What Your Phone Storage Can Teach You About Time Management

As much as your mobile device is a major hurdle to effective time usage, it can also provide profound time management lessons.

As a productivity obsessive, I spend a good amount of my time observing the people (and things) around me. I learn the to-dos of time management, but most times, I learn the to-don'ts.

I have met people who have a filled up schedule, lots of things to do, and a lot of deadlines to meet. Yet, they keep taking on more tasks (and execute efficiently).

I have also met people who are obviously slacking off and wasting time, yet complain that time is never enough when you try to give a new task.

One inference from this is that time is elastic, but that's already obvious. Another, more subtle deduction is that time is as elastic as your phone storage.

What does this mean?

My phone has a 16GB ROM capacity. When I was nearing full capacity and the phone's operations were affected, I quickly got rid of some apps, documents, pictures, and videos that were no longer in use. After the first cleansing, I had enough space (more than I thought was possible).

Like most of us who encounter this phone storage problems, I got to another point where the storage was full again. I had to clean again; but this time, it was harder. I didn't want some videos to go (despite that I haven't watched them in months) and I tried to hold myself from deleting some pictures (hoping that I'll need them in the future).

For over a year now, my storage has been maintained around 1.5GB and sometimes going as low as 500MB. When I need to get more files into the phone, I do a quick cleansing to get rid of unused files.

Now that you know everything about my phone storage, let's talk about your time.

Just like the phone storage that constantly sends me warning when it's full, many indicators point to us that we no longer have enough time for more things. This is the point where we declare ourselves busy.

Some people decide to stay here, evangelizing their busyness to everyone they meet. But, some people decide to go further.

If you believe you have time, you are right. If you believe you don't have time, you are also right.

By removing or reducing timewasting activities, distractions, or habits (unused documents, apps, videos, etc. on the phone) from the daily life, more time can be created.

This may mean cutting your time on social media so you can work on your side hustle for at least 30 minutes a day or reducing the time spent in Zoom meetings by strictly following an agenda, so that you can have more time to actually work. Getting rid of timewasters can free up some more space, but it doesn't last so long.

Soon, you will find that "storage space running out" warning on your phone. In life, this means you are nearing a point where it feels like you've exhausted all your time.

This is another level of busyness. You are now doing more than you initially did when you got the first warning. Again, some people decide to stay here and evangelize their busyness to the world. But some may decide to go further.

The summit of life is unreachable. Just when you think you have gotten there, you find out that there are taller mountains to climb.

Just when that "storage full" warning comes in, you will discover that there are more things you can get rid of -- duplicate WhatsApp files, auto-downloaded videos, system cache, installation packages, etc.

In the same sense, you will find (if you sincerely examine your life) more activities or things to get rid of -- the excess time you spend combing your hair, the excess time you spend admiring yourself in the mirror, the Instagram feed that you keep refreshing etc.

By getting rid of these timewasters, you would discover that you definitely have more time to call your parents, spend time with friends, and even exercise.

Time is elastic. But it turns out that the elasticity varies from person to person. While some believe only a little extra can be done with their time, some try to do much more by creating more space.

Is it limitless?

Is there a point where we can truly declare that we have no time? Or can we keep expanding the time endlessly?

Maybe yes, maybe no.

Not everyone wants to operate at an insanely productive level. You may be content with a little bit above average, and there's nothing wrong with that. Sometimes, it is best to neglect some timewasters if you're getting things done.

However, for productivity maniacs like myself, the belief that we can take on more projects, learn more skills, make more time for family and friends, play more, laugh more, gist more, while also keeping an optimal state of health is what drives our daily actions.

In the long run, you should remember that

As much as you try to expand your time, do not forget to keep a balance between work and life. What good is productivity if you treat your body like a rented apartment, your soul like an empty vessel, or your loved ones like mere decorations?