I DON’T HAVE TIME.
How many times, as busy moms, do we say this to ourselves?
Before this all happened and we were going through the daily motions of life I’m sure most of us thought about time a lot.
You wake up thinking, I wish I had more time in bed. I wish I had time to workout. You hurry to get yourself ready for work, check the time…time to wake up the kids.
It’s taking them so much time to get dressed and get to the table. It’s a quick breakfast today because that’s all we have time for. You say, let’s go guys, hurry, mommy has work to do or mommy has to go to work, you can’t miss the bus, you’re going to be late for school, etc.
Next, you are hurrying to get to work on time. Do I have time to pick up a coffee? Forget it, the line is too long. Maybe you get caught behind a school bus or a driver who has a little more time to take it slow.
You get to work having thought of time, or the lack of it, so many times you don’t even notice you’re doing it.
Next, you work until it’s time for your break…no, forget it, too busy, no time for breaks today.
You get home, chit chat with the kiddos about their day and then make a quick meal because that’s all there is time for before swimming lessons. You hurry the kids to get washed up and dressed after lessons because they seem to be in no rush at all and you just want to get home, so you can finish tidying up, get laundry done, get lunches made, get ready for work and then relax (zone out watching Netflix).
All this so that you can hurry up to go to bed way too late. Sound familiar?
WHAT THE HECK?! Why do we do this? Why is this the norm?
Is that what you are here on this earth to do? Is that a quality life? I promise you that is not the only choice.
We talk about time freedom, spare time, quality time, me time, but how do you start? Why bother?
Your time is YOUR LIFE. You have a finite amount of time on this earth. Tick tock. This is not meant to make you feel worse about how little time there is, but rather to be mindful of how you are spending it. Stop going through the motions.
If the phone rings, you have the choice to answer. Feel like you only have time for a shower, but would rather take a bath? TAKE THE BATH. Take your work breaks. Heck, just take a break.
Taking five minutes to just sit there in a day can be so uncomfortable at first. Imagine setting that timer and doing nothing for five full minutes. Was it a waste of time? Hell no. For the first time in a long time, perhaps you heard your inner voice. You thought about something that was bugging you a bit, came up with a solution for something, remembered something, had an idea, took a deep breath, felt gratitude, let yourself feel sad, cried out the overwhelm, laughed at a funny thought, loosened your tense muscles, the list goes on and on.
We always talk about how busy we are. Like that’s just the way it is. It comes out of our mouths without even thinking about it. We feel overwhelmed and chaotic, so it automatically means that we have no time.
I’d like to propose a thought. You need to make time. You get to choose. Say no stuff that doesn’t excite you. You know when something is a yes, you FEEL it. Your breaths get a little shorter, your mouth smiles and you can actually feel the joy in your heart just by thinking about it and you never forget the event or appointment. We always find a way to make time for the important stuff. Listen to yourself. You know when it’s a NO.
White space is important. Take that five minutes.
It’s easier said than done, yes. Baby steps. I’ve found that the more I make time for things that matters to me like meditation or a simple walk, the more of me there is for everyone else. You can’t give from an empty bucket. Ever.
When you stop doing things you don’t care about or that don’t add value to your life you make space for the things that do.
Be intentional about your day. Make sure you make time for the things you love and ultimately you will stop wasting it and feel less overwhelm, you will have high quality days, your kids will see you smile, you won’t be so eager for their bed time and you will be on your way to creating a life you love.
You deserve to protect your time.
Tina xo
Want to learn how to create more time for what you actually WANT to do? Check out my free guide to help you take back the clock and experience more of what you lights you up.
