Blog 14: How to feel time abundance?
Time is the ultimate currency that we all possess. However, once it's gone, it can never be regained. The world we live in is in short supply of time, and everything is vying for our attention, from work commitments to family, friends, and social media. It's easy to feel like we don't have enough time to do the things we love; let alone everything we need to do.
However, could we make time work for you and not against you? That you can feel abundant and not deprived when it comes to time.
Abundance is a state of mind; it is a belief that there are enough resources in the world for everyone and being grateful for whatever the universe provides. It means having more than you need of something. It's the opposite of scarcity. And you can cultivate a sense of time abundance by changing how you think about and use your time.
Introduction
Could you wake up each morning and repeat to yourself that you have an abundance of time to do all that you need, want plus more? Abundance is a state of feeling; time will pass each day; however, how you use that time is most important. How do you feel when doing the activities, you love? However, even doing activities you do not love, how could you make that activity more enjoyable?
Below I will list 10 ways to feel time abundance. Remember, you don't have to do everything all at once. Start with one good change and observe how it makes you feel. With time, you can create a sense of abundance when it comes to your most precious resource, which is TIME!
Questions and Reflections:
What is your relationship with time?
What is your relationship with abundance?
What is one small change you could implement today?
How to feel time abundance:
- Prioritise and organise: Create a list of tasks and prioritise your list based on their importance and urgency. First, you need to see what you value the most and then find ways to execute them effortlessly. This will help you focus on what needs to be done first and eliminate the feeling of being overwhelmed by trying to do everything at once. Take out the things in your time that are non-essential.
When you have items that need to be done, such as cooking, cleaning etc., could you make it more fun, like putting on an audible, a podcast or listening to some great music? Also, if you don't prioritise your life, someone else will.
2. Practice mindfulness: Mindfulness exercises can help you stay present now and make time feel more abundant. This involves focusing on your breath and being aware of your surroundings. Whether you have 2 minutes or 1 hour each day to do this practice daily, it doesn't really matter; the fact you practice something is always better than nothing.
Did you know there are so many benefits to mindful breathing? One would be to release endorphins from your brain to promote a sense of relaxation and calm.
For anyone that said they do not have time for meditation, they need this the most. You do not need to say the word meditation if that word is not aligned with you. The word you use is not important; the fact you do some sort of practice is what will count for you!
If you like to read more on meditation, check out the below blog part 7:
3. Take breaks: It may seem odd, but short breaks can help you be more productive in the long run. This allows you to recharge and approach tasks with fresh energy and focus. For example, could you use the Pomodoro Technique? In 30 minutes, there are 25 minutes of focus time, followed by a 5-minute break doing anything that makes you happy.
When you have breaks, this will boost your productivity, energy levels and ability to focus. Breaks will allow for more creativity as well.
Who doesn't want to be more creative?
4. Delegate tasks: If you have too much, consider delegating some tasks to others. This can help you free up more time and focus on essential responsibilities, recheck your values and see if what you are doing support your values.
This could be cooking, cleaning or other domestic work that needs to be completed at home/office. However, you could feel time abundance if you could outsource the duties, you do not enjoy, so the time you have left over is spent on what you love. This will allow a feeling of time to focus on things more aligned with your values.
5. Set boundaries: Be bold and say no to requests that don't align with your goals and priorities. Setting boundaries allows you to protect your time and focus on what matters to you. Learning to tell the truth about what makes you feel blissful, do not just say yes to people when there is conflicting engagement.
Allow yourself to stop trying to do it all and stop saying yes to everything. Can you make your largest contribution towards something that is valuable to you? Time alone is excellent for clarifying what you want, how you feel and knowing your next steps. Also, your emotional boundaries give us personal space; when our emotional boundaries are respected, we feel valued, honoured, and safe.
Remember, you can do anything but not everything.
6. Practice gratitude: Appreciate the time that you have, and focus on what you are grateful for. This can help shift your mindset from lack to abundance. Of course, time will be used either way; It will pass you by; however, be thankful for the time you have, whether small or large and make the most of it.
If interested to read more about this practice check out the below blog, part 10:
7. Batching is when you group similar tasks to complete at once. The technique can support you in avoiding multitasking and increase the time you must focus on tasks. Keep most of your little tasks unimportant (at the time) and batch them simultaneously. Allocate 1-2 hours a week to do these on average.
