How to make time
“What a difference a day makes, Twenty-four little hours,” Dinah Washington used to sing.
“Small moments can have great power,” says Laura Vanderkam in her TED talk. “You can use your bits of time for bits of joy.”
Even if we think we don’t, we have more than enough time. It’s just how we use them that determines outcomes.
We have 168 hours per week. Taking away 40 hours for work and 56 hours for sleep, we are left with 72 hours for everything else or 8 hours per day.
Assuming we prioritize the following:
connection: meals, family time, friends, fun/play
spiritual practice: meditation, prayer, journaling, church, etc...
body: exercise, hygiene
mind: reading, writing, and instrument practice
admin: bills, taxes, laundry, errands
Three meals per day—including food prep, dining out, socializing—total three hours per day. This leaves us with five hours.
We have a twice per day 15-minute meditation/prayer practice and a 30-minute journaling habit. This leaves us with four hours.
We go to the gym or walk for an hour and take a shower. This takes two hours. This leaves us with two hours.
During our two times per day 30-minute commute, we listen to an audio book or podcast. We dash into a store, crossing off an errand off our “to do” list. This leaves us with one hour.
What’s left? Household items that could be delegated or done with family.
Sometimes, it's just getting clear on our priorities that is needed.