In our fast-paced world, the lament “I wish I had more time” has become almost universal. As someone who’s spent over a decade helping people find their authentic voices, I’ve heard this refrain countless times. The truth is, we all have exactly 24 hours each day – it’s not about having more time, but rather about how we choose to spend the time we have.
The Time Inventory: Where Is Your Time Actually Going?
Take a moment to reflect on the past few months of your life. How have you been spending your time? This seemingly simple question requires brutal honesty with yourself. Research reveals some eye-opening statistics about how the average person allocates their daily hours:
- 52 minutes talking about other people
- 2.5 hours on social media
- Nearly 3 hours watching TV
- 2.5 hours managing emails
- Almost 47% of waking hours thinking about something other than what we’re doing
Add to that the 55 minutes commuting, 35 minutes making decisions, and the cumulative six months of our lives spent waiting in lines, and it becomes clear why time feels so scarce.
This inventory isn’t about judgment but awareness. Just as tracking spending reveals where your money goes, tracking time shows where your life is going. When you see how much time gets consumed by mindless activities, the remaining hours become infinitely more precious.
The Feeling Check: Energy Draining vs. Energy Restoring
After taking stock of how you spend your time, ask yourself: How do I feel about it? Which activities energize you, and which deplete you? What’s the proportion between the two?
If you’re constantly exhausted and feeling short on time, you’re likely spending too much time on energy-draining activities and not enough on restorative ones. Even if you’re passionate about your work, operating at 100% without recharging leads inevitably to burnout.
Conversely, if you feel your time is being consumed by activities that feel meaningless or misaligned with your values, it’s time to question why you continue these patterns. Are you creating space for energy-restoring activities like movement, creativity, meaningful connections, or mindfulness practices?
The bottom line: if you don’t feel good about how you’re spending your time, ignoring these feelings or distracting yourself won’t give you back control. Start by acknowledging what your feelings are telling you and identify what small changes would help you feel more balanced.
The Belief Excavation: What’s Keeping You Stuck?
If you know you’re spending time in depleting ways and even know what changes to make, but haven’t done so, the critical question becomes: What beliefs are keeping you stuck?
Many of us tie our identity and self-worth to external achievements rather than intrinsic qualities. If you’ve been praised for being an action-taker, problem-solver, or high achiever, being constantly busy becomes part of how you define yourself. When presented with an opportunity to slow down, it can feel uncomfortable or wrong – like a threat to your sense of self.
One client described herself as a “doer” who felt “forced” to take vacation time. When asked why, she admitted, “I just don’t know what to do with myself when I’m not working.” This common struggle reveals how deeply our worth can become connected to productivity rather than to simply being.
Taking Back Control: Your Homework
If you’re ready to reclaim your time and create a more intentional life, here are three steps to begin:
- Take inventory: Document how you’ve been spending your time over the past few months, or track your activities for the next 3-5 typical days.
- Check in with your feelings: How do you feel about the way you’re spending your time? Does it make you proud, or does it leave you wondering why you’re doing what you’re doing?
- Identify limiting beliefs: What deeper beliefs are driving your choices? Question whether these beliefs truly serve you or keep you stuck in unfulfilling patterns.
This exercise isn’t about perfect time management but gaining clarity. Remember the number one regret of the dying: “I wish I had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me.”
You deserve a life that feels authentic and fulfilling – one where your time aligns with your values, energy, and purpose. Every moment offers a new opportunity to make different choices. When you take control of your time, you take control of your life.
