How To Create More Time
In the fast-paced world we live in, most of us can relate to what seems to be a nonstop state of busyness. There always seems to be something to do, somewhere to go, someone to see, and needless to say, time focused on ourselves often feels infrequent, if not totally nonexistent. .
When we do get time to spend on ourselves, it can almost make us feel guilty, as we know there is a giant list of things that needs to be accomplished. Overachievers especially struggle, because to them, any moment not spent working toward a certain goal or item on their to-do list can feel wasted and defined not by restoration or recreation, but sheer laziness or irresponsibility. This is highly unfortunate. .
After observing the clients who have the most success in their businesses, work, or families, it’s interesting to note that they always have a few similar characteristics, which may surprise you:
They make time for the relationships that are most important. This may be their spouse and their kids, or their close friends. They block out time to spend with those they care about and shape work and other requirements around that prioritized time. Yes, they might stay late or work crazy hours for a few days to move something across the finish line, but it is never a consistent obligation that eats into time allotted for family and friends. Because of this, their relationships are vibrant, robust, and in the end, actually help support their success with everything else due to a close network of relationships they can lean on when they need to.
They plan responsibilities around their fitness and wellness. You can tell a person is successful by how they prioritize things like working out. Those who have fought through building a family, business, or career successfully tend to participate in some sort of physical fitness and focus on their health. By doing so, they can burn stress and release endorphins, which in turn helps them think clearer, sleep better, and have an overall better perspective and attitude toward external situations. Because they’re feeling better, less stressed, and thinking clearer, they make better decisions, which in turn cause less stress, more balance, and more successful outcomes. All of the results from the above actually creates more time than they would have had had they chosen to have negative confrontations within their families or workplaces due to stress and poor decision making.
Many people view time spent on physical, mental, spiritual, and relational wellness as optional, or with a “that would be nice” attitude as if it’s unattainable, or like it’s something they could do “someday when I have more time”. And yet, when I see people start to take the necessary steps to block out time each week for their loved ones or to exercise, soon thereafter, they realize they’re slowly creating more time they never knew existed.
Take a few minutes and assess your upcoming week. Are you blocking out time for your spouse, family, and/or close friends? Are you making time to exercise and/or read and journal for a few hours this week? How about a few minutes for a devotional or prayer each day to meditate on what God’s teaching you?
If the answer to any of the above questions is no, start with a half hour for someone close to you. Schedule it, text them, and let them know when you’d like to catch up with them (or kill two birds with one stone by using one hour to go exercise with your friend). Before you know it, you’ll have more time to spend on things that help you make the most out of each day.
Proverbs 90:12 “Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.”