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I remember as a kid, never worried about time (except bed time). It felt endless, like it was just a matter of deciding what fun thing to do when the chores were done. Then the teen years roll in, and time feels like the strictest parent in the world. There are so many limitations, and you just feel like you’re always missing out on something, even before FOMO was a word.

As school years wrap up and we enter the working world full time, we suddenly have so much more time on our hands. We have time to workout, time to see friends on a weeknight, time to cook dinner or go out, time to play on the internet, or time for hobbies. Having experienced being both time rich, and time poor, I realize that time isn’t something we have to fight against, because we’re on the same side.

We each get 24 hours each day no matter how much money we have or how important we are. We choose how we invest that time.

While much of this time is already assigned – sleep, eating, work, pet care, kid transport – we have a ton of autonomy over how we spend the rest of our day. When I hear people tell me they don’t have enough time, I know that’s code one of 3 things:

1. I’m in a state of transition and need to block out any additional inputs
2. It’s not important to me
3. I don’t have the energy

I remember back to 2020 when the kids were sent home for remote schooling, and I just starting to work from home. I was asked to join an advisory board for something I cared about, but I was in a state of intense transition as I tried to figure out new math, zoom life, and grocery pick up. I may have said that I didn’t have time, but the truth was that I couldn’t add a single new to my life without feeling like I was going to break.

So what about you? What have you missed because you didn’t have time? Was it something important to you? Before you move on, ask yourself the real reason behind those words, and what YOU need in order to find the fraction of a day you need to take a step towards that goal today.

Remember that movie Inside Out?  It’s a fun Pixar film where Riley’s emotions are personified and direct her life from the headquarters of her brain.  While Joy is usually in charge, the other emotions get their turn at Riley’s control board, too.  She’s offered broccoli as a toddler, and Disgust steps up to the controls as she knocks it off the table.  As a pre-teen, she has a bad day at school, and Anger grabs control as she lashes out at her parents. 

While expressing feelings can be healthy, relying on our feelings for action can lead us away from broccoli and straight to the freezer for another helping of ice cream. 

Think about the last time you wanted to incorporate something new into your life.  Let’s use the example of working out, since it’s a familiar experience for a LOT of people this time of year.    

Since college, I’ve been a casual exerciser meaning I’d dabble in occasional exercise when the mood struck, or if a beach vacation was coming. Then March 2020 struck, and I knew I needed to up my game so I could be healthy & strong for whatever that crazy year brought my way.  

I had tried at-home morning exercise before, did it a few days a week, but often was too tired or just didn’t feel like it, and would hit snooze for a few extra zzz’s.  I would tell myself I’d catch a Zumba class or go for a run after work instead.

In fact, I can probably count on one hand the number of times I have actually felt like working out at 5:20 in the morning. Consistency comes when we stop asking ourselves how we feel in the moment, but instead think back to the commitment we made, and honor it. 

For the first time in my LIFE, I committed to working out EVERY workday BEFORE work.  It wasn’t a resolution or goal or target.  I had an important why, and a commitment to a very important person – me!  

And if I choose not to make my workout date, it better be a reason beyond feelings like illness, an early flight, or vacation. Why? Because I am person who does what they say they will, an honest person, a person who keeps their commitments.    

Fast forward to 2022 – I find myself rising from the sheets and slipping on my sneakers without giving my feelings a voice in that moment.  

But what about taking action for a better work week? 

Feelings are at work here, too. What actions are we NOT taking consistently because we don’t feel like it?   

• Identifying a top priority for the day?   
• Planning the week ahead on a Friday?   
• Blocking time for lunch, deep work, and end of day wrap up? 
• Batch processing e-mail instead of the constant inbox hovering? 
• Or starting work on that goal we just set for 2022?

While we may have excuses that sound justifiable like not enough time, or that won’t work in my job – a lot of it comes down to not feeling like it. Just like daily exercise, consistency with work actions needs a clear why, commitment, and practice (NOT perfection). 

There are nearly 100 of us practicing excellence together with the 60-day Micro Action Challenge.   

And whether you join in, or just want to go after that one thing that was mentioned in your performance review, don’t ask your feelings. 

Make a commitment, build a plan, and work at it consistently.