How to Find Time for the Really Important Things
Do you ever feel like your day is ruled by whoever makes the most noise?
I know mine is.
Sometimes that’s the paperwork that’s come in the mail filled with huge, bolded letters telling you that it must, MUST be taken care of today. Sometimes it’s the email that just can’t wait. Sometimes it’s literally, the one who makes the most noise — in our house we often say that the baby screams the loudest so she always gets attention first.
The problem with that, is it’s far too easy to let the things that appear urgent in the moment overtake the things that are truly important. Doing that repeatedly means that you never get around to the important things, the things that you really want to spend your life doing.
So how do you make time for the really important things?
Decide what is important to you. This may seem obvious but it’s hard to make time for the important things if you don’t know what they are. Your family is probably at the top of your list but what does making your family a priority look like to you? Does that mean spending time together on the weekends visiting fun places? Making time for reading stories to your kids before bed? Create a concrete picture of what the important things look like to you so you can aim for them.
Have written goals. It’s hard to reach for something if you don’t know what you are reaching for. Writing down your goals, in and of itself, will make it easier for you to accomplish them. Post them somewhere visible so you see them often. That will remind you to carve time out of your day for those things and make them more likely to happen.
Schedule time for what’s most important. Do you have a goal you really want to accomplish? Are you frustrated that you don’t have more time to spend together as a family? If you want to get something done you have to make time for it. Put it on your to-do list if you have to. The important but not urgent things often don’t have a place in our daily schedule but that needs to change. If something is important, schedule it in. Give it the time that it needs because it’s something you value.
Slow down. It’s easy to get over-scheduled in life. I’m horrible about saying no to things and I often don’t realize that I’ve overdone it until I’m feeling overwhelmed. If you don’t have time for the things that are truly important to you then you need to cut some stuff out. Maybe your kids have too many after-school activities. Maybe you’ve said yes to too many work or volunteer opportunities. Cut a few things that aren’t essential out and you’ll have more time for the things that are.
Use your time more effectively. If you don’t have time for the important things, you may simply not be using the time you have effectively. Those day to day tasks that have to get done may simply be taking too long. Practice mindfulness — Pay attention to what you are doing and be aware of when you are not being productive. Check out this post about The Secret to Actually Getting Stuff Done. It may change the way you think about your to-do list.
How do you make time for the things that are important to you?
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