Have you found yourself telling others how busy you are all the time? Daily commitments can definitely add up and begin to feel overwhelming. But when saying you’re busy becomes your mantra, you can actually start to believe you have no control over your time. Instead of making smart decisions and being proactive about spending time wisely, you can slip into a reactive state where your day gets away from you… almost every day.

No matter how much you have going on in your life, it’s important to realize that you are, in fact, in control. Of course, there will always be the daily pressures of fitting work, family, personal time, and sleep into 24 hours, but a new perspective can make it easier.

The first step in taking back your time is boosting awareness of how you spend it. Fill out the chart below with your current daily schedule and then read on.

Daily Schedule

How many hours do you spend on each category below? Not sure? Estimate, then track a couple of days.

__________ Sleep

__________ Meals (may include prep time)

__________ Entertainment (movies, TV, etc.)

__________ Fitness / Exercise / Yoga

__________ Work

__________ Commuting

__________ Housework

__________ Spiritual Practice (may include meditation)

__________ Family / Parenting / Pets

__________ __________ (other)

__________ __________ (other)

__________ __________ (other)

__________ (24 Total)

It’s common to fill out this form and end up with less than 24 hours. Where do the other hours go? It can be hard to account for them sometimes. Be honest with yourself. Chances are, you may spend more time doing certain things than you may realize. It’s also common to spend less time than you intend on tasks that are important to you. When you recognize your schedule is getting out of whack, you can be proactive about better using your time.

Here are some tips to get your schedule back in balance:

  • Sleep: Experts agree most people need 7-8 hours of good sleep, but your body might feel its best with even more. One way to find out how many hours of sleep you personally need, is to choose a night when you do not have to get up in the morning, following a few nights of decent sleep. Don’t set an alarm, find a dark place to sleep, and see how long you sleep before you naturally wake up.
  • Meals: Proper nutrition is how you get your energy, so it’s important to spend the time needed to eat healthy meals. Consider getting help to shop, such as a grocery delivery service. You can also prepare food for easier consumption, such as making double or triple portions and freezing convenient serving-size portions.  Slow cookers can also save a lot of time.   Recognize that how you eat is also an important component of your meals, and try slowing down a bit and enjoying the taste of the food you are eating.
  • TV: Watching TV is obviously enjoyable, but it’s a pastime that can decrease quality time with loved ones or keep you up late and compromise your sleep. Of course, some entertainment is valuable, and a way to decompress. But it can also be excessive. If you’re looking for “more hours in the day,” it might be easy to find some by cutting back on TV.
  • Exercise: If you aren’t exercising as much as you should be, try holding yourself accountable. Get a personal trainer, a gym buddy, or sign up for workout classes in advance. When you make up your mind to go workout at a certain time, rather than waiting to see if you feel like going at that time, you’ll be much more likely to get it done. Find the time that works best for you and put it on your calendar like you would any other appointment. You will never feel worse after a workout.
  • Family and Friends: Healthy, balanced time is of high value. Regular nurturing of healthy relationships with your family and friends provides for the support needed to cultivate a sense of community. However, unhealthy relationships can exhaust you and need to be monitored closely.
  • Work: This is one of the toughest areas to manage. Each decade brings us a different agenda when it comes to work and earnings. Living simply can be a helpful first step to putting work in perspective and understanding how to have it not be a stressor or worry in your life. Often we become over-extended when we are buying things as a coping mechanism, or out of convenience when we are pressed for time. Moving forward, ask yourself: Do I need this? Or do I want this?  You many find yourself evolving to acquire only those things you truly need and enjoy. Spending less reduces pressure to make more money, which can help put work in perspective.

It can be challenging to take control of your schedule and make a shift in how you spend your time. If there is an area out of balance, maybe it’s time for some mindfulness training. Contact Jenny or Warren.