Firstly I would like to say a big thank you to everyone who has been reading my little baby blog, which is two weeks old today!! So young, so innocent, so much to learn. I am having so much fun along the way and I hope you’re enjoying it too. Also, I surpassed 3,000 hits today which was a very exciting milestone. So, thanks for reading!
Two weeks. That’s 336 hours. I’ve probably spent a lot of those, when not at work or sleeping, working on this blog. It’s been the most fulfilled I’ve felt in a long while. Today I was thinking about all this time, and how I’ve shifted my free time away from other things to devote to this. I still work out just as much (if I had to divert time away from my health and fitness to work on my health and fitness blog, that would be pretty ironic…and stupid), but I’ve been spending less time watching TV and reading random stuff on the internet (what fake news is happening on The Onion? How cute are the latest kitty pics on I Can Has Cheezburger?? Someone fill me in already!!)
I’m still in an adjustment period and I’m trying to be flexible with my time so I can fit in all the things I enjoy. There has been a ton of change to my schedule in the past few months, because I also got a full-time job after being unemployed for awhile. It’s amazing how much longer each day felt when I had no job and no money. Now the days fly by because I’m filling up every minute. We’ve all got the same amount: 24 precious hours, each and every day, ripe for the picking. How do you choose to spend yours?
Many people get into routines and use their time the same way every day. This may not be right for everyone; it certainly doesn’t work for me because I detest routine and monotony. Setting a schedule and sticking to it can be great, but it doesn’t leave much room for the unexpected. I used to set my alarm to give me just enough time to get ready for work and run out the door every morning. If anything unexpected came up, I’d be late. Most days, if I don’t budget my time well, I’m between 3 and 7 minutes late to wherever I’m going (cue road rage, no one seems to have any clue how to drive when I’m running late, so strange). So, I decided recently to set my alarm for a half hour earlier every morning. Now, you’d think setting it for 3 to 7 minutes earlier would be enough to shave off those late minutes. But giving myself an extra half hour allows me not to rush. Since I was always running late for work, I used to feel like those moments I spent rushing to get ready and get there belonged to my job too. I was on borrowed time, just trying to get where I was going, not enjoying the morning. And damnit, it’s my morning and I want to enjoy it. A little reinvention of my routine and poof, my whole mindset about my day changes. Now I have time to enjoy a cup of tea while doing my makeup, or try on an extra outfit (or 8 extra outfits, let’s be realistic) to see which I prefer, or stop at my favorite coffee shop. I really do enjoy those extra moments. And every extra moment you spend being happy is always well-spent time.
I chose that quote above because I think it’s a good metaphor for how we use our time, and it’s especially salient if you’re trying to make positive changes in your life and reach your goals, whatever they may be. Are you tied up at anchor, waiting to get going again for some reason? Are you drifting along, following your schedule without interruption, and maybe without enthusiasm? Or are you sailing through each day, full speed ahead, filling up the moments as best you can while pursuing your goals and getting closer to where you want to be? It’s up to you, you can certainly do whatever you want with your 24 hours. Remember, they’re yours and yours alone. But if you make a few tweaks to your schedule, you might feel like your time is yours again. Take ownership of it…they’re your 24 hours. Everyone else has their own.
Inevitably, we have to spend some time doing things we may not want to be doing, but if you can find some joy in most of your moments, they won’t be wasted. Make an effort to be reinventive with any moment that you feel is being wasted. If you have the ability to change it, change it. And with your free time, use it to do whatever makes you happy. We often make things more complicated than they need to be. Time is simple, it’s finite. You’ve only got so much, so reinvent those available moments into something productive, or fulfilling, or relaxing, or whatever it is you want to get out of your precious day. And every 24 hours you have the opportunity to decide how to use it all over again; to decide whether to be anchored, to drift, or to sail. I say, why not sail? You’ll eventually get where you want to go and you’ll enjoy the journey. What’s not to like about that?
How do you spend your free time? How do you deal with making adjustments when the unexpected happens?
Filed under: Life Tagged: change, Fitness, goals, health, inspiration, life, motivation, priorities, time, Time management, transformation, weight loss
