A Guide To Finding Time

Time is such a precious commodity. We spend time and we may also wish to stop time, save time or have more time. There may also be days when we waste time or lose time. Do you rush through your day feeling like there is "never enough time"? If someone were to ask you how you are, how do you respond? Would you be most likely to reply that you feel good? Or are you more apt to say that you are "busy"? While we can't literally extend the hours in a day, we can help you to develop a balance that is optimal for you. This will allow time for those things that are most important to you.

To jump-start our philosophical discussion on time, we'd like to have you follow us on a brief visualization. Imagine that you had an empty glass jar in front of you. Fill the jar to the very top with golf balls until you can fit no more. Is the jar full? Now when you think that the jar of golf balls is full, pour pebbles into the jar and shake the jar gently until the pebbles fill all of the empty spaces between the golf balls. We now have a jar filled to the top with golf balls and pebbles. Just for fun, now add sand to the jar and slowly shake the jar until the sand fills all of the remaining spaces between the golf balls and pebbles.

This jar can be a representation of life. The golf balls are the most important things to you- this may be your passions, family, friends, and health. If only these important things remained in your life and everything else was lost, your life would still be full. The pebbles are other things that matter in your life- maybe for you this is your house and your car. The sand is the other stuff in your life- the small stuff. Hopefully you've noticed that if you fill the jar with the sand first, there will be no room for the pebbles or the golf balls. We can say the same thing about life. Our time and energy needs to be focused on those things that are most important to us.

Figuring out what is most important is the first step to finding time and creating an optimal balance. While this may seem surprisingly basic, it truly is the foundation for everything else. Once you know what your priorities are, you'll then want to evaluate how you are currently spending your time. Are your actions aligned with your priorities? What changes do you need to make? This does mean that you must make mindful choices.

The concepts of making choices and making changes can be challenging. Even if we know that participating in a certain activity is not going to be the right choice for us, it can be really hard to just say "no". Maybe we feel guilty; maybe we don't want to hurt someone's feelings; maybe we're afraid. Whatever the reason, it's up to us to create our balance. Have confidence to begin. Enjoy!