Time = Priorities

TIME…I’m sure many won’t have the time to read this…..

We often get wrapped up in the hustle and bustle of our daily lives that we tend to resort to the phrase, “I don’t have enough time.”

Out of all the excuses in the world, the one I detest most is also the one I seem to hear most frequently – I don’t have time. Sadly, I’ve heard those very words spew from my own mouth. I don’t have time to learn a new language, I don’t have time to workout and get fit, I don’t have time to start a business, I don’t have time to do this, that, or anything else.

Think of everyone who has ever achieved greatness throughout the entire span of human history – Archimedes, Michelangelo, Shakespeare, Ford, Jobs and anyone else you can think of who was successful – do you know how many hours they had to work with in a day? Twenty four. Same as you and me.

Not only am I going to explain why it’s an inane excuse, I’m going to show you ways you can ‘find the time’ to do everything you could possibly want to do and more. There are 24 Hours in a Day…So how is it, exactly, that you don’t have enough time?

So clearly, ‘finding the time’ is not the issue. If Michelangelo can find the time to paint the Sistine Chapel, I’m reasonably certain we can find the time to workout three times a week, call our parents, put in a few minutes posting about our home businesses, cook a healthy dinner, spend time with your family, call your parents, and most importantly…spend time with Jesus.

I get that some of you may think I’m being too literal. You don’t mean the hours aren’t there….you’re just too busy‘. Fine.

Perhaps we need a lesson or two at managing our time.

People love to say they’re too busy like it’s some kind of insurmountable, external obstacle that they are in no way culpable for, as it’s clearly dictated by forces beyond their control. It makes them feel like it’s not their fault for not trying to do whatever it is they wish they could do. It basically externalizes responsibility.

I believe fear plays a huge role in why we make excuses about not having enough time

I think many people are just too terrified to fail so they’d rather stay stagnant where it’s comfortable rather than try. In reality we should embrace failure because it is definitely not something we should be afraid of.

If you are someone, however, who honestly feels like you don’t have enough time to accomplish the things you want to accomplish, then sit down one day and write out everything you did for every hour of the day up to that point. You can even go through and list everything you did that whole week if you’re feeling ambitious. Jot down how many times you checked Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Tik Tok, etc. I realized that if I actually posted a brief post about my home based business everytime I checked Facebook or Instagram, then I’m not completely wasting my time on social media because posting is a crucial part of my job to share the amazing products my business has to offer. Jot down how often you find your mind just wandering off as if you have lost focus for a period of time during the day….you find yourself doing things that really don’t matter in the bigger picture. Jot down how many episodes of your favorite series you are watching in a day, a week, a month, etc. Jot down how many times you log on to your online games each day. Will a half hour of Candy Crush or Texas Hold ‘Em (I’m not exactly sure what’s the latest and greatest online games these days.) here and there actually get you where you want to be in life? Will watching 30 minutes of YouTube help you achieve the bigger picture in life? No, probably not. Add up all that time that was squandered, and you are sure to find a few extra hours in your day that you could have applied to working your business, spending time with loved ones, making some extra money to help you get out of debt, etc.

This is the precise reason I started planning because I was always complaining about not having enough time. People have laughed at me because part of my “to do” list everyday is 1. Make bed 2. Clean kitchen 3. Organize my day. The truth is, if I don’t write everything down for my day, I do tend to skip over many things because I get caught up in everything else….often times, things that don’t really matter in the bigger scheme of things. Sticking with schedules has really been helping me. After listing my morning routine for so long—now I can simplify it to “Morning Routine”, and I know all the things that must be done before I head out the door. I’ve also found certain things that I can do before I go to bed, so in the end I have more time in the mornings to get other things done. So, in my planner, I mark down for each day “nightly routine”. My nightly routine has helped me and is helping me to accomplish so much more every single day. I know that by sticking to a nightly routine, I have made that time for myself in the morning to spend time worshiping and praying so I can have the most important relationship in my life…my relationship with Christ. If I don’t have that…nothing else really matters anyway, right?

When I began to work on my Masters, I was juggling work, family life, and school. I began to become highly stressed because not only was I going to school, but I was also teaching high school, I was the director of a very active choral and drama program, and I was also married (My relationship with Jesus was not a priority at the time…although, I did hold a job as a church music director. It was simply for appearance purposes if I am being blatantly honest.). Nonetheless, I did not know how to juggle all of it, and it took a toll on my marriage because I was making everything else a priority. Of course, I made the excuses that my spouse didn’t understand, wasn’t supportive, asked entirely too much of me, etc. I didn’t know how to plan. Lack of planning was the root of my downfall. After failing at so many things, my job, my relationship, etc. I took up “planning”. I developed a habit of sitting at my desk and planning my entire week. At first, I was one of those people that liked to decorate my planner (scrapbooking, in a sense)—it was much needed therapy at the time. After failing at so much, one tends to need a bit of therapy to work through it all (especially when you don’t have Jesus). I have now become the planner that simply writes things down (I no longer decorate—it is no longer a priority.). I have been using planners for quite some time now, and I have achieved great success from it.

Before I began to plan, I had an excuse for every failure. Honestly, when we face the truth of the matter, we can never say that we can’t do this, or it isn’t working out, if we are not investing time into it. Basically, instead of saying we don’t have time for something, we are actually saying, “It’s not a priority.” “I don’t have time to spend worshiping and praying each day” becomes “Developing a relationship with Christ just isn’t important to me.” “I don’t have time to spend time with my spouse because I have so much other stuff to do” becomes “My marriage is not a priority.” (God knows I’ve used that excuse in my previous marriage. I don’t have time to work out” becomes “Working out and becoming healthier is not a priority.” “I don’t have time to work my home based business” becomes “Building my home based business, so I can get out of debt isn’t a priority.” Often times we say we are going to do something or be a part of something, and we get involved on paper, but that’s it. We don’t invest time into those things…..maybe it is your relationship with Christ, your marriage, a relationship, education, your home business, your daily job, etc. We simply sit there and expect things to happen without putting in any effort at all. Of course, when we fail at those things, it’s always easy to say, “I didn’t have enough time.” We can’t ever blame someone else for our lack of relationship with Christ, our failed marriage, failed business, dropping out of school, etc. We can’t ever complain about our failures, nor can we blame anyone else for our failures if we have not put in the time and effort. It comes down to what we choose to make a priority and the time we invest in those things that are important to us. Each day is a new day, a brand new page in your book of life. What are you writing on that page today? Say this every single day…..”I Create My Life.” The best part about it all is that when we put our relationship with Christ first….for some reason everything else just seems to fall into place so much easier. What are your priorities in life? Are you still making excuses by claiming to not have enough time? Are you still blaming “time” for your failures? What can you do to accomplish your goals? Does your time management need improvement?

Manage your time wisely, and just watch all the amazing things you will begin to accomplish. It all starts with a plan. Peace and Blessings!

Now, go find your time and seize the day! Create your life.