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:
- I’m in a state of transition and need to block out any additional inputs
- It’s not important to me
- 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.