Casual dating can be a great way for busy professionals to meet new people without the commitment of a serious relationship. However, it can also be a challenge.
The first thing you need to do is to get clear on your expectations from a casual date. Otherwise, you risk wasting time and misunderstandings.
1. Set Your Phone Away
Using your mobile phone for most of your workday can wreak havoc on your concentration and attention span. In fact, using your mobile phone while doing homework can cause you to perform 20% worse than you would if you were not using it at all.
The best way to get the most out of your time on the phone is by putting it away when you are not using it. This can be done by setting your phone to flight mode or even unplugging it at the office.
A little extra effort goes a long way in improving your productivity and work/life balance. The more you do, the more likely you will be to do it again.
Find your happy place and you will be surprised by how much more enjoyable your life is. You may even find that you are able to reclaim some of the time that you used to spend on social media and other frivolous activities that were taking up your time.
2. Break Your Working Day Down into Hour-and-a-Half-Hour Chunks
Breaking your working day down into hour-and-a-half-hour chunks makes it easier to accomplish a lot of things. It also helps you get a good night’s rest and avoid burnout.
Many busy professionals feel like they’re always running short of time to complete their work. It might be because they’re constantly bouncing from one meeting to another, or because they’re being distracted by emails and phone calls.
The key to breaking your working day down into hour-and-a-half-hour blocks is to focus on one task at a time. Doing this enables you to stay on-task without being interrupted by other activities, making it easier to complete projects successfully and efficiently.
To start, you’ll need to set a schedule and allocate certain time periods for different tasks. Once you have a routine, you’ll know exactly how much time you can spend on each task and when you need to take a break.
Once you’re used to time chunking, you can increase your time and number of chunks if you want. Try starting with 20-minute chunks of work and five-minute breaks. This way, you can keep track of how much you’ve accomplished in a specific period of time and adjust accordingly.
When you’re first getting started, it might feel strange to do this, but after some practice, it will become second nature and you’ll notice that you’ve got more free time on your hands and are more productive than before. You’ll also feel a sense of accomplishment as you get used to doing this.
It’s also important to make sure you don’t miss your scheduled periods of work. When you miss your time block, it can have a negative impact on your productivity and efficiency.
You might want to consider using a time-tracking app or an online calendar to track your work. This can be useful if you’re planning to change jobs or if your employer requires you to report on your hours worked. NewDay, for example, allows you to add visual icons to each 100-minute period so you can see how you normally use your day.
3. Block Social Media Websites Temporarily
If you find yourself spending too much time on social media and other websites while trying to work, you can block them temporarily with productivity software. It’s a great way to keep yourself focused on your tasks and get them done sooner.
You can also use these apps to track how much you spend online and set up usage limiters or schedules that work for you. They also help you break bad habits like checking your phone too often or wasting time on distracting apps and sites.
One of the most popular options for blocking distracting websites is Freedom, which can be used on computers, phones, and tablets alike. This application blocks social media sites and other content, and you can also add a handful of browser extensions to expand its functionality.
Another option is Cold Turkey, which is a traditional website blocker that doesn’t rely on browser extensions. It’s easy to configure and will block any site you don’t want to see. It even puts up motivational quotes on your screen when you visit a distracting site to encourage you to keep working.
Finally, FocusTime is a productivity app that lets you block websites for specific periods of time. You can customize your sessions by choosing how long you’d like to block them, and you can sync your blocks across different devices. It even gamifies the experience by giving you analytics markers that show how much time you’ve saved with FocusTime.
The app will track your activity and automatically score it on a scale from “Very Distracting” to “Very Productive,” letting you know which sites are causing you the most problems. It will also notify you when you’ve spent a pre-defined amount of time on a certain activity, so you can take action immediately.
If you’re a busy professional, these tools can help you stay focused and get your work done quickly and efficiently. They can also give you peace of mind that your personal and professional life aren’t in jeopardy. Plus, they’re free! Try one of these tools today and see how they can help you improve your work and life.
4. Keep Yourself Focused
The flurry of activity around a casual dating event can be a distraction, and you may find yourself feeling overwhelmed. This is a great time to step back, take a deep breath and reflect on what it is you are looking for in a relationship.
A good way to stay on track is to set some guidelines and a timeline before you start dating again. This will ensure that you don’t end up doing something crazy like signing on with a dating site without giving it some thought first.
You can also make it a point to keep your eyes peeled for the next hot guy or girl that crosses your path. This will help you keep your sanity and prevent you from becoming too attached to any one person, which can lead to a serious case of the kookies.
If you’re not sure where to start, a quick Google search can provide some useful results. The best place to start is with your own personal preferences and the qualities you are most interested in in a partner. You might even want to consider hiring a dating coach to give you some advice on where to find the right match for you.
Keeping your eye on the prize will also help you avoid any other potential pitfalls in a casual relationship. This will allow you to focus on the important things in life, like getting your career off the ground or taking a long-overdue family vacation.
Finally, if you can find the time to genuinely get to know someone, there is no substitute for some quality time together. This could mean a date or a trip to the pub, but it can be as simple as catching up over coffee and a natter on the way home. Hopefully, this will be the start of a meaningful, happy relationship!
