A couple years ago, I remember hearing an older woman talk about how she so badly wished she would’ve been able to do all the things she wanted to accomplish in her life, but she just “didn’t have the time”. She told me about how she wanted to write a book, how she wanted to learn piano, how she wished she would’ve been able to make more time for long walks with her husband outside. She told me that the single biggest piece of advice she could give me is to make time for the things I love. And so today, I want to talk about how it is I make time for the things I love, and how you can, too. Life’s too short to let our busy schedules stop us from doing the things we truly love; the things that will matter most when we look back on our lives.
Okay, so how, in the midst of the craziness of school and a job and a volunteer position and all.the.things. do we find time for the things we love to do or WANT to do?! Between a dual-degree, friends, family, church, sorority things, and what seems like a never-ending to-do list, I know how hard it can be to feel like you have any time for the things you want to accomplish. If I am not SUPER careful about how I plan my schedule and how I prioritize my time, I find the days go by so dang quick and I have not been able to do things like write for my blog or read or listen to a podcast or just go for a walk and listen to some music. Here are some ways I find time for the things I love in the midst of the day-to-day craziness:
- Take inventory of how you are currently spending your time. Look at the Screen Time app on your phone and see how many minutes and hours you are spending on your technology. It is craaaaazy. Anytime I catch myself saying “I don’t have time for that”, I take count of how long I spent texting and on Instagram and on my email (lol) and I realize that I DO have time for things like writing, I just am choosing to spend my time elsewhere. This is SO helpful.
- KEEP A SCHEDULE! You guys, this is crucial. If you know me, you know my Google calendar is my bff. For real though, I have nearly every part of my day color-coded and organized to the nines and this keeps my day flowing and on track to get done what I want to get done. Plan time in your calendar to do the things you love and want to accomplish, whether it be writing or singing or working out or going for walks. Make it a commitment that you hold yourself to.
- Pick a couple things you love outside of your normal routine and focus on those. For me, it’s my blog/writing and personal development. I try to implement writing and doing things to grow into my schedule multiple times weekly as if they were homework assignments I needed to get done. Are there 1000 things I love that I would like to make part of my life right now? YES. But the thing is that I when I try to implement too much I get overwhelmed and usually end up burnt out or stressed, which is NOT the purpose of adding things you love to do into your routine. Focus on a couple and you’ll be golden.
- Treat the time you plan for the things you love to do as if they are written in ink on your calendar. I remember a few years back I heard someone say that certain things should be in “red ink” on your schedule that are non-negotiable (or red Google calendar color-coded hehe). For me, if I plan time to write–unless something comes up that I MUST attend to–I follow through with the commitment to myself. Keep the promises you make to yourself! <3
Life is too short to not make time for the things you love and want to accomplish. We HAVE the time, we just have to MAKE it a priority in our schedule. You deserve to look back on your life and be so freaking happy with all the things you added into your life that MAKE you happy!
Now let’s go do it.
Always,
Elle