Finding Time To Have It ALL

Are you always running out of time, overwhelmed, behind the 8-ball, never feeling like your getting ahead? I think we can all relate to those feelings at some point in our life, week, day, or even hour. Life is busy and there is so much that needs to be done, left to do, or should be tried but how can we find enough time in our schedule to fit everything in without losing our minds? Well, I haven’t invented the 25th hour so relax with that thought. So if everyone has 24 hours a day and 365 days per year the next thing to do is evaluate where it’s going. What is taking up your time and preventing you from that satisfying feeling of accomplishment? What might be stealing your attention and focus away from the things you need to do or want to do? What could you do to have enough time to live the life you want?

TIME. The only thing we don’t have enough of. Waiting until things slow down or the kids are out of the house or you’re ready to retire is not finding time, it’s wasting it. Just like a perfect opportunity doesn’t usually just fall in your lap, your effort and energy are required to make a difference. If you step back and look at your weekly schedule other than the must have’s (work, dr appointments, children’s assignments etc) you’ve added all the extras. It’s going to take some work to declutter and make room to find more time. But...you are important and so are your goals so let’s find the fun in the process!

What is it ALL? When I say having it all, what does the mean to you? For some, this is straightforward and gives a clear picture of where they would like to be and for others, this may be too subjective or broad. ALL would insinuate everything and is that really realistic? We are told at an early age that we can have everything and be anything but is that really the case? Should motivation be a little more targeted….how about you can be the best that you can be. You can give 100% to everything you do. Wouldn’t that be a little more realistic? So first we may have to start this journey on defining what ALL means to you. I’m not going to define it for this show but show you a couple of angles.

Maybe up to this point it’s always been about work. You went to school and got good grades so you could get into a good college where you picked a major and excelled so you could get a good job and then that’s been your day to day without much thought to what else...

Are you all work and no play? Bogged down with the 9-5 and just hanging on until retirement when you can finally own your time?

Don’t expect work to fill a void that non-work relationships and activities should, says Timothy Ferris, author of The 4-Hour Work Week

Work is not all of life. Your co-workers shouldn’t be your only friends. Schedule life and defend it just as you would an important business meeting. Never tell yourself “I’ll just get it done this weekend.” Review Parkinson’s Law which states: "work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion" Instead, force yourself to cram within tight hours so your per-hour productivity doesn’t fall through the floor. Focus, get the critical few done, and get out. E-mailing all weekend is no way to spend the little time you have on this planet.

Finding time to Do It ALL doesn’t mean adding more to your plate and doing it faster and at the same time. Ever feel like you did a lot but really didn’t accomplish anything? How many times do you click over for just a second and 10 minutes later you realize you got sucked in? The internet, the tv, our phones make it so easy to find anything we want to know or look at in a couple of clicks. Instead of thinking and problem solving we spend that time searching for someone else’s answer or opinion. Now, don’t get me wrong it’s handy and I’m not sure what I would do at this point if it went away today but as I always say, it’s a matter of balance….a healthy balance. 

What about spending time trying to support, take care of, or control those around us? 

This can take up valuable physical time as well as mental and emotional time. It’s very difficult to self-care and focus on your own goals when you are busy running everyone else’s life. Why? That’s the first question you should ask yourself. Why am I doing it? Is it something I have to do or something I feel I need to do? Obviously, this eliminates taking care of children, the disabled, or the elderly. This is about feeling like the people around you can’t manage their own lives without your input. 

Is this making sense to you? Do a couple of names come to mind? It’s important, to be honest, and really look at the situation objectively. Is this your problem? How much control do you really have? What happens if you step back and let them do it on their own? What is the worse thing that could happen? Now with that last one be super honest with yourself. If you slowed down to really evaluate your role in the situation and your level of control, you might just see your participation is taking more than giving. 

As you are evaluating your current life, eliminating your time wasters, letting go over control and focusing on your own wants don’t forget to be present and enjoy the moment.

CHALLENGE: Instead of waiting for another season of your life to open up and “better time” to focus on you, challenge your current schedule to make time for the things that matter most. Time is not infinite and waiting to take that step means you’re already behind. Take a leap of faith instead and put your plan into action!

I Know YOU Can Do It!