I’ve been seeing this quote floating around on pinterest lately: “You have as many hours in a day as Beyonce.” I don’t follow her life that closely, but she’s probably getting a lot done in the time that she’s been given. We’ve all been given 168 hours this week. No more, no less. I want to fill my hours up with only the things that deserve to be there. Every minute of that is a choice.
This is an older post, but I felt like it fit so perfectly in with how I’ve been feeling lately and with Weekly Wishes that I decided to dig it up:
SEPTEMBER 30, 2010
Whoa. Already October 1st, huh? Ever since we got married, I keep feeling like life is on fast forward. This past week, among many things, we celebrated my dad’s 60th birthday and Carol’s 27th birthday, watched my friend Bruce bury his 49 yr old dad, and now we’re getting ready for one of my best friends to get married this weekend. I’ll be both a bridesmaid and a photographer. How about that? I can’t help but think that life is not ever going to slow down. Life here is really short and temporary, and it must be filled with only the people and the things that matter.
I, too, have fallen victim to the myth of the time crunch and constantly feel overworked with no time for much else. If you had 15 more minutes in your day, what would you do? Here’s my list in no specific order:
- Talk to God
- Learn to cook… starting with the slow cooker recipes
- Teach myself another language. On the queue is Italian, Spanish, French, and Greek.
- Memorize a bible verse
- Practice the guitar
- Call my family to not only check up on them but deepen our relationships
- Write a note of encouragement to someone
- Go for a walk around the neighborhood to be healthier
- Journal and blog more
The truth is I fill my life with so much stuff that doesn’t matter, ie Facebook & surfing the net (with the excuse that my business relies on it), TV, I leave very little time for all the essential stuff. Currently, I’ve been reading this book called 168 Hours: You Have More Time Than You Think, and it has not only been a butt-kicking, but it’s also been giving me hope for living a more balanced life.
I’m not sure if it’s just the nature of my job or that I can work from home, but it’s tough to draw boundaries between my personal and work life. Also, I’ve been living in the myth of the time crunch, and I need to stop lying to myself. Facebook is not work. Now, I’m beginning to see that not only drawing those boundaries is possible, but that I could probably fit in all the things I listed above and much more. It will take some work and self-control, but let’s celebrate our 168 hours and fill it with all the things that matter.
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Looking back, I can see that I have improved in certain areas but not others. Maybe I’m not on Facebook as much anymore, but I’ve been living on Instagram and Pinterest. I keep reminding myself lately that if it’s that important to me, I will never find time in my day; I need to make time.
Last week’s wishes (Oct 21-27):
- Clean desktop and keep it clean every day of the wk – had three messy days.
- Skype with parents and grandma once – totally blew this one bc I forgot to put it in my daily calendar
- Blog at least two travel posts and one recipe post. ✓
- Do an Insanity workout at least 4x this week. Push for 5. ✓ for 5!
- Write four things I’m thankful for in my gratitude journal every day. ✓
- Finish Rosetta Stone Italian Level 3 > Unit 2. ✓
- Finish reading Cat’s Cradle. ✓
- Start reading the Omnivore’s Dilemma. ✓ At 50%
- Read the Bible every day, even if it’s only one verse. ✓
- Buy stamps and send out mail. ✓
Weekly Wishes for my 168 hours (Oct 28-Nov 3):
- Keep my desktop clean all week. Take photos.
- Skype with parents and grandma. Put this on the calendar.
- Do Insanity 5x this week.
- Blog at least 3x this week.
- Write five things I’m thankful for in my gratitude journal every day.
- Finish reading Omnivore’s Dilemma.
- Read the Bible every day, even if it’s only one verse.
- Start taking inventory of all my clothes for 100 days of less.
What would you do with 15 more minutes in your day? What are some things that are important to you that you need to make time for?
