How to Get 4 More Hours Out of Each Day

I am often asked how it is that I do so much and get so much done in a day. It’s a strange inquiry to me because to me I’m just living. I sleep, I get up, I do my stuff, then I go back to bed. (I actually really love to sleep and I love feeling rested, so I rarely skimp on sleep.)

After being asked this so many times, I analyzed my life and realized that there are two main things that give me, on average, four more hours to the day than I used to experience.

1. No TV

Did you know that the average American over the age of 2 spends more than 34 hours a week watching live television, says a Nielsen report — plus another three to six hours watching taped programs? That’s a total average of 5+ hours a day!

This is crazy!

When our daughter was a toddler, I remember walking into the living room and seeing her stand there with her diapered bottom holding up the remote control and clicking through the channels. She was a new walker and talker, but could proficiently operate the television? Yes! Yikes!

This vision stopped me in my tracks. It felt like an ominous and powerful message to make a significant change. As much as I liked entertaining my daughter with PBS so that I could get a few things done, I didn’t want her to grow up with the TV being a central component in her life.

So when we moved just after her third birthday we locked the TV in the TV cabinet and told her we lost the key. This got all of us to quit TV. It’s been 10 years that we’ve lived without cable TV and it’s been wonderful.

Luckily we are not news junkies or sports fans, so there is really nothing on TV that we can’t get on the computer. We may be a bit behind on some programs, but watching them without commercials at a later date is worth the wait. I’m thinking about Modern Family, for example. Seriously, do you know how fun it is to watch a DVD full of episodes with no commercials? We love our Modern Family marathons via Netflix!

My husband, daughter, and I get plenty of screen time with our computers and movie watching, however it doesn’t seem to waste quite as much time and isn’t as passive as daily TV watching. And we are not bamboozled by relentless and insidious TV commercials.

I love setting aside time on the weekends to watch movies and am known to dash out to the theater for an impromptu film. I especially love matinées. They are my treasured indulgence. And, yes, I eat the popcorn every time. Every. Time.

I read my news online and receive “breaking news” updates on my phone. With social media, if it’s important, people will be talking about it. Most news is junk anyway. So many people experience anxiety after watching the news on TV. I’m not interested!

2. My Diet

Fueling daily on mostly raw, whole, sweet fruit not only saves time on food preparation, but it generates fantastic energy. My mind is clear, my mental recall is phenomenal, my focus is steady, and I’m able to be more productive than I’ve been in all my life. I’m happy, motivated, and passionate about my work, family, home, and community.

I spring out of bed most mornings excited to drink matcha and eat frozen fruit ice cream. It’s happy food and helps to start my day off sweet and powerfully.

My energy is great and consistent throughout the day. As long as I’ve had an adequate amount of sleep (8-9 hours) I can charge through the day from 6:45am to 10pm without slipping, sinking, or dipping. I don’t need an afternoon “pick-me-up” or nap.

I completely attribute my unwavering energy to my diet, supported by good sleep and exercise. Oh yes, and my husband would have me mention a pretty darn abundant sex life. (wink, wink)

My Best Recommendations

1. Taper off the TV. You’ll be amazed how much more peaceful your home and life can become. Save your favorite shows for the weekend. Watch them on the computer or record them. You’ll enjoy them so much more and you can skip the mind-numbing commercials.

2. Adopt the Fruit Til Five™ way of eating. Fill your days with nourishing, hydrating sweet fruit fuel. Your productivity will become more efficient and you’ll feel inspired to accomplish more.

What would you do with four more hours each day? That’s 28 more hours per week! Here are some ideas: get fully rested by sleeping more, exercise, start a new hobby, read all those books you’ve been wanting to read, begin an entrepreneurial pursuit, spend more time with family and friends, meditate, or clean (or clean out) your house.

All those things you think or talk about but never do, do them! When you catch yourself saying “But there are only so many hours in a day,” know that it’s an excuse. And a lame one at that.

When you stop throwing away time and start maximizing your energy, when you put in 24 meaningful & intentional hours into your day, you become satisfied with your performance. You start to tell yourself “Woo Hoo! There are 24 whole hours in this day! Just think of everything I can do!” And when the 24 hours are up, you know you’ve put in an honest and sincere day.

Free up four (or more!) hours per day and then generate the energy via diet to fill those newfound hours with activities that feed your passions and fulfill your dreams. You’re worth every minute of it!