One year from now, you will have regrets. The same feeling you always have every time December is about to end.

So how to keep regrets away? How can you achieve your goals, be better than last year, and be proud of your achievements by the end of the year?

You decide when to make your dreams a reality. How? Use your time properly.

You will never have enough time

The most precious thing in the world is not money, fame, or other materialistic things. It is time. Time will always move forward, and it can’t be restored. You can't go back.

What differentiates people who have regrets and those who don't is how they use their time.

Everyone receives the same amount of time

We are not talking about age because it is not comparable. We are going to look at how many hours we have every day. Whether you’re wealthy or not, young or old, we all have 24 hours a day.

But how much time do we have? Let’s break it down. Typically, people would spend their time this way:

8 hours of sleep
8 hours of work
8 hours of free time

Sleeping and working are something that most people can’t escape from. We might be able to reduce the amount of sleep or work hours that we have, but it won’t be feasible in the long run. If you do, you will live an unhealthy lifestyle or lose your job.

So, with 16 hours gone — what should we do with the remaining 8 hours?

Count the small things

Even if we have 8 hours, we may need to use that free time to do other essential stuff such as:

1,5 hours to go to the office
1,5 hours to go back home
1 hour to eat and take showers
1 hour to hangout / socialize (or maybe more)

…and with that, give or take, we are left with only (at most) 3 hours of a typical day. Surprised?

These 3 hours are where you make a difference.

Let it sink.

You only have 3 hours for yourself

What will you do with your only ‘free time’? Most people would binge-watch Netflix or Television, scroll through social media like TikTok or Instagram, or maybe play games. Hey, it’s your time, and you own it, so I am not judging you for doing so — after all, we’ve all been there.

But are you sure you will not regret wasting your time?

💡 Tips: Make a 3-hour plan

If you have goals that you want to achieve, you will already know how you should spend your ‘free time’. If you want to be a writer, start writing and publishing. If you want to learn how to draw, start drawing. And if you want to get healthier, exercise and eat healthy food.

By planning what to do in your free time, you won’t waste time scraping for inspirations here and there, browsing for tutorials, and so on. In these 3 hours, you should already have a plan of what to do and start doing it. Of course, you can use some time to plan, but keep it short.

💡 Tips: You only need to focus for 1 hour

If you are not sure you'd have 3 hours a day, you can also be productive for at least 1 hour. Even just 1 hour is a big improvement if you do it daily.

It is easier to make consistent small efforts. You won't realize that you are building a habit and will also feel less burdened by the need to be productive.

Suppose you use this 1 hour to improve yourself by 1%. In a year, you will be 37.78 times better than you were last year. In a day, it doesn't seem much. But zoom out, and you'll see how far you've gone.

💡 Tips: It’s okay to slow down

It is okay. Don’t be too hard on yourself, but don’t be too soft. If you want to play games or hang out with your friends, occasionally take some time off that 3 hours! Balancing between enjoying life and staying productive is also important.

I've been on both ends of extremes where I was too productive or too lazy. Those aren't the places you want to be. Find a balance that works for you, and be consistent.

Don't forget to enjoy life.

So, what will you do now?

Will you fully use the only 3 hours’ time you have today after reading this article? Or at least spend an hour a day to get closer to your dreams?

In the end, it’s all on you.

Have a plan of what to do during those free hours. Don’t waste that precious free time browsing for inspiration. Invest in that time to take action. Out of the 24 hours we have in a day, 3 hours (or at least one hour) are all we need to succeed.

I hope you find this post inspiring.

And whenever life feels too much, remember:

It's not going to be easy,
But it's not impossible.

Brian.