“Time is a created thing. To say ‘I don’t have time’ is to say ‘I don’t want to.’” – Lao Tzu
This week, many of my clients expressed their concern about the feeling of just not having enough time. They expressed concern that they moved from activity to activity through the day, or they had scheduled out the next seven weekends with different friends and activities and it just felt as if there wasn’t enough time to pack in everything they wanted to get done.
We need to realize this is a mindset, like the mindset of never having enough…money, love, patience etc. It’s a story we tell ourselves.
The fact of the matter is, we all have exactly the same amount of time as the next person, including the great masters such as Mother Theresa, Leonardo Da Vinci, Thomas Edison, or Steve Jobs. It’s how we approach it and our mindset that creates the reality for each of us.
Here are three ways to create more spaciousness in your day and create more time.
1-Stay in the present moment
So often we try to do two even three things at the same time. Our minds are constantly planning the next activity or thing we need to move to next. Try to be totally present in each and every moment.
For example, the next time you are eating your lunch, just try and focus on the foods you are eating. Focus on your chewing, the taste of your sandwich or soup, how it feels in your mouth. Be very present with your lunch partner, truly listening to what they are saying. None of this is easy the first time, but it really helps your mind slow down and stop moving to the next thing before you’ve even finished the present activity.
2-Add 5 minutes to each transition
One of the things I’ve been playing with the last few weeks is to try and insert five minutes (at least) between each activity. For example, I try to arrive at each and every appointment five minutes early, so I have the time to just sit still and focus on my breath for a couple of minutes before my appointment shows up. I have found this to really help me be more present, not to get so stressed, and to feel more spacious with the time available to me. I do not feel as rushed or harried, as when I showed up to everything “right on time”.
3-Change your story around not having enough time
We all have the same amount of time each and every day. Yet, some of us create the story that there is never enough time. All day long, we make choices in how we will parcel out the 24 hours we are given in a day. We need to first take a hard look at how we are spending those hours and ask ourselves if they are in alignment with our values, mission and goals.
We need to stop staying we don’t have enough time and start saying, “I have plenty of time to choose to do the things that are important to me”. Because it is important to realize that we are telling ourselves a story, and using a scarcity mentality about time.
Ask yourself this question, “what do I need to change in my life or schedule to make me feel more abundant about the time I have available everyday”
The Lao Tzu quote above is so perfect. Time is absolutely created and we have the ability to create what it is we want each and everyday in the 24 hours we are given. What are you creating? What story are you creating for yourself around the availability of time? How will you change it to allow yourself to feel more spacious with the time you are given, to feel you have just the right amount of time to do what you choose to do?
 Mandy works with talented, high energy self employed professionals and very small businesses who struggle to market their business effectively, stretch their capacity and play a bigger game. Mandy’s client’s receive proven, specific information on what they need to do to get more clients and grow their business. As a result, those who coach with Mandy increase their business, get more clients and make more money, faster and easier than they ever would have on their own. Sign up for her free Cd “7 Productivity Secrets of Successful Entrepreneurs” right down below. |
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