place in order to learn how to limit yourself to 30 hours of work a week. To make this easier, I recommend setting a new schedule and trying not to deviate from it.

For example, this could look like working 8:30am to 2:30pm so that you can pick up your kids from school and take them to their activities. Or it could look like a 10am to 4pm schedule if you're training for a competition and want to get in both early morning and evening workouts.

Without these limits, it’s too easy to fall back into a nine-to-five schedule where there’ never free time to put into your outside goals.

Consolidate