Is Your Time Spent on the Things You Most Value?

And the Clock Keeps Ticking

Many of us are masterful at time management, wearing it like a badge of honor. However, when we become obsessed with timeliness, we can miss out on the abundance and beauty in our daily lives. We may have great intentions about where we'd like to spend our time but lack follow-through in carrying them out. Finding a balance is very important and can be elusive. We can talk about finding the time to work on the lack of balance in our lives, and just like that, another year has passed.

Do you find yourself wanting to balance how you use your time? Time for your partner or spouse, family, friends, pets, and yes, don't forget about time for yourself. If we keep talking about how we will take the time someday when we are not so busy to tackle balance, the clock will keep ticking. Years may go by, and we may find ourselves feeling regrets for not pausing and reevaluating our lives and how we are spending the precious time we are given.

Figuring out balance doesn't have to take an extremely large amount of time. We can kickstart our work to find balance by deciding on some small, achievable steps:

• Spend 15 minutes thinking about what your values are in life. Jot them down.

• Next, prioritize them in order of importance.

• Then, review your calendar and how you spend your time, and compare it to the list of values you jotted down.

• Ask yourself:

  • Is my time being devoted to the most precious things I value and hold dear?

  • If it is not, what is standing in my way?

• Discern your answers to this activity and write down some intentional steps you can take to get your actions in alignment with your values.

• Reevaluate each week for a period of 30 to 60 days. Remember to create actionable steps or changes you can make that are small efforts toward your goal of spending your time in alignment with your values.

• At the end of the 60 days, celebrate the steps you have taken to be more intentional about devoting your time to the values most important to you.

  
  

Yes, this exercise takes a bit of time. Doing it will create a feeling of balance in life and ensure the years are not slipping by and ending in regrets for what could have been!

Please share this article with others if you found it insightful and helpful.

Grace to you,

Cindy