It’s Not About Time, It’s About Priorities

People come up with all kinds of excuses why they can’t do something, but the most common one I hear is, “I don’t have time.” Children, ageing parents, husbands, busy jobs - there are so many reasons to feel you don’t have time. The result is that you’re not taking action, you’re becoming complacent and you’re not doing the work that will have an impact.

Over the years, I’ve learned that there are two things that help in this situation:

One is taking action, the other is accountability.

Let’s start by taking action. 

Decluttering my storage room was on my mind for months but I never found the time to do it. When I finally got around to doing it, it only took me a couple of hours. What’s more, it gave me energy for the whole day.

Whenever you feel stuck or like you have no energy, I recommend you start decluttering your garage, wardrobe or kitchen. It’s one of the most effective ways to give you more energy. It also makes you realise just how much you can achieve in an hour.

Now, let’s look at accountability. 

When I was a Dale Carnegie trainer, participants had to announce a project in front of everyone that they had been procrastinating on for a long time, and then commit to finishing that project within three weeks. One woman said she would completely re-do her kitchen. She was working full-time and it seemed like a lot to get done in just three weeks, but when the time was up, she stood in front of all the participants showing pictures of her remodelled kitchen.

Why was it suddenly possible for the participants to finish a project in three weeks, when they hadn’t managed to do it in the three years before? Because they were now accountable to finish the project on time. They had announced it in front of 40 people and they didn’t want to come back without having finished it. 

The truth is, it’s easy to use time as an excuse for not cleaning up your basement, not doing any exercise, not following your dream - especially if there is no one who holds you accountable. 

On the other hand, it’s all the more inspiring to see what people can do when they’re in the right environment. I’ve seen it over and over again in my programs. In 10 weeks, my students are doing things they had previously never imagined they could do in such a short amount of time. They set up their online businesses, get clear on their ideal clients, create an online course, market and sell their offers and more. If you’re interested, book a free call with my team and find out more about working with me on https://www.sigrun.com/thrive. 

The best part is that my students finally go after their dream. Time suddenly doesn’t seem to be a problem anymore, and that’s because it never was in the first place. The problem is setting priorities. 

So next time you don’t do something, be honest with yourself and say “This isn’t a priority for me right now” instead of “I don’t have time.” Because if you really want to do something, you’ll find the time to do it.