(If you prefer to watch or listen to this you can do so here!)
This topic is something that comes up all the time, regardless of what part of life you’re talking about. It could be it your personal life or business life, whether you’re talking with friends or family. So often I hear people say that they don’t have time for this or that. They need more time in their day. Where did the day go they wonder?
So think about it. Maybe you’ve found some things that work for you. There are some people where this simply isn’t an issue for them. But for others, this is a huge struggle. Days fly by with no idea of how the time passed so quickly with so little accomplished. The truth is simple. It just comes down to mindset, creating systems that work for you and utilizing tools that you already have in place. It’s possible for everybody, you just have to find a way to make it work for you.
Here’s the question then. How do you make more time in your day? Everyone has the same amount of time in their day. It’s not like someone can magically add hours. The trick is we just need to use it wisely and purposefully.
The first thing to do is figure out your priorities. Some of the priorities are going to be your Survival Priorities, such as food, water, shelter, clothes, love, sleep. Those are essential for your everyday living.
After that, there are other things that you enjoy or feel are important to your family and what’s going on in your life. These are your Thrive Priorities. Start by making a list of those things. After you’ve made a list, figure out what you actually enjoy doing. Usually there are a few things that you do enjoy doing, and those are the things you are going to do. Those are going to be your focus. The rest? Delegate. You might be thinking, “It’s so impractical,” or “I can’t afford that.” All of these negative things come up as barriers. The reality is, it is totally possible. You just need to expand your way of thinking, look at different options, and keep an open mind about this process. It doesn’t have to cost you a lot and it is doable. If you want help with this, reach out and book a free 30 minute session with me. I’ll help you through it.
Let’s say you hate cooking and let’s be real. A lot of people don’t like to cook. Cooking can be stressful and time consuming, but it doesn’t have to be.* Given that eating is a necessity, it’s most likely that some cooking will have to happen. Your goal will be to figure out how to cook less. (It is possible!)
Maybe you hate cleaning the house. Think about it though. How clean does your house really have to be? For some people, it has to be really clean. For some, the state of their house reflects what’s going on in their brain. For other people, clean houses are really nice, but maybe you can manage if there are a few things here or there. Maybe you need just a few rooms in your house to be clean for you to enjoy. Maybe it’s the buildup of stuff that drives you crazy. Get clear on your goals.
The other thing is, and this is something that can be a big challenge, is don’t wait for the right time to do things. There is always something going on, an excuse to be had. If I’m making dinner and I know that the pasta will be another 10 minutes, that’s 10 minutes I can go do some dishes. Most of the time, we don’t utilise our time fully this way or we think, I won’t get them completely done in that time so I’m not going to bother starting. The thing is, you might actually get them done. You can get a lot done in 10 or 15 minutes. Even if you get 90% or even 50% done, you’ve cut down the workload, and maybe it can be completed the next time you have a few minutes to spare. Take whatever time you have. It might not feel like the right time, but don’t overthink it. It’s the biggest cause of procrastination. Just do it.
If something stands out, don’t wait until later and do it right away. If you work from home or its the weekend, and you feel inspired to get a start on dinner prep, but it’s not even close to dinner time, it doesn’t matter. Don’t wait for what seems to be the best or most practical time, just do it when you it feels right or when it occurs to you. Just because we’ve done it this way for so long, doesn’t mean that we have to continue doing it that way or that it’s even the right way. Clearly it’s not working if you’re a person who’s always saying I wish I had more time, I need more time, I don’t have time to do that. You need to make a change. Stop overthinking. It’s not all or nothing.
How about the difference it makes when you aren’t tired? By making sure you get more sleep, you can easily get more time in your day. It might seem counterintuitive, or just plain weird, like you’re taking time away from your day. But how often are you less productive because you are tired? You know that if you just had the energy and motivation, if you weren’t so tired, that you’d be more productive and get more done. You might need to make a change to be better rested. A simple way to do this is to set a schedule for bedtime, stick to it, and make it non-negotiable.
Lastly, start talking to yourself in a more positive light. A lot of negativity can creep up into your head, where you tell yourself you don’t have time for this or that. That’s a negative thing to say, even if we don’t mean it that way. I always recommend that people say, “That’s not a priority for me.” That’s a much more positive and uplifting way of looking at it, helping to remove that weight off your shoulders. Maybe you need to switch your internal talk to, “I do have enough time to get done what I need to get done today. Everything that is a priority and necessity to get done today, will get done.” If you stick to more positive talk, then things will get done, and a shift will occur. Just give it a few weeks and you’ll be wondering who that person is who is so productive.
Remember that when it comes down to it, you decide what you do with your time. You’re in control. It’s a work in progress for everyone. It is doable. It is possible to improve and take back some of that time. It may never be perfect, but it can be better than where it is right now. If you’re willing to take control of it, put in some boundaries, things will get better. How often do you look at your to-do list and there have been the same things on there for months? Clearly that stuff isn’t a priority if its been on there for that long. Maybe just scrap it, let it go. And then you will have time to do what is meaningful to you, to do what you enjoy.
*I’ve done many talks on this in the past. Check some of them out here and here.
