How to Take Control of Your Time: Lessons from the Pandemic and Essentialism
“Half of the troubles of this life can be traced to saying yes too quickly and not saying no soon enough” – Josh Billings (quoted in the book, Essentialism). We often have more power over our lives than we realize. And when it comes to learning how to take control of your time, few events have exposed our time habits more than the pandemic.
How to Take Control of Your Time After a Global Pause
COVID-19 forced the world into stillness. Suddenly, time looked different. Our to-do lists were no longer buried under meetings, errands, and obligations. But here’s the truth: we didn’t need a pandemic to reclaim our time—we just needed to recognize our own agency. The virus exposed how afraid we were to say “no,” even when our health and relationships were at stake.
For additional insights, check out this helpful article from Timely on pandemic time management.
Using Essentialism to Take Back Control of Your Time
In Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less by Greg McKeown, we learn how to trim life down to what truly matters. Living intentionally means cutting away the noise and clutter. This is the foundation of how to take control of your time: choosing what deserves your yes—and giving yourself permission to say no.
Has Your View of Time Changed During the Pandemic?
The pandemic became a teacher. A father’s goodnight hug was mistaken for a goodbye. A couple spent more time together in quarantine than in 20 years of marriage. But many are already slipping back into pre-pandemic routines. As Lin Yutang said, “The wisdom of life consists in the elimination of non-essentials.”
Reclaiming Time Is How You Take Control
Saying no doesn’t mean failure—it means clarity. It means placing boundaries around what matters most: your relationships, rest, and purpose. Taking control of your time is not about doing more, but about doing what matters.
Let us hear your voice—how has your perspective about time changed since the pandemic?
Written by: Q. Edmonds
M.O.T.M. StoryTeller
Stock image by Miguel Bruna