Time is always scarce, especially when we have something really important that we want to achieve. Whilst most of us would love to have more than 24 hours in a day, we can’t defy the laws of physics: we got 1440 minutes, nothing more.
Although it feels like too little, we still can achieve a lot by organising ourselves to take the best out of what we’ve got. There are a myriad of methods to optimise time. You can go as complex or as simple as you want. For me, a good course of action is looking at a typical week and block out the activities that are unavoidable parts of my routine. These include:
- Sleep
- Getting up and ready in the morning
- Commute
- Work/employment hours
- Family/children care
- Cooking and eating meals
- House chores and maintenance
Once you have those blocked out, you can assess clearly what time you have left, and decide how to distribute it between your relationships, communities, and passions.
At this point, you might feel a little dispirited and ask: how am I supposed to keep up with my spouse and friends, the church, the sports club and my music, when I only have 20 or 30 hours left in a whole week?! The keys are organisation, discipline and keeping your priorities clear. The first will give you as much time for each thing as you can possibly have. The second will give you the drive to actually use that time for what you want to and planned to do. The third will ensure that you take the best out of the time you have available.
Practising your instrument for one or two hours a week can feel like you’re not doing enough, but by staying consistent, it will add up. Besides, something is always better than nothing. If you don’t use those two weekly hours to pursue your dreams, they will pass anyway, probably finding you lying on the coach, watching telly or scrolling social media.
As I mentioned, there are many time management methods and strategies out there. Investing a few hours in finding the one that works for you will save you entire days and weeks in the future. It’s about working smarter, not harder, and of course, it’s about not giving up!
