Do you feel like you never have enough time? As if you’ve been short-changed in the time lottery.
Or maybe you feel like you are always racing the clock as you try to get 3 more things completed before you have to be at the next place.
The excuses are always “I’m busy” and “I am always behind.”
This feels horrible! I should know – this used to be me. (Okay, full disclosure. Sometimes my brain still likes to tell me that!)
Let’s get real. If someone gave you 4 hours of their time, would you miraculously get everything done? Not at all! You would fill it up with more stuff to do because there is always so much to get done. And trying to get the ‘3 more things done’ before moving on to the next place almost always means running behind for the rest of the day.
It is a vicious cycle that leads to exhaustion, overwhelm, and burnout. It can feel defeating and hopeless.
I want to be honest. My relationship with time has improved greatly over the years, but I am still a work in progress. I still have a brain that wants to do ‘all the things’ and an internal drive that says “you can do more!”. I’m okay with that because it can be beneficial to me if I use it properly, but I must manage my mind around time constantly.
If you are currently in the vicious cycle, I want to offer you these important beliefs and tactics that have changed my relationship with time.
Time is simply Math
It’s not that you don’t have enough time. The fact is you have a set amount of time. We all have been given 24 hours in a day which adds up to 168 hours in a week. That’s a generous amount of time. What you choose to do with that time is up to you. It’s addition and subtraction. (168 hours – 8 hours of sleep = 160 hours.) Rather than not having enough time, you are trying to do too many things in the time that you have been given. Take ownership of that and let Time off the hook.
Time is like Money
If you have 168 hours in a week, you must budget accordingly. There are no credit cards when it comes to time so if you are constantly overspending, it means you are constantly behind. This can easily feel like exhaustion and overwhelm as you try to get more done than possible. You have to be realistic with your time and do the math for each task, project, or errand. If you have a to-do list, write the anticipated completion time next to it. When you add it to your calendar, you can know what to expect and realistically how much you can get done. This has helped many of my clients manage their time and stress levels. Not only are they getting more done, but they are also letting the unimportant things go! It’s called living within your means.
Time must be allocated.
I know, I know. This sounds tedious, boring, and kind of like death. BUT it is actually liberating and helps to maximize time. Now that you know that time is math and must be budgeted, maybe you can see where allocating makes sense. By pre-planning your time, you will be able to control where your time is spent. You Decide What Goes On Your Calendar! This is beneficial because you are using your prefrontal cortex to decide what is best for you to do. You do not have to be confused or undecided about what needs to be done next. You’ve already decided on the results you want and what you need to do to get those results. This frees up your brain space to avoid decision fatigue and frees up your time to enjoy your life!
These beliefs and tactics about time have improved my relationship with time AND my clients have experienced great success by adopting these beliefs in their life. There is no more laying my head down at night with a list of to-do’s and forgot-to-do’s swirling through my head. Not to mention the feeling of defeat and failure is gone because I know I did what was allocated for the day and the rest of the to-do list is scheduled for the next day. What used to feel like something that was out of my control, now feels like something I manage and appreciate.
I hope you can try these in your own life. If you try them, I would love to know how it goes!
I am a Life Coach for Stressed Out Successful Women. I specialize in helping women restructure their life and organize their minds so they can work less, live more, and still achieve ultimate success! Hustle will get you so far, but eventually, you need new strategies to get to the next level.
If you are ready for changes in your life and would like to work with me, email me at Rebecca@RebeccaBlackburnCoaching.com so we can set up a consult call!
