If You Had An Extra Hour Each Day, How Would You Spend It?
If you’re anything like me, something you probably say on a daily basis is: I just don’t have enough time.
When we’re hustling hard to create a life of creative and financial freedom for ourselves, showing up for our business every single day, and making a daily commitment to doing the work, we can sometimes struggle to carve out time to do everything we want to each day. We sacrifice self care, passion projects, and time with loved ones in the hopes of just keeping our head above water with our work, and what we find ourselves with is burn out, resentment, and a life that’s nowhere near as dreamy as we want it to be.
This is why I’ve started asking myself the question: if I had an extra hour each day, how would I spend it?
My list currently looks a little something like this:
- Cook a fresh and healthy meal for breakfast, lunch, and dinner each day
- Work out at least 4 times a week
- Actually start writing that damn book
- Finally go and get a hair cut (It’s been over two years now…)
- Read a chapter or two of a book without also half checking my inbox whilst reading
- Spend more time with Alex and our pesky cat Marcy
Here’s the thing: I love my work. It feeds me in a way that nothing else in my life ever has, but it’s not the only thing that I need in my life to be happy, healthy, and fulfilled. Throughout all of the crazy hustle this year while working hard to get my business off the ground, I started to stop making time for anything other than work - and for me, that’s no way to live my life. So when I ask myself what I would do if I had an extra hour each day, it’s not a hypothetical question. The challenge I set for myself is to find that hour and use it, each and every single day.
And I’m setting that challenge for you today too.
If you had an extra hour each day, how would you spend it? Write your list, be super honest with yourself, and give yourself permission to want what it is you want from your life. And then open up your calendar and take a long hard look at your schedule, because there is always a way to make time for the things you need. Maybe you need to put systems in place to help you streamline daily tasks, maybe it’s time to start saying no to the things that no longer serve you, or maybe you just need to be more productive so you waste less time throughout the day. Life is crazy busy when you’re working hard to build a business that feeds your soul as much as it does your bank balance, but there’s always a way to carve out time for the things you need to live a happy, healthy, and fulfilled life (sometimes we just have to give up something that isn’t serving us, to make space for the thing that will).
And what am I giving up so I can give myself an extra hour each day?
- Checking my inbox every half hour and allowing it to dictate my day
- Saying yes to everything; instead I’m learning that no isn’t such a scary word after all when you say it in the right way
- Netflix: it’s currently banned during work hours so I can get sh*t done and then have the occasional guilt free binge-watching sessions when it’s time for a little rest
- Over-consumption: consuming less of the noise online means I have more time to consume the things (on and offline) that really move me forward in my life and my work
- Trying to do everything: instead I just want to do the things that are purposeful, strategic, and intentional for my business
- Excuses: I’m a grown up and therefore I am the only person responsible for my own happiness. I’m no longer allowed to complain about not having enough time if I’m not willing to at least try and find a way to carve out more.
“Sometimes we just have to give up something that isn’t serving us, to make space for the thing that will”
When we tell ourselves we’re too busy, we’re holding ourselves back from finding the time in our schedule that’s just ready and waiting to be utilised. Maybe you’re a side hustler and you want that extra hour to work on your business, or maybe you’re a freelancer who wants more time for self care and less time for getting lost in the hustle; whatever it is, give yourself permission to prioritise what it is you need right now.