How I Added More Time to My Life
Would you like to feel more spacious too?
Aloha Lovelies,
Last month, my therapist took several weeks off. When it rolled around to Friday, my usual appointment day, I felt a tremendous amount of spaciousness. A free day!
I loved the feeling of having more time. So, I decided to explore how I could make more time for myself.
We can’t literally add more time to our life. We’re all given the exact same amount of time each day, each week, each year. But we can create a life that feels like we have more time.
These are three ways I create more time in my life:
Subtraction
Efficiency
Expansion
Shall we explore?
Subtraction
After that luscious series of free Fridays, I dropped from four therapy sessions a month to two—a change I feel absolutely ready for. I’m able to handle my unruly emotions and less desirable thoughts relatively well. I don’t need to run to my therapist every time someone looks at me sideways.
I still have trauma issues to heal so I won’t quit therapy entirely. But I’ll enjoy the extra time and space I have on alternate Fridays. I also cut out a weekly gab fest that no longer brought me joy, which added another unscheduled day to my week!
Taking these steps has made more time for writing, relaxing, and cuddling my cats. And they’ve made my life feel more spacious, like I actually have more time.
Action Step: Review your schedule to see what you could eliminate. What no longer brings you joy, clients, or income? What no longer interests you?
Efficiency
There are a zillion time management techniques and apps you can use to be more efficient and thus create more time and space in your life.
Prioritize
Use time blocks or day blocks
Batch similar tasks
Map out an ideal week template that allows space to breath
You can find more about these specific ideas in my article called How to Get the Most Out of Your Time.
Right now, I’ve become more efficient by streamlining my movements. For example, when I prepare to go out for the day, after my shower, I dress in my bedroom, hang up my nightgown, make my bed, grab my smart watch from its charger, take my shoes from the closest, and take my purse from its spot next to the bed. I only move into the kitchen or living room when all the bedroom tasks are done.
I don’t make ten trips back to my bedroom to get this or that item or complete specific tasks. I do all things bedroom while I’m in the bedroom.
It feels like a relaxing dance. That means I feel less time pressure.
Action Step: How could you be more efficient with your time?
Expansion
No, I don’t mean psychedelic drugs!
The practice of mindfulness can help you enter the “fourth time,” also known as timelessness. In Buddhism, the fourth time is when you’re free of the past, the present, and the future. You can’t even hold onto the so called present moment because it’s already passed before you can utter “now.”
Just imagine what it would feel like to let go of rumination on the past, going off on whatever occurs in the present moment (“It should be like! It should be like that!”) and speculating about the future.
It would save you a lot of grief, wouldn’t it? It would free up the time spent in rumination. That might add an hour or two back into your day. Naturally, you’ll feel more spacious and have more time to focus on what really matters.
This doesn’t mean you’ll never ever think of the past or future. But you’ll become solution oriented, which is far more efficient than dwelling endlessly on what’s done or what might never come to be.
“Everything actually has to be brought into the present moment. In Buddhist practice, bring everything, whatever it is, from all directions, into the present moment, then drop the present. Then time vanishes.”—Tsoknyi Rinpoche
Action Step: When you find your mind wandering into the past or future, bring it back to the present moment.
What do you think? I would love to hear about your relationship to time in the comments. Do you have enough? Are you struggling to get more? Or are you are peace with the time you have each week and perhaps have some secret tips for us.
[Photo by Eric Feng]
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Until Next Time
After a few windy, rainy days, we’re back to sun. I think I’ll use some of my extra time to soak in a few rays.
Thanks for reading. It means a lot to me!
Much love to you. Wishing you well, always.
xo Sandra
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Sandra, as I get older, flying towards the end of my seventies., time really speeds up! I have asked my friends if that is how it is for them, and they agreed! I have stopped talking on the phone with friends who like to do that for recreation (I hate it) and that has added a ton of space to my life. You are right that being in the present and staying there is what really makes you unaware of time, but it is a challenge for me to do. I have to keep reminding myself to get out of the past or the future and just be here now! :)
Sandra, I had knee surgery earlier this week and for days I've been sitting around reading and drowsing when the meds hit. Every so often I startle and think I should be doing something. But then I realize I've cleared my schedule and all I need to do is heal. It's very spacious. Your article will give me ideas on how to keep this spaciousness up.