Have you ever said to yourself or someone else, there just isn’t enough time in the day? Or, I wish I had more time? Or, If only there were 25 hours in the day? I think these are statements every single human has stated at some time in their life. I have, more times than I could even imagine. When we make the statement, we genuinely believe we don’t have enough time. Well, what if I were to suggest to you that there is a time goldmine just waiting for you to tap into?
You are probably thinking I am going to suggest you get up at 4am or some crazy hour like that. If you can, you will absolutely find a patch of time – if used purposefully – that can change your life, for sure. The good news is, I am not suggesting you get up any earlier or go to bed any later than you are right now. There is a saying that my mentor uses all the time that suggests, the millionaire and the beggar have the same 24 hours in the day, it is how they use those hours that determines their outcomes in life.
With this in mind, I decided I needed to honestly assess my use of time and how it was impacting the things I was trying to create in my life. As a result, I made a decision last weekend that I would hide my remote control and stop watching television for at least two weeks. If I am being honest, I had let my television watching slowly grow to the point when I knew it was stealing valuable and meaningful time from my life. In fact, there were probably some days, without even realising what was happening, I was watching three hours of television. Yes, I said three hours. Yes, I am embarrassed, especially as I am someone who portrays this image of productivity and purpose.
As I started doing the sums, I started feeling immediately nauseous. Three hours per day, is 21 hours per week, and over 1000 hours per year. More than 45 days every year, or 12.5% of my life, I was effectively flushing down the toilet. What a wake-up call it was as I started imagining what I could be doing with that goldmine of time.
It snuck up on me so subtly that I didn’t realise it until my epiphany. I made the decision last Sunday, and I was worried it would be really hard and I wouldn’t be able to commit to it. As Monday rolled around, I actually started to get excited about what I could do with this extra time. What I found was a goldmine of time. I had time to write more, to connect more, to pray more, to listen more, to read more, and to be more present. Each night over the last week, after finishing my meetings, I have walked to the beach and watched the sun set majestically over Port Phillip Bay and felt increasingly grateful for my life and my home.
That one simple decision to stop watching TV has unlocked a treasure-trove of time in my life to do things that have lifted myself, my vision, my self-belief, and my energy to another level. So, my question to you right now is, where can you find your time goldmine? Before you answer that question, the first question you need to answer is, do I want my situation to change, and do I want more for myself and my life? If you answered yes to that one, and you are serious, then finding the time goldmine is actually very simple.
I want to challenge you to, right now, do some calculations of how much time you spend each week doing things that are draining your goldmine. Things like; watching the TV, scrolling through social media feeds, playing mind-numbing games, gossiping, unnecessary meetings, watching cutesy videos online, reading newspapers & trashy magazines, driving to meetings you could do online, worry, negative self-talk, and the list goes on and on and on. Have I hit a nerve with any of these? If so, awesome. Now, if you were to eliminate any or all of these things to unlock an abundance of extra time, what will you do with that time and, is it worth it?
Would you spend more time with people you love? Would you be more present? Would you focus on your wellbeing? Would you actively work on personal development? Would you build your financial position? Would you be more creative? Would you help others? Would you pray, meditate, and/or find mindful moments each and every day? Are these things starting to excite you? Are you ready to start mining the time gold that is there for you? If so, start small. What one thing can you stop doing that will unlock some time for you? Try it this week, and if it is worthwhile, find something else to eliminate next week. Trust me, it is worth it.
In my podcast this week with Alena Turley called Suspend disbelief, we discuss the possibilities that exist in life when you can find space between the doubt and time in your life to focus on what is most important. I have good news and bad news. The bad news is that I have just taken away any reason for you to ever say again I am too busy, or I have no time. Sorry! Actually, I am not sorry at all, because the great news is that if you follow through on this, you will have just discovered a time goldmine to help create the life you dreamed about, and the one destined for you.