I hope you’ve had a good week. Memorial Day weekend is behind us, soon school will be out, and we’ll be gearing up for summer fun and relaxation. It’s already the second Friday of June! Sometimes it feels like the days and weeks and months just whiz by.
Time doesn’t stand still. It’s always moving forward. Once we use it, we can’t get it back. Today, we have so many tools to make our life “easier,” and yet we never seem to have enough time. Each day has 24 hours. How do we spend the 24 hours given to us?
Last week, I had a busy schedule, so I decided to take a look at how I was spending my time. We can be so busy, but not necessarily mindful as to how we’re using our time. I decided to track my time, from the moment I got up till the hour I went to bed. When we know how we’re spending our time, we can start to make small adjustments toward our dreams and goals. Do you know how you spend your time?
During lockdown, we were forced to slow down and to refocus on what was important: family, health, cooking meals; we had to be more present, more aware. The clutter of the outside world came to a halt. Even though the pandemic continues, many of us are now back to our old busy routines. The hustle and bustle has returned. Women are telling me they have no time again for self-care, or for working on their dreams and goals.
We were not created to rush through life. In order to have an expansive, enjoyable experience of our days, we have to know how we are spending our time. How would you like to change your schedule? Slowing down could make you more successful because you’d know if you truly enjoy what you’re doing. Slowing down could give you more clarity, help you make better decisions for yourself and your family. You could be more aware of your surroundings, experience better health, stay more connected with yourself and others, have less stress, be more creative, have better ideas, more balance, more contentment. How important is it to you and your family to slow down and become more mindful of your days? All of us have a choice. It’s up to us how we use our time.
Not sure how you’re using your time? I’ve got a homework assignment for you. You can do this for one day, a couple of days or even a week. Record everything you do for a day and how long it takes you, then look at where you can make changes. Yes, I know we’re busy people with so much to accomplish, but you’ll be surprised to see where the time goes. It was an eye opener for me!
A few tips on how to slow down:
- Delegate! Yes, it’s true we don’t have to do everything (that was a hard one for me to learn).
- Learn to say NO more often; set boundaries around your time.
- Get up 15 minutes earlier and enjoy your coffee or tea.
- Use a timer for household chores; you’ll know how long it takes for each chore.
- Shut your phone off (I know, this can be a hard one).
- Take a lunch break; you’ll be more refreshed and productive in the afternoon.
- Have a set time to answer emails.
- Make a list and prioritize it.
- Leave time between your appointments so you aren’t rushing.
- Plan your day the night before.
- Ask yourself, is this how I really want to spend my time?
If we don’t plan our day other things will. It’s up to us to manage the gift of our time.
Marie awesome blog. I am keeping a list starting on Monday see how much time i am spending and what areas I need to use more efficiently. Hardest task is learning to say No. Do recognize I spend a great deal of time doing for others. Looking forward to starting my list which I am keeping track of for the week. Thank you as always for your precious words. ❣
Thank you for your comments. I look forward to hearing how you list works for you.
Hi Marie, great blog this week!
Thank you for reading the blog. Have a great week.
Thank you Marie. I am on week two of writing out how I spend my days all day long. It is amazing where I get stuck and waste time or I don’t take any time for myself to relax.
Yes, when we take the take to log our daily activities it tells us a lot. Relaxing is important.
I am the queen of lists and schedules. I try to prioritize but I am do have a bad habit of over booking myself and not saying no. Getting better. Great food for thought. I will try to do the list ( that may shave another 30 minutes lol ) 😆
List and schedules are important. Learning to say NO is hard but helpful.
Happy the blog gave you some food for thought.
Thank you for reading the blog. I’m happy some of the steps spoke to you. Yes, time is a precious commodity.
I love this and appreciate your words of wisdom. I hope to listen and try out the steps you have written for us. We should be aware if how we spend our money; but also how we spend our time. Time is a blessing, we should be aware of how we are spending it.
Love you, Marie!
Your sister in Christ😊❤🙏🇺🇸