You Would, But…
Fill in the blank:
I really want to _____________, but I do not have time.
How long have you been telling yourself and others that blank is what you want to do, but you have declared you do not have time?
Next question:
Do you really want what you say you want? And do your actions show you are living the life you want?
“Yes, but…”
I get it. I am busy too. In addition to this blog, I spend a great deal of time on my personal and professional growth. I also have completing the editing of my audiobook on my list.
Oh, and I do all of that around my full-time job. And…
Last year at this time I was also getting close to publishing my book!
Trust, I know about busy and lack of time.
Here is what else is true.
All that I want to do requires time.
All that you want to accomplish requires time.
We all have 24 hours in a day and 168 hours in a week.
In order for you and I do what we want in life, we must use our 24 hours in a day and 168 hours in a week wisely.
Yes, accomplishing this with our busy lifestyles is not easy.
However, when you are working towards what you want in life, that requires giving up something.
So I am here to give you suggestions on what to give up to live the life you want.
Give Up Living without a Calendar
For years I have limited my calendar to meetings. That meant that only my work life had a schedule.
Here is what I have come to realize, however: I am the most productive when I schedule life.
What do I mean by scheduling my life?
It means living life by your calendar.
If it is not on your calendar, you cannot do it. (sans essentials such as the matters of hygiene, etc.)
This process takes some practice and trial and error, but it is effective.
It also helps you balance your time.
Ramit Sethi, author of the book I Will Teach You to be Rich, said in a video, “If it's on my calendar, I respect myself enough to honor it.”
Give Up Saying Yes
Start saying “No” more often.
Don't be a “Yes” person and don't be a people pleaser. There are positive ways to say, “No.”
And it is possible to say no without feeling guilty. I am still practicing myself, therefore use the link in the previous sentence for guidance.
Even though I am still practicing, I can tell you that saying “No” more often is keeping me from feeling overwhelmed. It is also allowing me to remain focused on my goals and work towards the life I want.
Therefore, if you want the same for your life, begin saying “No” more often.
Give Up Time Wasters
Everyone has different time wasters, but we all have core time wasters.
I consider a time waster anything that is not benefitting my goals. That includes too much time on social media, watching television, texting, and procrastinating.
I rarely watch television. The few shows I watch what for me in the queue on our DVR. If I watch television, I do it to unwind with mindlessness or for family time. Even then, I only watch about two hours of television a week, if that.
I am not even going to lie to you. I still need some work on the social media thing. Unfortunately, I miss valuable hours in the morning on Facebook and Twitter.
I am going to work that out though, especially in our current climate. All being on social media does is agitate me.
Give Up Your Time to Scale Up
Huh?
I am going to let you know up front that what I am about to propose is going to be a challenge, but it is doable, much like everything I have suggested thus far is doable.
Take away time from what you like to do and is important to you in order to give you time for something greater.
For example, writing my book was something that would impact lives. That made it greater than what I was currently doing.
However, in order to scale up to be a writer and change lives, I needed to scale back in other areas of my life.
In my case, as much as I liked my community – Toastmasters – that helped me to be a better speaker, I had to give up the time I spent with that community.
It was not easy to do, but I did it in order to scale up and live the life I want.
What to Give Up to Live the Life You Want
Now that I have shared the suggestion of giving up saying yes, time wasters such as social media, television, and procrastination, as well as time on what you like but is not allowing you to do what you want, what changes are you going to make?
What are you going to begin doing so that you can begin living the life you want? Share in the post comments.