HURDLE #4: Spending your time wisely.
“I don’t have time.”
“I’m too busy.”
These two statements are the most common statements made by someone who hasn’t started. Starting is one of the hardest things to do.
Why haven’t you started? Or you could look at it this way…why haven’t you stopped doing the thing you’re doing that you know deep down isn’t healthy? Is it that you just haven’t made the thing you want to start a priority? Is it because of fear? You fear starting because you’re afraid you’ll fail? Are you afraid of what other people will think? Do you not feel qualified? Think about it. Meditate on it. Figure out the why. It’s hard. I know. I know this first-hand. I have started and stopped, started and stopped, started and stopped. We have too many things on our plate. We can’t focus on any one thing. There are too many things that we’ve started and not finished. I’m a consistent starter and stopper. I’m also a consistent starter and set-asider. That’s not even a word but who cares. You know what I mean. I get easily distracted. I’m constantly interrupted and then I stop starting.
The truth is, we all have 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. We just don’t use our time wisely. We make excuses for everything we do or don’t do. If you want peace in your life, you’ll have to let go of the things that don’t bring you peace so that you can stay focused on what you really want. You’ll then either start and finish, start and be consistent, or figure out that the thing you wanted to start isn’t the right thing to start.
Think about how you spend your money. Do you want to spend your money on useless, non-functional things or things you don’t love or don’t need? Then don’t spend your time on useless, non-functional things that you don’t love or don’t need in your life. You might get your money back for the thing you spent it on, but you’ll never get your time back.
How do we do that? We know how to start, but the key is staying consistent. In this journal entry I’m going to help you not just get started, but help you figure out if the thing you keep saying you’re going to start, is the thing you really want.
On a sheet of paper, create two columns with these two headings, “What’s important to me?” and “Why are these things important to me?” If you’re like me, and you like excel sheets and tables, use that instead. Create a visual for yourself so that you can really determine if the things you’re doing are worth spending your time on. Use the table as a template. First, answer the question “What’s important to me?” Think about the things that are important to you. Focus on this question and only this question first. Write it down. I’ve also included a template to download and print if you’d like to use that.
In the second column, answer the question: “Why are these things important to me?” In doing so, you’ll discover if something is really important to you. If you have something written down that’s important to you and you know it’s important to you, but you can’t think of the why, dig deep. Figure out the why.
After you’ve completed the table, answer this question: “What am I doing right now?” or “How am I spending my time?” There’s always going to be laundry, your job, dishes, cooking, cleaning, taking care of the kids, extra-curricular activities, etc. But it’s essential that you figure out if the things that you’re doing right now, match what’s important to you. You could also look at this question in this way: What am I doing when I’m not doing the necessary things?” Are you spending a lot of time on Pinterest causing you to lose sight of what you already have? Are you scrolling through social media and it’s causing you to compare yourself to others and what they have or what they’ve done and it’s making you feel bad about yourself? Do you work for a place that really, really isn’t for you? Is what you’re doing in alignment with your values? Are you spending a lot of time worrying about other things? Is eating healthier important to you but you’re eating out a lot?
We all lose sight of what’s important. We all do things that really aren’t worth our time. This exercise will help you start the thing you’re purposed to do. It may help you stop doing something because you realize it isn’t worth your time. At the very least, it will help you evaluate your current situation. If the things that you’re doing right now and the things you’re spending your time on, doesn’t match the things that you’ve determined are important to you, then you’ll need to make changes so that you can have peace and live a joyful and intentional life. This is a great place to start.
Out of the belly,
Caroline