Inspiration to find Time
/School is starting. Where the heck did summer go?
How the heck is it already the middle of August? Seriously. There’s no way it’s later than the beginning of July at the latest. More like mid-June, right?
Where has this year gone?
What is it about being an adult that causes time to slip through our finger-tips? Maybe it’s because we’ve lived longer so our concept of time is different than it was when we were younger. Or maybe it’s because we’ve put “being busy” on a pedestal and we are living in a state of overwork, overwhelm, and over-busy.
Time is something I’ve been thinking about a lot this year. Between the craziness of all the changes in my physical business, to working on building my online business; nurturing the first year (and beyond) of my marriage, and being in the middle of a year-long house renovation, there didn’t seemed to be enough time for anything else.
Earlier this year I hit overwhelm, and I hit it hard. I was convinced that there wasn’t enough time, but I felt guilty if I let any of those things go. After all, I’m not the only newlywed in the world. I’m not the only person going through a home renovation. And I’m certainly not the only business owner going through changes and trying to grow.
So what do I do? How do fix it? How do I take control of my time instead of sitting back and watching it speed by?
Well my friend, I started by getting inspired. I love quotes, so for those of you who also love quotes, I wanted to share some of my favorite that have been helping me through the year. But don’t’ worry, I have something MUCH more tangible than inspiration and motivation as well. After I was inspired, I built a tool that I’ve been using all year to help me find more time in my week (more details at the end of the blog!)
I can’t even tell you how many times I’ve had to remind myself that sometimes productive doesn’t “look” like accomplishing 1,000 things. Sometimes it’s more productive to spend time with friends and family, or to partake in an activity you enjoy than accomplishing one more task.
For example, one thing I haven’t given up this year is book club. My book club is great. Not only do we actually read the book, but we have really good discussions about the books, which generally lead into deep and poignant discussions about life. However, I admit that more than once this year I almost felt guilty as I got ready to leave for book club because there were so many things that still needed to be done around my house to move it from “construction zone status” to “actual home status. But after arriving and spending time with the ladies, I never regretted it.
Did you know that multi-tasking isn’t actually a thing? It’s true. There’s been research coming out over the last couple years that we don’t actually multi-task, we just switch between tasks. And guess what, it’s slower to do things that way.
It’s actually better to focus on one task and get it done, rather than try to juggle multiple tasks at once. Yes, there are exceptions (you don’t need to sit and watch the washing machine do its thing), but in general you can actually accomplish much more by focusing on a task and finishing what you’ve started before moving on.
What is most important? Spending time with your family or doing the dishes “right now”? Being with friends as they celebrate a special occasion, or spending the 10th weekend in a row working on your house? (This one may or may not be hypothetical…)
As someone who likes to get things “done,” I have to remind myself on a regular basis what is actually more important. Friendships, family, relationships in general, are more important thing “things” or one more item off my to-do list
When I find myself overwhelmed an overbooked this is one of the quotes I return to. What matters the most? What matters the least? Will the fact that I didn’t clean the bathtub for two weeks matter five years down the road? Probably not. But missing time to be with and support the people in my life, those are the things that matter.
What does it say to my husband if I choose to clean the bathroom during the one hour we have together each evening? What does it say to my friends if I’m consistently saying no to their invitations for lunch because my house “is a wreck”?
On the other hand….
What would it say to me if my husband would rather watch videos on YouTube then spend time with me during the one hour we have together in the evening? What would it say to me if my friends were constantly cancelling plans for one reason or another?
Our actions express our priorities. And for me, at least, the people in my life are more important than the “things”.
Stop. Take a deep breath, and relax.
It doesn’t have to be long, but it’s important to find time every day to take some time for yourself. Maybe it’s in the morning as you enjoy a cup of coffee or tea. Or maybe it’s a mid-day walk. Or, it could be taking some time to journal in the evening.
Whatever you do, find something that you enjoy, that will allow you to take a moment and rest. It’s important. You deserve it.
You do have time. You just may need to find it. And guess what? I’ve got you (remember that tangible thing I mentioned above).
I can’t wait to share the tool I’ve been using all year with you. In fact, I’m so excited about it, I’m eventually going to build it out in to a full-fledge eBook (which is one of my 19 goals for 2019). But you know what, writing an eBook takes time, and I don’t want you to have to wait for this tool. So as a thank you for coming along on this journey with me this year, I put the most important parts of the tool together in a PDF with simple instructions on how to use it, and I’d love to send it to you! It’s super simple, all you have to do is click on this link, enter your email address, and I’ll send it to you right away.
You don’t have to wait for me to find the time to finish my eBook. I want you to have my tool now, I want you to be able to sit down, find more time, and overcome the overwhelm. Here’s to more time. For you and me!