What is harmless but can kill you? What can fly without wings? Some people hate riddles while others thrive on them. If you aren’t sure what the answers are to the above conundrums, you probably aren’t alone. The answer is…Time. It is the one thing that nobody seems to have enough of…or do they? Probably the number one excuse of all time (see what we did there), saying we don’t have time for something has probably gotten many people out of commitments they should have kept. Unfortunately, we are lying to ourselves.

We see successful people and they have the same 24 hours as we do. How are they able to do that? They have rules that guide them throughout the day making sure they don’t waste time. You’re in luck today because we are going to pull back the proverbial vail and give you simple, yet smart things you can do every day to accomplish your goals in life.

First, the 24 hours in day is actually an excuse. No, we didn’t step into a black hole to an alternative universe or discover some scientific discovery. Though we INDIVIDUALLY have 24 hours in a day, we can delegate to others and increase the amount of time you have. Delegate to one individual and you now have 48 hours. Add another person and you get 72 hours!

Second, you need to set reminders for yourself. Having electronic devices, we tend to have very poor memories in the modern world. However, not using the technology to give yourself a leg up is not a good idea. Set reminders for everything that is important. Plan out your day and stick to those times. Also, plan to do stuff or get to places BEFORE the actually allotted time. Remember, early is on time, on time is late, and late is not acceptable.

Lastly, you must get rid of distractions. If you need leave your phone in another room, do that. Always distracted by the television? Work in the garage if you have to. Whatever it takes, do it. Just cutting down on distractions can give you back so much time in your day, previously held hostage by distractions. One of the biggest pitfalls is not so much our phones, but our lack of boundaries with them. We have a fear of missing out, so every buzz, ding, and pop-up rips us right out of our focused pursuit and hurls us down a bottomless wormhole of headlines, status updates, and memes.

You have the same amount of time as anybody else. If you are struggling to find out how to use your time more effectively, start with becoming more self-aware of the aspects we spelled out above.

Audit your time. Accelerate your life.