Limited Time

So, here’s a question. What do you do if life priorities take up over 80% of your available time?

I am committed to taking care of my daughter who has special needs. I’m committed to doing a good job at work. I’m committed to getting at least a decent amount of sleep each night. This doesn’t leave me much time to take care of myself.

I’m committed to eating healthy foods (at least some of the time). I’m committed to investing time into the relationships that matter to me. I’m committed to taking care of our finances. And I have plenty of other commitments!

One thing I’ve learned is to be nice to myself when I can’t get to all of the things that I want to do. OK, maybe I haven’t completely learned this lesson.

I still get upset when I go for too long of a period without doing art or doing other things that are part of my self-care routine (getting massages, reading good books, watching good movies, working out, playing games, etc.).

Still, I recognize the fact that I am prioritizing my actions. Sometimes, I do things for other people before doing things for myself. And that’s OK.

I try to do what I can for myself, even though I realize that this is often a stretch goal. Is it possible to engage in worthwhile activities when your time is so limited? YES!

You absolutely can do a few things for yourself. You just can’t do everything that you’ve learned would be good for you!

My current strategy is to track a portion of the things that are really important to me. Each week, I give myself points for building good habits. I do this EVEN THOUGH MY TIME IS LIMITED.

You can’t do it all. And it’s foolish to beat yourself up for not being able to do it all. But you can do a few things. And committing to small habits over a long time can make a HUGE difference in your life.

That’s the key. Even if you have limited time to make your dreams a reality, use that time wisely. Build good habits. Don’t beat yourself up for not doing more.

BREATHE.

When you look back at your accomplishments in a year, you just might be surprised at how much is still possible!