We Should ALL Budget Our Time

So we don't end up time broke

Have you ever felt like you needed more than 24 hours in a day? Like you do one thing, and all of a sudden, it's evening already?! You've been binge watching movies for what you thought was 2 hours but it was actually for 5 hours!

You know what's even worse? You checked social media in between the movies you watched, and poor you thought you spent 30 minutes each on Instagram and twitter, but you spent 3 hours on both platforms. So that's it! 8 hours in total and your day is almost over? You haven't even done the work you said was "priority". It seems the work you said was important wasn't the one you treated as such.

Here's a quote from someone that's been there before: "For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate." Rom 7:15

I've always felt like I needed more time in a day. I remember telling a close friend that I just needed 24 hours to sleep, and another 24 hours to do all my personal tasks, all in one day. I know it sounds crazy, but it also got me thinking that I have placed so much burden on today, I can't even enjoy it. Who says I need to do everything today? Why can't I just prioritize tasks that are urgent and important today, and push other less important tasks tomorrow?

As I thought about these questions, I also realized that whenever I try to do everything today, I end up not doing almost anything because when I think about the work I have to do, it pulls me down and prevents me from actually doing the work. I become unproductive, and tell myself that I'll do the rest tomorrow. And then tomorrow comes and the vicious cycle is repeated.

"When I think about what God called me to do, I get overwhelmed. When I do what God called me to do, it becomes easy." - Pst Mike Todd

This quote can be paraphrased to say "When I think about what I want to do, I get overwhelmed. When I do what I have to do, it becomes easy."  So instead of putting much effort into thinking about what we have to do on a particular day, we might as well put that energy into actually doing those planned tasks. My friend from South Africa used to say "Too much thinking, like too much talking, hinders the power of action." This statement resonates with me because I'm also learning to not stop in the thinking process, and assume that my work is done. 

So what does this have to do with budgeting our time? Well, why don't we find out together on my blog post.

Some Bonus Resources

In the spirit of trying to stay productive, I stumbled upon some articles that have helped me become more intentional about how I make use of my time, and my willingness to be productive. Check them out:

How to be indistractable (Psyche) - Stop blaming technology- distraction starts within. Manage your inner triggers to enjoy greater focus and a fuller life.

Stop thinking about productivity, and start thinking about focus (Medium) - If you are willing to begin a practice of focus, then the improvements you'll see both at work and in your daily life will be exponential.

Happy reading!

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While we wait for our super scientists to create a time machine, we can learn how to become or stay productive by budgeting our time here. You can also check out more amazing contents from our team here. My name is Wilson, and I'm a sucker for learning and people. Stay tuned for this Friday's newsletter.

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