How many times have you said “I don’t have the time to…” insert your choice of activity that you think you don’t have time for in your busy day? Do you ever wonder how busy people seem to get it all done? We all have the same amount of hours in a day. Super successful people like Richard Branson, Mark Zuckerberg and Oprah all have the same 24 hours in the day as you and I do. So why do we constantly feel like there aren’t enough hours in the day, and how do these super achievers get everything done and we can’t seem to?
The answer is actually quite simple: it’s about priorities.
We find the time for what we want to do most.
In a recent article about the “I don’t have time” phenomenon, marketing expert, entrepreneur and angel investor Peter Shankman wrote “if you want something to be a priority in your life, you make the time for it at the expense of something you deem not as important. It’s truly that simple.”
And Peter is right. So the trick is to figure out what you want to do that you think you don’t have time for, whether you want to do it badly enough, and then accept that something else has to give. Maybe you spend two hours every night watching TV. Maybe you spend that same amount of time on Facebook. That doesn’t mean you should give those things up. It just means that you need to weigh them against that other thing you really want to do.
It’s all about making choices
I recently got into coloring books, and I really enjoyed it the few times I’ve done it. But I found that there’s no room for coloring in my daily routine unless I give something else up. I love the way coloring makes me feel. It provides a sense of relaxation that is almost meditative, and it allows me to use creativity in a way that’s different from writing. I want to make coloring a regular part of my life.
Most days, I relax by watching TV after dinner. I watch shows I DVR’d (I absolutely hate watching commercials so I never watch anything while it’s on live) or I watch shows on Netflix. I truly enjoy my TV time, but it doesn’t offer the same deep relaxation that coloring does. By reducing my TV time on some nights, I’m freeing up time to color. And you know what? I don’t feel like I’m missing out on anything. In fact, I’m feeling more accomplished, because unlike TV, which is a passive way of relaxing, coloring makes me feel accomplished while relaxing.
I doubt that cats would ever use the phrase “I don’t have the time.” Can you imagine a cat saying “I don’t have the time to chase that mouse?” “I don’t have the time to take a nap?” They have their priorities straight, and perhaps, we’d be wise to take our cue from them.
When did you last say “I don’t have the time” and what are you going to do about it?
I love this post because it was posted on my 19th birthday and also because it speaks so true to the soul.
Yes I agree with Ariana. The famous people they name all have staff to do all the mundane stuff for them. We would all have more time in the day if we had that ☺
Having stuff would help, wouldn’t it, Sarah? However, we all have the power to eliminate “I don’t have time” from our vocabulary and make different choices when it comes to how to use our time. 🙂
Very wise words. Mum never had time before she decided to make time for important things and schedule them in her planner (and yes, playing with us is one of these important things !) Purrs
Scheduling important things is a great way to make sure that they get done without feeling that there’s never enough time.
I wanted to read this article in its entirety but I just don’t have time. 😀
Terrific post Ingrid, thanks!
LOL Lisa!
“I doubt that cats would ever use the phrase “I don’t have the time.” yes, but let’s be real, our cats are fully supported and can sleep all day if they like! i have to get up and go to work…to support my cat(!) That takes up the majority of 5 out of 7 days right there. Then there’s all the other things: laundry, shopping, cleaning, etc….so that’s where the time goes. Still, i agree that it’s about priorities with the (little) bit of free time i have…
Well, there is that – cats do have staff… 🙂