Give yourself a break
It is important for us to managing time: No one can do it all. Each of us has to make choices and accept trade-offs.
The problem is, many people choose in ways that put themselves and their health last. They take better care of their houses and cars than they do of themselves. They put everyone else’s needs ahead of their own. That’s fine if it’s occasional. It would even be okay if there was a balance. But most people living that way are wearing themselves out, feeling out of control. Fortunately, life doesn’t have to be like that.
One phrase can be very helpful: It’s the name of a book by Sol Gordon and Harold Brecher, Life Is Uncertain … Eat Dessert First! If the good stuff always gets left until last, it usually doesn’t happen. Work before health and pleasure soon becomes work instead of health and pleasure.
Notice how it happens: Folks get busy and run short of time; they stop exercising or start skipping meals; next they steal time from their sleep. Soon they get too busy to see friends; they stop reading or playing ball, and six months go by without a long walk. That’s not a great way to live.
And don’t kid yourself: Fax machines and cellular phones don’t save time but merely speed up the already hectic pace of life. Trying to be more efficient isn’t the key, either. That’s just a way of cramming more into less time—when we really should be aiming to do less and enjoy it more.
So what is the solution?
In a word, prioritize. Decide what you want in your life, and put that first. On a daily basis, that should include regular meals, adequate sleep and time with your family. Exercise, leisure, friendships and hobbies should also be regular aspects of life.
The point is to do something for yourself every day. The choice is yours: whatever makes you feel good about yourself and your life. Take a nap. Take a walk. Take time to play the piano. Of course, you’ll have to trade off some of the things that are currently clogging your schedule to make room for your new priorities. Stop bringing your briefcase home from the office.
Stop keeping your house as clean as your mother kept hers. Fill more of your time with want-to-dos instead of have-to-dos.
Add your name to the list of people you’re trying to make happy. Not “me first” or “me only” but “me, too.” Balance is the goal. Permission is the key. And the time to start is now.
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