Never Enough Time? How to Master Time and Feel in Control!

“Once you have mastered time, you will understand how true it is that most people overestimate what they can accomplish in a year – and underestimate what they can achieve in a decade!” ~ Anthony Robbins

“There’s never enough time…” This may be what we say when we know we need to do something and we really don’t want to make the time for it. It may be losing weight, learning a new skill, or visiting with a loved one. At this point, your relationship with time may not be the real issue. It may be that a part of you is struggling with another part of you. 

Or perhaps your relationship with time really is the issue, because you want to do too many things at once. You feel like you’re racing against the clock, being pulled in a million different directions at once. Those feelings cause many people to try multi-tasking, but that only splinters your attention further and you don’t get the satisfaction of doing your best for each project. This can make you feel out of control.

There will never be enough time unless you…

What’s needed is to restore harmony. Sometimes this takes deep internal work to discover what’s causing the internal conflict. Sometimes all it takes is one simple change in your routine. For me, that means making my bed every morning. It sets the tone for the day and helps me develop discipline, which spills over into other areas of my life. Need another example?

I found a story online about an art director who settled only one issue in her life, which gave her back her control. It all began when she needed to dress for an office meeting. What should she wear? She pulled clothes out of her closet, first trying on this, then trying on that. You can relate, right? In a panicked state, she made the wrong decision and felt paralyzed as she entered the meeting room late. She swore “never again” and promptly went out and bought an office outfit to last a year – 15 identical silk white shirts and a few black pants – a simple fix with a life-changing result.

It doesn’t take much to flip your relationship with time. Time is your friend. The time you get to spend is your most precious gift. And just like a bank account, your time is limited, so learn to spend it wisely, in ways you won’t regret.

Of course, some of your life is governed by the clock – like getting up when the alarm goes off, getting to work on time, or honoring your various appointments. It’s good to have realistic schedules with blocked-out times for important activities. That’s how you remain organized and highly productive.

However, if you have something scheduled for every moment of your time, it doesn’t allow time for mindful reflection or processing what has already happened.

“Don’t be fooled by the calendar. There are only as many days in the year as you make use of. One man gets only a week’s value out of a year while another man gets a full year’s value out of a week.” ~ Charles Richards

Remember that people at the end of their lives never say, “I regret that I didn’t spend more time at work” or, “I wish I’d spent more time worrying about what might happen”. In your own case, what do you imagine you’ll look back on and regret? Is the thing you’re bemoaning that there’s never enough time for something you’ll regret not doing? 

The good news is that if you begin living mindfully from this moment onward, you won’t have so many regrets. You are the master of your time. You get to choose how and where you will spend it. You can think of time in two ways:

1) A linear flow as the clock ticks away – this allows you to schedule your life in relation to others. When you feel pressured to work on someone else’s timeline, your state of mind can be adversely affected if you haven’t learned to regulate your emotions.

2) A rhythmic pattern that allows you to expand as needed toward excellence. When your mind is in a positive, relaxed state, you can perceive time as spiraling out from your intentional focus. In this state, time no longer controls you.

It’s beneficial to use both modalities of time. Be linear when you need to be and mindfully choose to unplug from that stream to experience time on your own terms. The more you turn on these natural, unpressured moments, the more mindful you can become of your intentions, your choices, your desires, and dreams. As a result, you’ll see that 90% of what comes your way doesn’t serve you. It’s okay to say “no” to honor your bigger “yes”.

The ultimate goal is to maintain an ever-present awareness of where the center of your attention is focused, avoiding distractions. If you’re new to centering yourself, don’t be discouraged that your thoughts drift away to something else. Practice rhythmic breathing as you focus on your center and it will become easier.

If you’re ready to ditch the “there’s never enough time complaint” and you’re not sure what your next step should be, why not schedule a free, 30-minute consultation so we can discuss your situation and see if working together is a good fit for both of us.