Spring is in the air and this month, I want to talk about time.
Do you ever feel like you don’t have enough time?
You’re not alone.
Do you ever see those people that seem to have time to do everything and wonder how do they do it?!
It’s hard to remember sometimes that we all have the same amount of time.
We all have the same number of hours in a day – and 168 hours in a week.
Yup.
You. Me. Beyonce. Mark Zuckerberg.
We all have the same amount of time.
So… how do the most successful people get so much done?!
And more importantly, how can you use this knowledge to create the time for everything in your life?
That’s the question I’m exploring this month. For you. For me. For anyone who feels they don’t have enough time (so, basically everyone).
Today, we’re going to start with the biggest time waster.
Are you guilty of the biggest time waster?
I know what you’re thinking: social media.
And no, that’s not it.
Well… not exactly.
The biggest time waster is actually something you don’t do.
Not doing this will lead to time wasted.
Not prioritizing this will suck time from what’s important.
Not making time for this will result in you squandering your life’s precious moments.
What is this big time waster?!
Working too much. And not taking downtime.
Time to recharge.
Time for you.
Time to recover. Rest. Relax. Rejuvenate.
Your brain needs a break.
Your body can’t go all the time.
And that’s totally normal.
I get it. You want to grind. You want to get sh*t done.
I’m guilty of this too. (In fact, I came up with this blog idea at 2:00 am, after a long night of work).
But this isn’t sustainable. And it’s not effective.
What happens when you don’t take a break?
You’re less productive.
The worst part?!
Your brain still takes a break.
(Yup, everyone’s).
Here’s the problem with this:
The break might be during something important. Like a critical meeting. Or an intimate conversation with a friend.
Your brain might zone out when you’re supposed to be enjoying the improv show you’re watching at the theatre.
Or the exhaustion might come out in meaningless time spent scrolling social media or watching TV.
It might come out in reading news you don’t care about online late at night – or early in the morning. Or your brain will shut down and you’ll oversleep.
Even worse?
The break will come. And go.
Without you even getting the benefits.
You’ll feel like you never got a break.
You won’t get the joy of reading a book. Taking a bath. Spending quality time with friends and family.
You won’t get the endorphins you get from going for a run. Or the relaxation from getting a massage.
Because your brain just spent it’s much-needed break time and your precious downtime zoning out.
Mindlessly scrolling.
Spacing out.
My challenge to you this week is to schedule your breaks. Schedule your downtime.
Make time for your breaks.
Put them in your calendar.
Set the expectations with friends, family or bosses if you need to.
Try working in pre-determined time sprints and breaks, also known as the Pomodoro Method. Marinara Timer and TomatoTimer are two excellent, free tools to try.
Call and book a massage.
Sign up for a yoga class.
Schedule it so it happens.
Schedule it so it happens on your terms.
I guarantee you’ll be more productive. You’ll waste less time. You’ll accomplish more.
And you’ll actually enjoy the time you spend, however you choose to spend your down time.
In the end, the greatest way to be productive with your time is to enjoy the time you do spend.
Hello happy brain. Hello happy you!
- Lisa
Success Coach
www.lisamichaud.com
PS. I know it’s hard to schedule breaks. I struggle too. But we all need breaks.
Without pre-determined breaks, you will end up taking one anyway. Your brain just needs a rest. And it will either have you zoning out when you shouldn’t be. Or you’ll mindlessly scroll Facebook, the news, or watch TV for hours.
Wouldn’t those mindless hours have been better spent catching up with friends? Reading to your children? Walking on the beach.
I think so too. Schedule your breaks this week. And cut out the biggest time-waster to get your time (and joy) back.