We are living in a Time Crunch Crisis.
These days, no-one ever complains that they have too much time on their hands. To the contrary. I’m time poor. I have too much to do. I can’t even catch my breath. I need more hours in the day! We hear it every day from friends, colleagues, family members, as well as out of our own mouths. Life just seems to be getting faster and faster.
According to the NAB Australian Wellbeing Report: Q2 2018, Australians would pay up to $131 just to get back an hour a day. Time, a finite resource, is a precious commodity because there will always only be 24 hours each day.
There are lots of ways to claw back some free time. But you will need a compelling reason to make the effort, and some tools to help you.
Find your compelling reason.
It is easy to get on the treadmill of automatic ‘must do’ tasks and activities. Press the pause button. Discover – or remember – what is most important to you. What do you value? Imagine yourself at eighty years of age, looking back over your life. What would you regret not putting time and energy into? Relationships with your children? A talent you never made time to explore and enjoy? Your health?
Considering your long-term priorities, where do you most need to invest your precious time, here and now? Think about the activities that take up your day. Do they support your life- and lifestyle goals? If not, do less of them. Now do more of the activities that support what you value the most.
Skill Number One: Learning to say no.
As you eliminate the least important activities from your life, it will become necessary to turn down engagements and renegotiate agreements. You may feel guilty about letting people down; you may feel the pressure of the “shoulds”. Saying “no” is a skill and an art that can be learned. Without it, you may never find free time.
Skill Number Two: Asking for support.
Share your newfound goals and priorities with your loved ones. Explain that you need their support and encouragement. Brainstorm ways they can help. Start delegating tasks. Overcome the urge to think “but I can do it more quickly myself.”
Asking for support, like learning to say “no,” may feel uncomfortable at first, but it is probably the biggest factor when it comes to finding the time to pursue what is most important to you.
Master these skills and you will soon have time on your hands to do more of what you love and create the life you want.
More About Les Watson
Known as ‘The Time Lord’, Les Watson has been training individuals and corporations to manage themselves and their time for over 35 years. He is the Director of Get More Time and the author of Get Back An Hour In Every Day. Find out more about Les Watson, here.
