Where Does Time Go?
I don’t know about you, but I always find myself asking “Where did the time go?”
This is especially true as we go through the months of autumn and approach the close of another year. We start to think about where the last 8 or 9 months went. How can a year come and go so quickly?
I propose reframing our thinking and asking ourselves how we want to use the time we have left in this year. As the seasonal clock moves forward, we can also look at how we are moving forward. It is never too late to think about how to move forward in a more positive direction, right?
We don’t have to wait until the new year to make adjustments to our goals, intentions and ways of going about our daily routines.
We all know that we only have 24 hours in a day. It doesn’t matter who we are or where we are. We don’t get to stretch hours in a day or create more time. This finite amount of time is what we all have to work with. Part of what I like to do is help people find the best way to use that time!
How do we do this?
We start by looking at your ultimate goals. I can’t have a conversation about time with someone and how they want to use it without knowing more about their short and long-term goals. When I work on goal-setting and organizing time, I strive to incorporate an individual’s values and intentions. With that information in hand, we are able to determine whether the individual’s time spent is contributing to successful outcomes.
Of course goals and values can change as time moves on and circumstances change. Likewise, definitions of success change for each individual at different points in time. Therefore, the way in which we use our time changes as we move forward. We can always alter how we think about our time and how we use it.
When I talk to people about time, I generally start with an exercise where we track how they are using each hour of their day for about a week or two. Once we have an idea of what a weekly schedule looks like hour by hour, we can open up the conversation to see where they are now and where they want to be in terms of organizing their time.
I usually ask questions like:
Is this where you would like your time to be going?
Are the activities in your day helping you achieve your bigger goals?
How are these activities in line with your values and intentions?
Where do you want to be focusing more of your time?
Are there ways we can declutter your schedule?
How do you think we can get your schedule to look the way you want?
This is just the start of a conversation about time. Time tracking is one of the first steps in understanding where time goes. When organizing time and thinking about priorities, so many variables come into play. Each individual has to assess their own situation and set of circumstances.
When was the last time you sat down to track where your time was going?
It is a valuable exercise to track your time every so often to keep things in check and ensure that time being used is helping you fulfill your goals. There is no harm in doing this routinely to reassess your priorities and determine whether your activities are in alignment with those priorities.
After tracking and analyzing how you are spending your time, the next steps are to:
Plan or map out your desired use of time;
Execute that plan;
Analyze what is working and what isn’t; and
Make modifications.
This process of tracking, mapping and executing can take a little practice. The upside is that this is an exercise that can be replicated based on an individual’s needs at any point in their journey.
The important thing to remember is that time is a precious resource and we have to use it wisely!
I am curious to know your thoughts on time? Email me at dani@danichoicoaching.com I would love to hear from you!
