The problem starts with thinking in terms of having time as opposed to making time.
We all have the same amount of time in a day, but what we make of that time and how we use that time is what makes the difference.
You cannot expect to get the results you want if you’re not prioritizing what’s going to get you those results.
Whether you want to write your first book, lose weight or start a business, you have to make what’s going to give you these outcomes a priority!
Here are my 3 keys to help you break the “I don’t have enough time” cycle.
Key # 1: Identify what’s really behind your “not having enough time” inner monologue
A couple of years ago, I had a client who just had a baby. She wanted support in losing the weight she gained from her pregnancy. When she started working with me she told me that with a young child she felt that her day was not hers anymore and it would be really hard for her to find the time to implement the weight loss plan that we created.
So we started brainstorming to see how she could “find” time. I asked her when she went home to write down everything she was doing during the day hour-by-hour.
The next time we met, she said, “I’m almost embarrassed to show you my notes”.
“Why?” I asked.
“Because by doing this exercise I realized how easily I get distracted. I start on something, then something else catches my attention, so I start on that and so on and at the end of my day, I’m left with a lot of unfinished things and feeling discontent”, she responded.
In other words her “not having enough time” was really her “being easily distracted”.
What’s behind your “not having enough time”?
Be honest with yourself.
When you have a clear idea of what’s happening with your time, it’s easier to decide what you wish to make a priority in your life.
Once my client decided that her daughter and her health were both a priority, she found that she had more than enough time to care for her daughter and for her own well being too. Everything else could either wait or could be delegated.
Key # 2: Get organized
In order to be able to make time you have got to get organized.
I’m not going to lie to you, eating healthy, exercising and doing all the other things that are important in your life takes time.
That’s why you have to make time for them. You cannot cut corners!
Imagine what would happen if your heart decided to cut corners!
What you do to be healthy is as important as what your heart does to keep beating. You cannot leave it to chance!
Marilyn, one of my clients, cooks her lunch for the next day every night before going to bed.
She realized that when she eats home-cooked meals she feels satisfied and energized; she doesn’t struggle with feeling sleepy during the day, having digestive troubles or experiencing mood imbalances which she did when she would eat out.
She decided that having a home-cooked lunch would be a priority in her life and she took the necessary steps to make that happen.
Would she rather sit on the couch and watch a movie or read a good book or catch up on social media?
Of course! But she was clear about what she wanted and how she wanted to feel and that clarity got her motivated. Which brings me to my third key.
Key # 3: Start with the end in mind
To make it worth your time you have to be able to see it!
When you have a goal, start with the end in mind. Get as specific as you can.
When I talk to a potential client for the first time, I like to ask them what their desired outcome is. And to feel what it would feel like once they’ve achieved it!
Close your eyes for a moment and feel what it would feel like to have your desired outcome happen.
How would you feel physically, emotionally and spiritually?
How would you feel in your own skin? Would you do things differently?
Would you see yourself differently?
What would you experience interacting with your co-workers, your friends, your current or potential life partner?
What would living your desired life feel like?
It’s important to stay connected to the experience of your transformed self because to change implies that you’re going to do things that you don’t like to do!
My friend and colleague Nory Pouncil, says that people “think they are supposed to love everything that is good for them, and when they don’t they give up.”
Why?
Because it makes them uncomfortable.
If you want to get unstuck, you have to stop obsessing with loving everything that will help you become the best version of yourself.
When you stop worrying about loving everything that’s in your best interest, you let go of the idea that if you don’t love it, you can and should stop.
If you release this expectation, you will be able to become more consistent and build your confidence in your ability to accomplish anything you set your mind to.
Something magical happens when I take my potential clients through this journey… they see it’s possible. Can you see it too?
One of my coaches once told me that when you’re offering people transformation, you’ve got to let them know that they’re worthy of it and that they can get to the other side.
So here’s one last essential tip:
You’ve got to feel worthy of being healthy, being an author, a speaker, a business owner, a mother, a spouse, whatever it is you wish to make time for.
It’s important that you know or convince yourself that you’re worth it!
Otherwise, you’re never going to find time, you’ll never get organized and you’ll never really feel motivated.
In my personal experience and observation, success and change starts with making time and making space in your life and mind for what you want to accomplish.
Hey, I’m Laure. I’m a Clinical Ayurvedic Specialist and a Yoga & Meditation Coach and I work with women who want to emancipate themselves from their toxic thinking, eating and habituating to unleash the ball of fire they really are!
Erin shows overscheduled, overwhelmed women how to do less so that they can achieve more. Traditional productivity books—written by men—barely touch the tangle of cultural pressures that women feel when facing down a to-do list. How to Get Sh*t Done will teach you how to zero in on the three areas of your life where you want to excel, and then it will show you how to off-load, outsource, or just stop giving a damn about the rest.
