The Art Of Making & Managing Time
How often do we tell ourselves 'I don't have time'? I know it's something that I say when I don't need to. It's become such a bad habit, and it's difficult to break. The majority of us probably have more time than we think we do. The key is to make your time yours and manage it properly. And here are a few key ways that I've been practicing doing just that.
STOP SAYING YOU DON'T HAVE TIME
I've always found the more you say something the more you believe it. I used to constantly tell myself that I didn't have the time to do certain things. And I really convinced myself that I didn't. When I did have the time, I just wasn't using it wisely and productively. To a certain extent, we're all in charge of our own schedules. Even though other things come into play we ultimately decide what we give our time. It can be really easy to think that your schedule is out of your hands, but it's not.
MAKE TIME & PRIORITISE
There are certain things that we have to prioritise in life. Work is important, self-care is important, your family are important and building relationships that can help you take on the world are important. I've always believed that if something is truly important to you then you will make time for it. But if you make a million and one excuses not to do something. It's a good indication that probably don't want to do something. We all take on things that we think we need to be doing but in reality. We should only be doing the things we really care about and that add value to our lives.
SAY NO
We really are a nation of people pleasers. Who rarely say no in fear of offending or upsetting someone. Saying no is so important. Giving your time to something that isn't adding anything of value to your life isn't something you should be doing. It might upset someone else for a moment but it's not going to be the end of the world. But it will probably make you feel a lot happier and give you more control over your time.
REST AND SELF-CARE ARE KEY
It's baffling that rest and self-care are seen as luxuries in life. They're not. If you're not looking after yourself and resting, in the long run, you're going to become burnt out and probably very unwell. We're constantly pushing people to take on so many things so that we can have it all in life. But even if we do get everything we want. Are we going to enjoy it when we're so burnt out, mentally and physically drained? Probably not. It can be hard to make time for yourself when there are so many other things demanding our attention in life. But it's so important to. Not only will it benefit your mental and physical health but it will make it easier to manage your time effectively.
PLAN
We all probably say that we'll do something if we get time and then never get around to it. If we say 'we might' it gets rid of that guilt if we never get round to it. Some people work really well to a solid schedule and some of us don't and that's ok. Personally, when I know my time is stretched and limited I need to have a strict schedule in place to get everything done. By having time limits and boundaries, it makes me feel really accountable to myself. As well as others of course. It also makes it easier to know what spare time you do definitely have. So you fit in some self-care or have some social time and prioritise what's important to you.
Do you have any tips for managing your time?
R x
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