November seems to be the month I shed the most tears.
Firstly, I turn a year older which is of course a blessing but also a reminder that my time on earth is decreasing and my wrinkles, saggy bits, and aches and pains are increasing. The fact my entire body cracks like a glow stick but refuses to glow is very disappointing.
Secondly, it’s the time of year where kids have performances, plays and ceremonies that always see me having tears rolling down my face even if they aren’t my children. To me, these moments are gentle reminders that our time is limited.
The thing is, time is the most important currency and once we spend it, it’s gone. We have to be so intentional with how we use our time. Spending time with children is far more important than spending money on children.
I, like many of us, dream of not having to spend time earning money. The only problem for me is, I don’t have any wealthy relatives and I don’t buy lotto tickets. So, the reality for most of us is that we have to spend time earning a living. Yet the fact remains that the more we decrease our expenses and simplify our life, the less we need to earn and the more time we have on our hands. Sometimes less really is more.
So, here are five things I am doing to get more time with my family, friends and to myself!
- I am redefining “relax-time” in my house, because it always seems to involve some sort of technology. My plan is to have more music jam sessions, play more board games, spend time lazing in the sun and take slow walks together. With the odd movie, nacho and ice-cream night thrown in, of course.
- I never leave an appointment without booking the next one before I leave. This ensures I am doing self care regularly.
- Family chores are a team sport – we all work as a team and get them done. This means putting on tunes and making the process fun. Plus, everyone will get better at tidying up after themselves so that means less mess in the first place.
- I always call my friends and family members when I am driving, even if it’s a two minute “Hi”. This is better than a text message, and better than not contacting them at all.
- I’ve taken all social media and emails off my phone. It is too easy to be bored for one minute and then the next thing you know, you’ve lost 20 minutes.
We all have the same amount of time every single day; how we spend it is our choice.
Doing a time audit is one the best ways to help you realise where to make some changes. Take note how much time you spend on things daily, weekly and monthly. Then add the timeframes up for the year and divide this sum by 24 hours. This will help you calculate each time frame into an amount of days (ie twenty minutes of mindless scrolling a day on social media adds up to 5 days of your year).
So, if you are like me and you’re constantly wanting to have more time – you need to get more intentional with how you are spending it.
