Want to Get More Done? Budget Less Time to Do It.

By Drew Holmes

If it was not for the last minute, nothing would ever get done.

This has been a quasi-mantra of mine for many years now. Who has not put off a science project or a term paper until the last possible moment, hoping for divine inspiration while pulling an all-nighter and completing a “one and done”?

This had become more of a reality in my work life than I would like to admit. Heading into 2020 I was working until 5:00 on most days, having arrived at the store usually by 9:00. Factoring a slow ease into the day, regular lunch breaks, and afternoon energy lows, I am hard pressed to say that I was using my time to its fullest.

In January 2020 I decided to give up my dedicated office space so we could make a long overdue expansion to our string repair shop. Shortly thereafter the pandemic hit, forcing us to reduce not only hours but also the number of people on site at any given moment. Suddenly my relatively cushy 40 hours per week at my desk was slashed in half. Could I still get everything done?

Back in the early 1990’s, our high school marching band rehearsed less than any other band in NESBA’s Division 1. We had rehearsals every Tuesday and Thursday night from 6:00–9:00 and Saturday mornings, maybe from 9:00 to noon. I do not remember the time of the Saturdays because we could drop the Saturday rehearsals each week if we accomplished our goals by Thursday. During my four years in high school, we maybe rehearsed a Saturday twice. During that same stretch we won finals twice and placed second the other two times.

How did we accomplish so much with so little? Focus and intensity. While at rehearsal we were there fully. We were not worrying about homework or tests, we had an agenda and worked until every item was perfect. We were in the moment.

Having Saturdays to ourselves was something we had to earn every week. By making quality use of the time, the quantity of that time was irrelevant. We refused to spend 12 hours accomplishing what could be done in 6.

Each rehearsal ended with what we call “30 Seconds”, where the band was called to stand perfectly at attention for a full 30 seconds. Any one person flinching or giggling, wobbling or smiling would be grounds for going back to parade rest and starting over. Repeat as many times as necessary, for as long as necessary, until it was right. Every rehearsal ended with the band achieving perfection.

Now in 2021, I put that same lesson of making quality use of time into practice. I am fortunate to walk Timothy to school each morning and pick him up each afternoon. This allows me about 5 hours on site at the store each day that I am there. To make the best use of this time I write out my list of things to do the night before. That way once I accomplish a task, I do not scroll Instagram or browse YouTube, I move on to the next item. And then the next. I maintain the intensity until the list is complete or I run out of time.

By having a plan and following through, budgeting less time to do my work has allowed me not only to make better use of that time, but it also allows me more time to spend with my boys. And the best part is no last-minute all-nighters are required.