Get a folder, and you can put all the excursion slips, payments that need to occur, and any other follow-up you may need. Then, when the time comes to do this, you can complete all the items from this folder in one go. It would be best to do this once a week!
8. Three times a week is a habit: some activities would be daily, like showering and brushing our teeth; this is basic hygiene. However, there are other activities we can do three times a week, and we should feel satisfied once completed. Not to feel disappointed that you couldn't do it daily!
These things could be going to the gym, having a yoga practice, having family meals together (these are to older kids' parents), some couple connection time, etc.
Think back to your week and see what you have completed three times this week.
9. One big adventure, one little adventure each week: I invite you to do at least two things worth remembering and creating memories. These do not need to be big things. For example, this week, one big adventure for me was had a date day with hubby, went to the movies and lunch. A small adventure was going out for dinner as a family to the club and meeting up with friends on a weeknight. The big adventure could take a couple of hours, while the small adventure can take an hour or so.
I invite all the Mums and Dads to get in the photos with their kids, whether you are dressed right for the occasion or not, even if you have no make-up! So, make memories with your precious little/ older kids. As they don't stay young for long!
For those that do not have kids, there are many other memories to make with family and friends.
10. Effortful before effortless: do an active leisure before the passive ones; for example, read a book for 30 minutes first, then watch 30 minutes of tv in the evening. Ideally, give yourself screen-free time before bed.
Active leisure includes:
-puzzles,
-crosswords,
-find-a-word,
-board games,
-building Lego,
-painting,
-drawing,
-and anything that grabs your fancy.
If you like, check out more details for points 8,9 and 10, see the below blog:
Top Quotes
“Abundance is not something we acquire. It is something we tune into.” Wayne Dyer
“The real secret to a life of abundance is to stop spending your days searching for security and to start spending your time pursuing opportunity. “ Robin Sharma
“See yourself in abundance and you will attract it. It works every time, with every person.” Bob Proctor
“When you arise in the morning, think of what a precious privilege it is to be alive-to breathe, to think, to enjoy, to love.” Marcus Aurelius
“To discern what is truly essential we need space to think, time to look and listen, permission to pay, wisdom to sleep, and the discipline to apply highly selective criteria to the choices we make.” Greg McKeown
“Essentialism is not one more thing-it’s a whole new way of doing everything. It’s about doing less, but better, in every area of our lives." Greg McKeown
Conclusion
You cannot stop time, but you can slow it down and get more out of it by spending it wisely, becoming more mindful, and energising yourself. For example, could you carve out some time to practice mindfulness and do things that could give you energy? By becoming more mindful and energetic, you will also be able to manage your time better and see it in a more meaningful way. The result can be called time prosperity, where your limited time here on Earth serves you as much as possible.
Feeling time abundance is a state of mind; we all have 24 hours in one day and 168 hours a week; our daily tasks need to be completed daily. However, there are still times when you can use your time wisely and do what makes you happy. It would help to conserve your time, energy, and attention to get what you want out of life.
With the right strategies and mindset, you can feel time abundant and in control of your life. Prioritising and organising your tasks are critical to executing them effortlessly, so you can focus on what matters to you. Mindfulness exercises can help you stay present and increase relaxation and calm by releasing endorphins. Taking breaks and delegating tasks can also boost productivity, energy levels, and creativity while setting boundaries allows you to protect your time and focus on your goals and priorities. Practising gratitude and batching similar tasks can help shift your mindset from lack to abundance while making it easier to focus on completing tasks without distraction. Finally, engaging in active leisure before passive ones can help you unwind and recharge before bed, so you can feel refreshed and ready to tackle the day ahead. With these techniques, you can enjoy a more fulfilling and abundant life.
References
By Pedram Shojai
168 hours: You have more time than you think by Laura Vanderkam
Tranquility by Tuesday by Laura Vanderkam
Essentialism by Greg McKeown
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I hope this blog was helpful and you found something you could implement to feel more time abundance.
Don't hesitate to contact me with any questions; I love interacting with the community.
A new blog coming out on the 21st of May 2023 is about how to stay strong during ups and downs.
Happy Mother’s Day! Hope you have a great day and week!
Have a lovely week! 😊
Cheers,
Mukti Santos
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