You do have enough time! Really? I’m not buying it Liz! Well you may think differently after I tell you about the 168 hours in your week! In fact you can even look at the 7 days and see the spare hours in it.
A number of years ago a Forbes article that stripped the week down into the hours left to get things done really help me re-frame and stop saying “there’s not enough time! 168 hours isn’t a small number but let’s figure out how many hours we truly have.
Let’s take away 50 hours for work (ideally 40 but let’s be real here!), and 56 hours for sleep (which is the optimal 8 hours a night) you’re left with 60 hours. This gives you time to achieve your long and short-term goals.
Here are my suggestions on how to make the most of those 60 hours:
- Be clear on what your short and long term goal are.
e.g. Train to run a 5K, Learn to cook Thai food, Coach my son’s little league team - Schedule time for chores and be clear on how many hours they take away.
e.g. Grocery shopping, cleaning the house, mowing the lawn, paying bills - Make use of the whole week
Try not to cram all your chores and downtime into the weekend. Can you do the grocery shopping on a Thursday night or vacuum the downstairs one morning before work?
Tip: Schedule something fun in the week as well. Want more one on one time with the kids? Perhaps Monday night is dinner or an activity with you and one child. Rotate each week whose night it is! - Be aware
Approach your week with a whole new set of awareness. Take the time to figure out how you spend your time. The article I read mentioned a-ha moment when they realized reading catalogs was not the best use of time!
Tip: T.V normally is a big time sync. Have a look at your T.V watching hours and habits. - Make the best use of your time
Do you have a long commute or downtime between watching the kid’s sports? Listen to podcasts (my favorite as they’re free) or audiobooks. That extra time used wisely can increase the amount of knowledge or relaxation you add into your week. - Plan something fun
Pick one activity in the weekend that has been on the “I really want to do that one day” list!
e.g. Check out the state parks hiking trails, go watch your favorite sports team in person, plan that surprise party.
Taking charge of the hours in your week will add to a feeling that you’re taking control and life isn’t passing you by.
What do you think? Is it a yes or no re having enough time in your week?
However you plan your weeks out remember to ““Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things.”- Robert Brault“
Read the original blog from November 2014 on Coaching Blueprint – Link