Would You Like More Time?

Photo by Laura Chouette on Unsplash

How often do you find yourself saying the words, “I don’t have time?”

If you’re anything like my clients, this phrase follows you around all day every day.

This used to be my go-to phrase for a lot of things. Some of them were great. This phrase got me out of gatherings I didn’t really want to go to, helping friends move, and work projects that weren’t very intriguing. 

Using this phrase during the pandemic was interesting too. Because there was so much less visibility, people simply took me at my word. I was such a busy person. I just didn’t have time.

But, I paid a price for these words too. Because the more I said it, the more I started to believe it. Then I was saying I didn’t have time to meet up with friends even though I desperately wanted connection and community. I told myself I didn’t have time to go to figure drawing class- my favorite activity on the planet. This simple phrase has actually robbed me of... So. Much. Joy.

My sisters and I recently moved my parents into an assisted living facility. My mother has dementia and for several days she didn’t know who any of us were. One day the conversation turned to me, and my mother looked right at me and said, “Oh, Laura. She is so busy. We never see her. She just doesn't have time for us.”

My heart sank. The truth is, even though I believed I’d made my parents a priority, I could see from her perspective how I hadn’t.

I don't know how many days I’ll have where my mother knows who I am in the future, but I do know that when she does know who I am that there is no question. I have time for her. I have time to listen to her. I have time to talk to her. I have time.

The truth is, even though every one of us has the same 24 hours in a day, the phrase “I don’t have time” is rarely accurate. The truth is, if we’re not making time for something, it’s because it’s not a priority. 

I’ve challenged some of my clients to watch themselves and when they find they want to say, “I don’t have time,” to slow down and ask themselves- is this true?

Is it true that you don't have time to play with your child?

Is it true that you don’t have time to call your mother to share your love with her?

Is it true that you don’t have time to make that doctor appointment you’ve been putting off?

Or are you making something else a higher priority? And more importantly, does the thing you’re making a higher priority really warrant your time?

If you’d like to explore your own relationship with time, I’m leading a complimentary workshop on Sunday, 9/19 called Time Mastery for Busy Humans. Click here to learn more and register- if you have time.