Remember when we were young and the passage of time seemed to creep by at a snail’s pace? And then almost overnight, it sped up to the point where pages were flying off the calendar? (at the risk of dating myself, I’m referencing a paper calendar and a “time” honored tune by the late Jim Croce which is a beautiful love song). Lately I’ve been fascinated by time and how scarce it seems to be….and I wonder if I approach time with an abundance mindset instead of a scarcity mindset then maybe — just maybe — I’d be able to be more at peace with how quickly the days/months/years pass me by. As Jim Croce says, “there never seems to be enough time to do the things you want to do once you find them.”
So how do you approach time with an abundance mindset ? Let’s start with how we talk about it. Instead of “there’s never enough time” or “where does time go?” or “I wish I had time for that!” — how about “there is an abundance of time” or “every minute of every day is precious”. Even if these statements are far from the truth, by using different ways to describe the situation we are in, we trick the brain into thinking and believing what’s possible.
Once you’ve shifted how you think about time, then you can assess where you are spending your time. When I did that assessment for myself, I was shocked and a little embarrassed at how much time I spend doing non-essential stuff. Like watching the news or other TV programs. Like talking on the phone with friends for more than an hour. Like just generally procrastinating. I’m not a big social media person so I can’t blame time wasting on scrolling but I know that struggle is real for many people.
So maybe you can quit your binge-watching or scrolling or whatever it is that is non-essential. And I wouldn’t ask you to quit cold turkey but what if you set a time limit on those activities? Maybe try only 30 minutes of social media a day. Maybe try watching only 2 episodes of the latest Netflix blockbuster as opposed to 4. But then the kicker is to do something productive with that time you are saving so that you feel like you’ve accomplished something that feeds your belief of there being an abundance of time.
It’s not a perfect system, but it’s something worth trying if you’re feeling a little pressed for time. Especially as we go into the holiday season — be mindful of where you’re spending your time. And remember to think about time as an abundant resource rather than a scarce one.
I close with another line from the Jim Croce song: “If I had a box just for wishes and dreams that had never come true, the box would be empty…” Let’s stop wishing for time and start using time in the most productive way possible so that our box of wishes can be empty!
RenewYou.
Be Mindful.