How to Have an Abundance of Time in Your Day

How often do you yearn for an abundance of time in your day?

How often have you heard (okay, okay, or said):

“There is not enough time in the day!” or, “If only I had one more hour in my day” or, “I wish I could bend time”?

~If you are like most people, probably on more than a few occasions.

So, my friend, just what is this preoccupation with the perceived scarcity of time?

And how might that perception of scarcity be transformed into one of abundance?

Read on…

“Time is an illusion.” ~Albert Einstein

Today’s society runs on a twenty-four-hour schedule. Amazingly, the world’s population is synchronized within seconds of each other (taking into consideration the shifts across time zones).

We, as an enlightened people and throughout the history of civilization, conceived and established the idea of measuring time.

In its present iteration, you and every other human on this planet experiences the same amount of time in what is called a ‘day’. That means 1,440 minutes are gifted to you before the meter restarts .

Sounds like a lot, right?

Yet depending on what is happening in your life at any given moment, that time can seem to drag on for-ever, or be gone before you realize it.

See? An illusion. 60 seconds is 60 seconds. Its duration is all in your perception.

Truth be told, more often than not you are feeling the crunch of time or the swoosh of it slipping through your hands.

Humanity today has so much to do!

And that busy-ness is worn like a badge of honor. Ta-daah!

Whether your time is occupied with things you need to do or things you like to do, there is a feeling that everything is important to get done. And the sooner the better, because there is always more you can do!

Everywhere you look there are choices, options and opportunities tugging for your attention and your time.

Catch up with a friend or finish your report? Grocery shop or clean out the garage? Watch a movie or finish a book? Check social media or attend your child’s event?

So. Many. Possibilities.

Today’s culture advises that to be successful you need to be busy and accomplish as much as you can. If you have too much downtime you must not be ‘really living’, you are missing out on something.

Trying to live up to that ‘go, go, go’ mentality causes you to try doing too many things in an unreasonable period of time, which leaves you feeling inadequate and guilty when you take time for yourself or with those you love.

Plus, by trying to do so many things at once you actually do fewer things well (no, we are not as awesome at multi-tasking as we think we are… topic for a future blog).

You watch the clock, allowing it to dictate your every move. The stress of each moment ticking away and the laundry list of to-do’s that you feel compelled to complete leave you flying from one thing to another without giving any task much thought or chance for enjoyment.

There is never enough time.

Or is there..?

Well, what if it is possible to shift that sense of time scarcity to one of time abundance?

Would you do it?

Check this out. Here are a few concepts taken from Sheila Applegate’s Consciously Awesome twelve-step program. They apply to a variety of areas in life, and are particularly supportive in initiating your shift in time perception. Ready for some abundance?

Gift yourself time to rest

Yes, this sounds counterintuitive: you have so much to do, no time for rest!

However, when you are always on the go you expend a lot of energy. While your intentions may be well-meaning; while you may be accomplishing much for yourself and others, you risk the danger of running out of energy, patience and health.

Gift yourself time to sit back and receive for a bit. That age-old adage would serve us better if it said “It is better to give AND receive.” Yes, you need to give, but in order to continue to give you need to replenish yourself, and that comes from receiving. Five minutes, one hour or one day of blocking out your to-do lists and timetables will work wonders in rejuvenating you. And it helps you to be that much more productive when you get back to ‘giving’.

More energy + more productivity = the ability to accomplish more in less time.

Be gentle with yourself

As awesome as it would be, you are not a superhero. You cannot do everything.

When you take on more than you can physically, emotionally, or spiritually handle, everything suffers. Your tasks and responsibilities are not accomplished to your utmost satisfaction, you feel inadequate, overwhelmed, guilty, and you have moments of wanting to just quit.

When this happens, be gentle with yourself. Remember, everyone has limitations. Don’t beat yourself up over what you did not/cannot do. Look at all you have accomplished. Prioritizing your tasks, responsibilities, and ’you time’ will help you clarify ‘necessity and enjoyment’ vs. ‘clutter’.

Eliminating the ‘clutter’ from your to-do list frees up time.

Honor all of your emotions

Yes, all of your emotions. Experiencing everyday life takes you on a journey filled with many emotions. Some of them are more comfortable and desirable than others. Some emotions seem to speed time up and end before you know it, while others slow time down until you feel like you are spinning your wheels in place.

Be sure to honor each of your emotions as you experience them. When you spend time doing something you love, savor those moments and enjoy them. When you do something that leaves you uncomfortable, feel it, let it run through you, then let it go. Don’t hold on to it. Honoring each emotion in its own time allows you to become comfortable with it and let it go, thus freeing you up to move on and embrace the next one.

Experiencing emotions in their natural flow allows you to move fluidly and attentively through your day.

Discover your brilliance

When is the last time you really looked in the mirror? The last time you really reflected on your own gifts, passions, and dreams? You may be so busy that you leave little or no time to get to know yourself.

Your sense of self comes from those around you. Or perhaps you purposefully stay busy so that you do not have time to think about painful or uncomfortable situations and memories. Either way, you are draining your energy and not honoring your self.

Spend time discovering your brilliance. You are an amazing soul with passions and potential, deserving to be acknowledged and embraced! Knowing yourself helps you to prioritize your tasks, responsibilities and time.

Clarity of self creates clarity in purpose, and clarity in purpose creates expediency, thus more time.

Be present

When you are always looking to the next moment and task, you become blinded by the never-ending list of things to tackle. You find it difficult to concentrate on the task at hand and find worth in the experience.

Practice being present in the moment. No matter how enjoyable or not, the current task is - experience it. Make the moments count. At the end of the day you can say, “Man, I spent twenty minutes in a traffic jam, but I was thankful that the construction work was improving the road, and it did give me some quality time of listening to music, so not so bad after all!”  Being present in the moment gives you a greater appreciation of yourself, others and the world around you. 

Being present increases focus, which decreases the time spent on distractions.

So, what do you think? Are you ready for an abundance of time on your hands?

Give these a try… You have nothing to lose and everything to gain!