Fringe time is all the little pieces of time floating around the edges of our days. We tend to think in default blocks of time, like 30 or 60 minutes (think about the default when you add an event to your calendar). We have been trained to think that all tasks need larger amounts of time, and that if we don't have an hour to do something, we can't do fill-in-the-blank.

Time—even when not in large, consecutive blocks—can and should be utilized.

Practical ways to use fringe time:

• hobbies
• paying a bill that's been sitting on your counter
• unloading the dishwasher
• loading the dishwasher
• putting away a load of laundry
• taking a nap
• reading
• listening to a podcast
• working on a project
• playing a board or card game
• call or text someone that's been on your mind

Easy ways to waste fringe time:
it's ok to use time for these things. What we don't want (personally, this is our opinion) is to waste lots of fringe time on things that are not life-giving or productive, especially when there are other things we want to accomplish. We should never be saying, "I wish I had more time for _____." if we are spending consistent time in the following areas:

• social media scrolling (see Episode 2 for more on this)
• TV
• apps
• online gaming/video games

Practical locations to utilize fringe time:

• in the car (audiobooks, podcasts, phone calls, conversation with kids)
• in a line (grocery store, HomeGoods—that line is always crazy long, carpool line)
• a waiting room (dentist, doctor, etc.)
• home before you have to leave to go somewhere, before going to bed

If possible, split your task into chunks. If you don't have a consecutive hour, but the task can be done in pieces, split it into four 15-minute sections instead.