how to commit to your goals even when you don’t have enough time
One of the biggest roadblocks I’ve faced, and my clients have emphatically reminded me of, is time. Or rather the lack of it.
We are so busy, constantly. If you’re working full time, it’s hard enough as it is to keep up with work, a social life, self care, supporting loved ones, family, romance, and about 12,000 other facets of life.
So adding a side hustle, big goal, or creative pursuit to the bunch? Yeah it feels a little insane at times.
And yet, you know you need to do it. You feel the pull in your entire being that it’s something you simply need to do.
The question, then, is how? How the hell do you do it?
Well the answer isn’t a time machine, or a magic spell to add a few extra hours to your day (I wish).
Actually, it’s perspective.
Now, you may not want to hear that, but just trust me. Let’s dig into this one, because I’m pretty sure it will blow your damn mind.
how much time do you actually have?
Let me share a something with you that Laura Vanderkam brought to my attention on an episode of the Do It Scared Podcast:
There are 168 hours in a week. If you work 40 hours and sleep 8 hours a night, you have 72 hours left in a week.
72 hours, on 8 hours of sleep a night. Even if you work 50 hours a week, there is still 62 hours left.
And that doesn’t mean all 72 or 62 hours should be going towards working on your goals, but even if you cut that in half - or even in thirds! - there is still so much time you could be spending on your goal.
Are you? If not -
where is your time currently spent?
It’s time to take inventory of your time. That means you gotta get reallllll honest with yourself. Let’s go through a few points to audit your time and your current time mindset.
Prioritizing
Do you really not have enough time, or are you just not prioritizing it well?
What are your most important values in life, and are you honoring them in the ways that you’re spending your time? You need to take inventory of your time and really pay attention to how your spending it.
Ask yourself if the things you spend the most time on are in alignment with your values. Are they also in alignment with your goals? If not, you may need to reevaluate either your goals or your values.
Time is an asset
Time is an asset. Arguably the most important one, because it’s the only one that isn’t flexible. It’s the only one we can’t get back or replace. It truly deserves the highest honor over everything else you “have.”
Are you more careful with how you spend your money than you are with how you spend your time?
We can be so careful or even cheap with how we spend our money, and yet we are often so reckless with our time. It can be for a number reasons: because we don’t want to let other people down, we are avoiding working towards our goals, or we get so overwhelmed that we don’t know where to start.
Let’s be honest, it’s much easier to just open instagram.
But don’t fall into that trap. These are all hurdles you CAN jump over. And the best way to start is to begin honoring your time and valuing it for everything it’s worth; pay close attention to how you “spend” it.
if you’re not spending your time on your goals, why not?
Take the time to really analyze what it is that’s preventing you from starting.
Is it because you don’t know where to start?
Because you don’t believe in your own ability to accomplish the things you want out of life?
Is it because you’re worried about what other people will think?
Is it something else that you’re just coming to terms with?
Pinpoint your reasons for not starting, and tackle those roadblocks head on. Right now, they are the real reasons you aren’t working towards your goals, not the lack of time.
if you are working towards your goals but aren’t getting anywhere, why not?
If you are working towards your goals, but you don’t feel like you’re getting anywhere, take a long hard look at what you’re actually doing.
Are you doing tasks that will actually move the needle, or are you exhausting yourself with busywork?
Oftentimes when we feel stuck even though we are spending so much time working on things, it’s because we are working on the wrong things, procrastinating, or overthinking. Usually we do these things because - even though it feels excruciatingly sucky - we are staying safe inside our comfort zone.
If you really want to grow towards your ultimate goal, you’re going to have to start moving out of your comfort zones and taking those bigger steps that will really propel you forward.
After thinking about all of the above and doing an honest audit of your time, do you still feel like you don’t have enough time?
Or is it actually something else that’s been standing in your way the whole time?
Once you start getting really intentional about your priorities and how you fit them into your time, you’ll be feeling less overwhelmed and more free to actually enjoy your life instead of stressing out about the lack of time you thought you had.