Do you ever find yourself saying or thinking that you don’t have enough time to do the things you want to do? Read on because I will show you how you can make time for everything and all of the things you want to do or accomplish. It’s not as hard as you think. You just need to change your perspective a little bit. Read on to find out how.
What Do You Want to Make Time for?
First, ask yourself the question: What is it that you want to make time for? Is it to write a book? Maybe it is to exercise more. Do you have a hobby you want to work on? Do you have a business or side hustle that you want to build? Maybe you want to learn a language or learn to play a musical instrument. Or perhaps you want to be able to declutter and organize your home. No matter what you want to make time for, just get clear on what it is you want to do.
Your Excuse for Not Doing What You Say You Want To
So you are telling yourself that you don’t have enough time to do what you want to do. But this is just an excuse. Everyone has 24 hours in a day, no matter who you are. Your challenge isn’t that you don’t have enough time. It is one of two things. Either you aren’t managing your time well, or you have not set priorities. To help you see just how much time you do have, do the following exercise.
How Much Time Do You Really Have?
Each week is filled with 168 total hours. That is 24 hours per day X 7 days per week. Now assume you use 10 hours a day for sleeping, eating, and showering/getting ready for the day. That totals 70 hours per week (10 hours per day X 7 days per week). Subtract 70 from your total hours of 168, and you are left with 98 hours each week.
Now, assuming you have a full-time job subtract 50 hours per week for everything work-related. You are left with 48 hours each week.
Next, subtract 18 hours per week for miscellaneous things like running errands, kid’s activities (whatever applies to your situation). You are left with 30 hours per week.
Thirty hours per week X 4.3 weeks per month is 129 hours a month. You have to do what you want to do. You may have to adjust the time you spend doing any of the things to end up with your specific number of hours per week, but you get the idea. Let’s just move on with the example we have used here and use 129 hours per month in extra time to do anything you choose to do.
Think of it this way. One hundred twenty-nine hours a month is 2.5 to 3 weeks of a full-time job each month.
Do Your Own Math to Determine How Much Time You Have Each Month
Is it hard for you to believe that you have 129 hours per month or the equivalent of 2.5 to 3 weeks of a full-time job? Do your own math, adjusting the numbers for your own situation. Now that you see you do have time each month to do the things you say you want to do, why aren’t you doing them? The reason is simple. You haven’t made doing them a priority.
What are you spending your time on each month?
Now think about this. What are you spending those 129 extra hours on each month? If you spend 3-4 hours a day watching TV, playing video games, on social media sites, or surfing online. That adds up to 90 – 120 hours each month that is gone – just like that!
The reality is that you do have the time to be doing the things that you want to do. You simply have made other things a priority rather than the amazing things that you wish to accomplish.
How to Change It
1. Make a list and prioritize what’s on it.
Make a list of the things that you want to accomplish and prioritize them.
2. Write down 5-10 specific ideas to restrict.
Ask yourself, where can I find more time to (the goal you want to accomplish)? Next, write down 5-10 specific ideas such as restrict watching TV to 1 hour per day, cut time on social media to 1/2 hour per day. You get the idea. Write down whatever you can think of that you can stop doing that is wasting your time.
3. Start immediately.
Next, start right now. Start immediately on the first priority idea that you have written down.
4. Track your time.
At the end of each day or the beginning of the next, do a brief summary of how you spent your time the day before (or the current day if you are doing this at the end of the day). Keep it simple, but focus on identifying and eliminating the problem areas where you are wasting time. Realize that you have the time if you make the thing you want to accomplish a priority.
5. Add your new priorities to your schedule.
Schedule your new-found time to do the things you want to accomplish. You’ve already started with your first priority. Now keep going by scheduling time for it each week. You can use timeboxing to achieve this easily.
BONUS TIP
Exercise! Exercise will help you sleep better, give you more energy and help you to think more clearly. All of these things will help you to use your valuable time wisely.
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