How to Save 1 Hour Every Day (Without Working Harder!)

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Ever feel like there just aren’t enough hours in the day? 

You start with good intentions, but distractions, interruptions, and never-ending demands pull you in every direction. Before you know it, the day is gone - and your most important work is still unfinished.

What if you could reclaim an hour (or more) every single day - without waking up earlier, working longer, or burning yourself out?

In this One Simple Thing episode of Leading People, I share a practical strategy that will help you take back control of your time, boost your focus, and get more done with less stress. 

It’s a small change that can have a huge impact.

Curious?

🎧 Listen now and start winning back your time today...

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:05):
Welcome to Leading People with me, gerry Marais,
this week.
It's One Simple Thing, where ineach episode, I share a quick,
actionable tip to help you bringout the best in yourself and
others the best in yourself andothers.
One simple thing is created foryoung leaders, but hey, us

(00:34):
older folks can still learn athing or two.
Ask my dog.
He's learned a few new tricksrecently.
Here's a question for you.
Let's be real now.
How often do you sit down tofocus on something important,
only to be derailed withinminutes?
It's no surprise.
We're constantly bombarded byinterruptions, such as messages,

(00:57):
emails, slack, pings and evenwell-meaning colleagues dropping
by for just a sec.
And here's the catch Studiesshow that every distraction or
interruption can cost youbetween 10 and 23 minutes to
fully refocus.
Now, that's a lot of wastedtime.

(01:22):
Let's do the math If it tookjust 10 minutes to refocus and
you got interrupted once an hour, that's at least an hour of
lost productivity every day.
And let's be honest, it's neverjust once an hour.
Yeah, I know Some of you arerolling your eyes thinking I

(01:42):
wish I only got interrupted oncean hour.
So here's one simple thing youcan do today Create a
distraction-free zone.

(02:03):
And here's how.
Step 1.
Identify your biggestdistractions.
Ask yourself what's pulling meaway from deep work.
If it's your phone, put it onsilence, flip it over or even

(02:26):
put it in another room.
If it's email or social mediaapps, shut them down for a set
period, no more just checkingreal quick.
If it's other people, set clearboundaries.
Let colleagues or family knowwhen you need uninterrupted time

(02:48):
.
And if you're not sure what'spulling you away from deep work,
then keep a time log for a week.
From my own personal experience, this can be quite revealing.

(03:11):
Step 2.
Time block your focus sessions.
The best way to eliminatedistractions.
Plan for focus.
Block specific time slots inyour calendar for deep work,
even if it's just 30 to 60minutes at a time, and during
that time, commit to just onething staying on task.

(03:32):
No multitasking, no peeking atmessages, just focused work.
And step three create adistraction free environment.
For example, test out noisecancelling headphones or play

(03:54):
gentle instrumental music orwhite noise, or turn off
unnecessary, unnecessary browsertabs and apps Whatever works
best for you.
Because when you create theright conditions, your brain
enters flow, that magical statewhere you're fully immersed and

(04:16):
working at your best.
And when that happens, you'llaccomplish more in less time,
without the mental exhaustionthat comes from constant context
switching.
So test this out for the nextfew days.
Set up your distraction-freezone, protect your focus and

(04:41):
watch your productivityskyrocket.
And that's another one simplething.
Thanks for tuning in.
Remember, small steps can leadto big changes.

(05:01):
Test out this one simple thingand notice how it transforms
your day.
Let me know how you get on.
Reach out on LinkedIn andconnect with me.
Mention the podcast and ifyou'd like to learn more one

(05:21):
simple things, then subscribe tothis podcast on your favorite
podcast channel and follow ourLinkedIn Leading People page.
In our next episode of OneSimple Thing, we'll explore
another easy way to be a greatleader by bringing out the best

(05:42):
in yourself and those around you.
And in between, you can checkout one of my longer
conversations with leadingpeople about yes, you've guessed
it leading people.
So until then, keep exploringand stay curious.