I Don't Have Time

How many times have we said, or heard someone say, “I don’t have time for this…”

Time is a very unique entity. If it is gone, it is gone. We cannot go back in time (at least not yet). We also cannot buy back time. It is arguably the most invaluable thing in the world.

When someone says, “I don’t have time (to do this)”, what exactly does that mean?

We, human beings, all have 24 hours a day. We decide how to spend those 24 hours. “I don’t have time” may mean that, as much as I want to complete this task, it is not currently my priority. It may also mean to stay away from me, I do not want to deal with this. Or it may mean my space-time concept is so confusing that I do not know where to start.

Whatever the reason is to say “I don’t have time”, how about investigate in how I am going to find time to do things?

It is important to take ownership of time. If we view time as something that we have no control of, then we will make all the excuses of “no time to do this or that” as a natural concept to be rightfully justified.

Instead of focusing on not having time, how about telling ourselves that we have time to do things? We choose to do out of responsibility. We also have time to take care of ourselves. This is a shift for our brain from scarcity to abundance. Our brain will be creative in finding ways to fulfill our belief that we have the time to do things.

Prioritize. Do what is important to you. If there is a project at work and the deadline is approaching, do it and get it done. The more focused we are to do that particular task, the faster it will be completed.

Plan ahead. Always plan your day in advance. This includes prioritizing your to-do list. Planning in detail puts you in the driver’s seat. You may want to strategically procrastinate. There may be things you choose to do later instead of right away.

Strategize. What is the most efficient way to tackle that task? When you are done with that task, what do you get to do? What can be done later?

Throw perfectionism out the window. Yes, we want to do our best, but doing our best is not equivalent to flawless. Human beings are not perfect. If we focus on perfection, you may never want to start.

Time seems to be flying when we are having fun. Notice that when we are spending time with people we love, the day passes by much quickly than when we are spending time with company that we want to escape from.

We are all responsible of how we use our time. Let us plan with purpose. Let us focus on the time we have to do the things we want.