--- title: Spend Time Wisely: How to Focus on the Things That Matter description: We spend time wisely when we plan canonical: https://time.com/3950033/spend-time-wisely/ author: Eric Barker article:opinion: true article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-07-09T04:01:15.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-03-31T08:34:58.299Z article:section: Ideas og:title: How to Focus on the Things That Matter og:description: We spend time wisely when we plan og:url: https://time.com/3950033/spend-time-wisely/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltefda63dcef36fa82/69885a1ee53aba7efd4de854/desk-clock.jpg?branch=production&width=338&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 338 og:image:height: 190 og:image:alt: desk-twin-bell-alarm-clock og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: How to Focus on the Things That Matter twitter:description: We spend time wisely when we plan twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltefda63dcef36fa82/69885a1ee53aba7efd4de854/desk-clock.jpg?branch=production&width=338&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # How to Focus on the Things That Matter > Sponsored content. 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Inside TIME is the newsletter where TIME's Editor-in-Chief explains cover selection and the editorial reasoning behind major stories. It is free at time.com/newsletters. #### Who is the editor of TIME? Sam Jacobs is TIME's Editor-in-Chief. He writes Inside TIME, a twice-weekly newsletter about the newsroom's reporting and editorial decisions. #### Is Inside TIME free? Yes. Inside TIME is a free newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. A paid TIME subscription is separate and available at time.com/subscribe-agent. by [Eric Barker](https://time.com/author/eric-barker/) ## Eric Barker Jul 9, 2015 4:01 AM UTC  Twin Bell Alarm Clock on Desk Twin Bell Alarm Clock on Desk Getty Images by [Eric Barker](https://time.com/author/eric-barker/) ## Eric Barker Jul 9, 2015 4:01 AM UTC ## How Can You Spend Time Wisely? We all wonder where the hours go. There’s a good reason for that — we’re absolutely terrible at remembering how we really spend our time. Via [What the Most Successful People Do at Work: A Short Guide to Making Over Your Career](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00BPDR4BY/ref=as%5Fli%5Fss%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00BPDR4BY&linkCode=as2&tag=spacforrent-20): --- > “” --- Nowhere is this truer than with work. Are you a workaholic spending 75+ hours at work a week? Then you’re probably off by as much as 25 hours. Via [What the Most Successful People Do at Work: A Short Guide to Making Over Your Career](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00BPDR4BY/ref=as%5Fli%5Fss%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00BPDR4BY&linkCode=as2&tag=spacforrent-20): --- > “” --- It’s no shock that we don’t spend time wisely — most of us have no idea where the time goes. We do know some of the culprits. TV. Web surfing. And email. Oh yes, [email](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2012/10/how-can-you-stop-e-mail-from-taking-over-your/). Knowledge workers spend 28% of their time with email. 58 percent of smartphone owners don’t go an hour without checking their device. 9 percent check it during religious services. Via [What the Most Successful People Do at Work: A Short Guide to Making Over Your Career](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00BPDR4BY/ref=as%5Fli%5Fss%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00BPDR4BY&linkCode=as2&tag=spacforrent-20): --- > “” --- Why can’t we focus? [Dan Ariely](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2013/03/interview-nyt-bestselling-author-dan-ariely-talks/) says it’s an issue of visibility. Calendars are great for showing things that take 30 minutes but can’t help us judge progress on big projects or creative endeavors that take 30 hours. Via [Manage Your Day-to-Day: Build Your Routine, Find Your Focus, and Sharpen Your Creative Mind (The 99U Book Series)](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00B77UE4W/ref=as%5Fli%5Fss%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00B77UE4W&linkCode=as2&tag=spacforrent-20): --- > “” --- ## How Do You Break Free? In my [interview with Cal Newport](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2013/04/interview-author-cal-newport-on-how-you-can-become-an-expert-and-why-you-should-not-follow-your-passion/) he said that the emphasis on productivity tricks was problematic. It’s only part of the solution — and not the important part: --- > “” --- We spend time wisely when we plan: Via [What the Most Successful People Do at Work: A Short Guide to Making Over Your Career](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00BPDR4BY/ref=as%5Fli%5Fss%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00BPDR4BY&linkCode=as2&tag=spacforrent-20): --- > “” --- It’s even a good idea with your [free time](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2010/11/should-you-use-time-management-with-your-free/). [Caterina Fake](http://www.linkedin.com/today/post/article/20121018025307-3279-you-should-work-from-home-before-you-go-to-work) points to management expert [Pete Drucker](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2013/03/insights-management-book/) who says working at home in the morning is the only real solution. Via [The Practice of Management](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0060878975/ref=as%5Fli%5Fss%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0060878975&linkCode=as2&tag=spacforrent-20): --- > “” --- So what do you need to do? --- > “” --- **Join over 195,000 readers. Get a free weekly update via email** [**here**](http://eepurl.com/o6uAD)**.** **_This piece originally appeared on_** [**_Barking Up the Wrong Tree_**](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2013/05/spend-time-wisely/)**_._** Related posts: [How To Stop Being Lazy And Get More Done – 5 Expert Tips](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2014/08/how-to-stop-being-lazy/) [How To Get People To Like You: 7 Ways From An FBI Behavior Expert](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2014/10/how-to-get-people-to-like-you/) [New Harvard Research Reveals A Fun Way To Be More Successful](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2014/09/be-more-successful/) ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"OpinionNewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3950033/spend-time-wisely/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3950033/spend-time-wisely/"},"headline":"How to Focus on the Things That Matter","datePublished":"2015-07-09T04:01:15.000Z","dateModified":"2026-03-31T08:34:58.299Z","description":"We spend time wisely when we plan","url":"https://time.com/3950033/spend-time-wisely/","keywords":["Psychology","TIME","productivity","Time management"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltefda63dcef36fa82/69885a1ee53aba7efd4de854/desk-clock.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Eric Barker","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/eric-barker/"}],"articleSection":"Ideas","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltefda63dcef36fa82/69885a1ee53aba7efd4de854/desk-clock.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"desk-twin-bell-alarm-clock","caption":"desk-twin-bell-alarm-clock","creditText":"Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/ideas/","name":"Ideas"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/psychology/","name":"Psychology"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3950033/spend-time-wisely/","name":"How to Focus on the Things That Matter"}}]}] ```