One of the hardest things about managing your time is accepting that time is limited.
Many of us want to do a lot of awesome things. Between caring for the people we love, rocking the careers we enjoy, and exploring the interests we have, there’s just a lot we want to squeeze in there.
And we can do it all – just not all at the same time or even in the same day, month, or even year.
And while we know this intellectually, I at least need a tool to make it concrete so I can really get my arms around and absorb the facts.
The best tool I’ve found is a digital calendar.
Once you block time for allll the things you have to do (e.g., shower and get dressed in the morning) and want to do (e.g., take on and prep for that presentation, go to that art class or kid’s soccer game (including driving time)), you’re forced to confront reality:
- Time is limited.
- Choices must be made about what you want to do with your limited time.
If the time blocks don’t fit in the day, then it is OBJECTIVELY impossible for you to do all of them.
Trying to fight this reality will not result in a different reality – just an exhausted and defeated you.
Make sure you accept the reality, which pushes you to make the choices about how you’ll spend the time. Otherwise, you won’t be the one making the choices – but someone else or just happenstance will make the choices for you.
AND, to be clear, YOU CAN STILL DO THE OTHER THINGS: Just find homes for those things in your calendar in the future – whether it’s tomorrow or in six months. Again, the beauty of a digital calendar is that you can use it to protect time for those things in your future, let it go until then, and know your calendar will remind you when it’s time.
Embrace reality. Time is limited, and you must make decisions. While this can be frustrating in the short term, it truly does result in a more enjoyable day-to-day life – it’ll help you feel accomplished each night, calm about tomorrow, and excited about what’s ahead.
If you want some help learning how to do this, jump into my free program, the Reset & Refresh (click here to join!).
