We live in hectic times and our most precious commodity is and always
will be time.
You can’t grow more of it and when it’s gone you can’t get it back.
How often do you tell yourself that you can’t do what you want to do because you don’t have the time?
We all do it.
We see time as scarce. We want to spend more quality time with our family and friends. We want to volunteer. But we say there isn’t enough time.
The cold hard truth is that there is plenty of time. It’s a matter of prioritizing what you spend it on and cutting out some of the things that suck up your time.
This is true for most everyone. And while circumstances may be different for all, the solution is the same for everyone.
Find out where you spend your time and then make educated decisions on what’s important and what isn’t. One of the best tools for figuring out exactly where you’re spending your time is a time journal.
You can use a simple notebook. Or a scrap of paper. The Evernote doc on your phone or a computer spreadsheet.
Next start writing done what you’re doing every 15 minutes from the time you get up to the time you go to sleep. Keep this up for about a week and see what you come up with. Reviewing your time log can be an eye opening experience.
You may discover that you spent a lot more time on the computer doing busy work, or surfing the web than you realize. Or you had no idea that you spent an average of four hours a night watching TV or 2 hours per day commuting to and from work.
In other words, you’ll start to recognize patterns of behavior and where you tend to spend your time.
Granted, there are many areas where we have little control. We have to show up for work or school. We make time for personal hygiene and restful sleep.
But we’re still left with a good number of hours we can fill in any way we like.
Keeping a time log for a day or two helps in making educated and conscious choices about how to spend that time. That, in turn, allows you to live with purpose, no matter what your goals and aspirations are.
Sometimes, you want to sleep in, spend the day reading or playing video games, or even daydreaming and that’s o.k. It’s a great way to unwind, distress, and recharge. On other days, you may choose to do so something more active or social.
The point is that awareness of how and where you’re spending your time gives you more control. And you’ll be more intentional in how you spend that time.
JohnK 6-9-2017
Overheard: “Life is a one time offer. Use it well.”~ Anonymous
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