I Don't Have Time!

We all say it all the time. We have no time to do so many things we want, maybe even need, to do. Of course we eventually find time for the must do's, like paying bills, renewing the car insurance, doing an online food shop (or more likely check 12,000 times a day right now if there are any slots available for delivery!); what we often don't "have time" for is the stuff that matters. The big stuff. The stuff that will actually have a positive impact on our lives.

So we carry on dreaming, knowing it would be great if we could just find the time, but the weeks, months, even years roll by and we don't. So whatever IT is remains a dream, something we know we will often ponder but we keep in the "wouldn't it be great if..." box of stuff that never becomes reality.

Of course there is a lot of psychology behind why we do, or don't do, the things that sit in this box. The crux of it is, if we don't truly understand why we want to do something and the result, or change to our lives, it will bring, it remains a dream. If it doesn't feel tangible or achievable, if we cannot imagine the reality of it, we lack the motivation to actually do it.

As a Career Coach, my focus is helping clients make the career changes they need to feel happy in work again, a reality. If often hear however, during the consultations I have we potential clients, their biggest challenge is not having time for the coaching and what is required to make the change. Essentially what I am hearing is someone who is so desperately unhappy with their working world, they are too exhausted to add any more to their load. So they carry on... still feeling unhappy and stressed.

Imagine if you did find the time? Bit by bit you made progress and you made the change. You got to a point where you were excited and happy to be in your new job. You no longer felt too exhausted to engage in anything outside of work. Assuming you have a career goal or change in mind, how can you find the time to take the steps to make it happen - even in the locked down world we currently live in? (for anyone reading this at a later date, we are in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic right now!).

Here are some simple steps you can take to make time to work through your career change plan (if you don't have one and/or have no idea how to make one, email me on [email protected] for us to chat about Career Coaching):

Do you watch TV or scroll through social media regularly? (If you answer no, I don't believe - especially whilst we are in lockdown!). Do you feel that time is well spent and serving you in any way? The stop! Ok, you don't need to stop doing those things altogether, BUT could you sacrifice a little bit of that time – maybe 30 mins or even an hour some days? I thought so! Decide when that time will be, put it in your diary or daily planner, make it a must do – like a meeting. Make sure that time is focussed on your career change activity. Use it for connecting with people that could be useful on Linked In, start that online course you want to do, update your CV – whatever goal you have set yourself. Setting this small chunk of time aside on a regular basis, when you would otherwise not have achieved anything productive, will have a great impact on your career change progress.

Have you heard of the Pomodoro technique? If not, read up here https://francescocirillo.com/pages/pomodoro-technique In brief this is interval working. You decide upon your goal or task, set a timer for 25 minutes, take a break of 2-3 minutes after each interval and keep going until you have done four blocks of 25 minutes. What if you don't have close to two hours of time to focus on a certain task? (highly likely if right now you are home-schooling children during lockdown, working from home, trying to keep the house clean etc etc). Then adapt it. Simply set a timer for say 40 minutes ensure you will have no distractions (enlist support if you can, so children don’t interrupt you). Put your phone on silent or, even better, in a different room. Then just get on with it! You will be surprised how much you can achieve in 40 minutes (or longer if you manage a full Pomodoro session) and how focussed you become, when you know you are working against the clock. The key is having a very clear, manageable goal in mind. If you have a big goal that will take a lot more work, break it down and decide what you can achieve in the time you have. Then build on it each time you work in this way.

How are you managing your actual working day? Could you be stricter? Many of us are working into the evenings right now due to the Covid-19 pandemic – but is it truly necessary or expected? Several clients I have spoken to recently have found, when they really evaluated their time, they are actually doing more hours than they normally would. Now, more than ever, it is critical to set boundaries. Communicate with your employer the hours you are available and will be working. When you plan your day add on 40-60 mins to your time that is YOUR time to work on YOUR career change plan. Scheduling this in to your day as if it were a work commitment will give you great results.

Are you an early riser? Could you be? I am not suggesting we all start getting up at 5am (unless you want to of course!), but I am hearing from several career coaching clients of mine right now, spending 45 mins first thing in the morning, focussing on their own career change goals before starting their current job, is really working. It ensures you focus on your plan and the action you need to take first thing, when you are feeling fresh and your head is not exhausted by the job you currently have. It also helps you get through the day in the job you are not happy in as it acts as a reminder, right at the start of the day, that this job is not forever, that you are doing something to move forward to a happier place.

Are you the doer of all things? If you have a partner or older kids then delegate! It is so easy to snap that you never get time for yourself to do anything worthwhile at your partner or children. In reply you may well hear “I didn’t know it needed doing" or "I didn’t know you needed help". So make sure they know. Be explicit – give instructions. Use the time you would have been doing those jobs to focus for 40 minutes (see above!) on your career change plan.

Done is good enough. Right now, as we manage work, home-schooling, keeping in touch with family remotely etc, we cannot strive for perfection. If the kids have done some school work, if you have done your own work to-do list in the main, that’s enough. If you strive for perfection in all things, especially during the current conditions we are living in, you will never get there and I guarantee you will definitely never have enough time for your own focus on your career change and you will therefore remain unhappy.

A morning routine. It may seem odd to suggest having a habitual morning routine can impact the time you have available. Believe me though, it does. It will set you up in the right frame of mind for the day. You will feel in control of your day, doing things with purpose. Your morning routine doesn’t have to be lengthy – it could be as simple as setting an alarm, to get up at a reasonable time (especially if you choose to do your focussed 40 mins first thing in the morning), doing some exercise – even if its 15 mins, take a shower, set up activities for children. By 9am you can be ready for the day, possibly even having completed your focussed 40 minutes on your career change plan and feeling more in control.

Of course some days just don't go to plan, and that is ok too. However, if you try to factor in these steps as many days as possible, I promise you will have made real tangible progress towards a happier you.

you can find me on Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/RebeccaAminCoaching/ and join my Facebook Group here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/CareerHappyMums/

If you would like further support in making a career change - to be the you you know you want to be, find a time for us to chat in my calendar here: https://meetfox.com/en/e/rebecca-amin-1?t=0&l=Introductory%20Consultation

Rebecca Amin is a Career Coach helping parents get back to being career happy via 1:1 coaching www.rebeccaamincoaching.co.uk