“I don’t have enough time”

We’ve all been there, wanting to do 100 things and never managing to get anything done. Feeling overwhelmed by it all. Jumping from task to task with no real direction and just feeling frustrated. Often we tend to hide behind the narrative of “I don’t have enough time” as it is much easier than admitting I am not prioritising this because either I do not want to or I haven’t tried to. I know that’s what I have done way too often such as with my blog.

I love writing but I also love photography, science, baking, videography and so much more. The reality is you can’t do everything. You have to choose the things that hold more importance. Whilst often this may be a decision you do not give too much thought, we are always actively deciding what to give our time to. Yes, it may be misguided hence the frustration because you haven’t taken the time to actually think about what you want to prioritise today, this week, this month.

Imagine workplaces, schools and universities had no structure, nothing would get done. The reality is we require some form of organisation to get things done. We need short term goals and long term goals or if you dislike the world goals, you could say tasks that you need to get done.

Equally, it is so important not to over plan.

You are only human.

There are 24 hours in a day but you need 7-10 of them to sleep and avoiding getting enough sleep will only decrease your productivity. There is no point getting up at 5am everyday ‘because all the ‘successful’ people seem to, if you are sleeping at 1am. The reality is you can wake up at 3pm and do really well in life, it is just about finding what works for you. You need to allocate time to relax and eat and move your body because they are required. Just as humans find time for education or work you can find time for the things you love.

I’ve realised the hardest part really is starting. We build up tasks as though they are much harder than they are. Our motivations aren’t clear or strong enough so the task then feels like a lot of work that you don’t want to do.

Remember something is better than nothing and perfection doesn’t exist.

I guess that is why it is key to understand:

1) if you actually want to or need to do something or you’re just saying it or doing it for the sake of it?

2) Why?

Once your intentions are clear, it really helps. E.g. If I wanted to write blog posts because everyone is but I have no enjoyment in the process then I am probably not very likely to get out my laptop and spend time writing and editing etc. In that case, maybe it is worth admitting I do not actually want to and that is okay. Just because others are doing something doesn’t mean I have to. Alternatively I may realise I want to give it a try and collect my thoughts because it seems like a good way to do so. In that case, yes it will still be difficult but I can say to myself I have to do 5 minutes once a week. Chances are if I enjoy it I will do more and I will spend longer than 5 minutes but it is far more achievable than I am going to write a blog post a week.

Setting realistic targets allows you to get more done and also determine if there is something that is actually preventing you. I know at times my health prevents me from getting things done and sometimes it is the fact I spend too much time on other tasks.

Anywho if you made it this far, I appreciate you. Feel free to share something you want to get done this week in the comments or your thoughts in general.

This is a post for me to commit to spending 5 minutes a week on writing and I’ll share it no matter what. This only took 15 minutes so clearly I have built things up in my head.

Kthanksbye x