What If You Actually Do Have Time?

I took my kids to a trampoline park one day. I eyed the tables in the seating area and imagined what I could knock off my to-do list, but I put on the grippy socks instead and let my kids lead the way. Sometimes we have things to do (I stepped away from playing with my kids to write, for example), but my goal is to spend my time with intention.

How instinctively do we respond “I don’t have time” when something comes up?

I’ve been thinking about the "I don’t have time" reflex. We all have a lot on our plates, so many people are working hard - I’m not debating any of that, but I AM wondering what else is below the surface when we cite not having time as a reason to not do something. I had to wonder, is FOMU at play?

We "don’t have time," but can lose hours to rewriting an email. Or scrolling on our phones. I’ve definitely been guilty of wasting time, but I have also found that when I deem something important, I find time.

What if FOMU keeps us from doing things we really want because we don’t let ourselves see them as important? Or we're locked into what we think we "should" do? Whether it's having fun, or resting, or building a new business, what if time isn't the problem? What if saying we "don't have time", is just another way we're protecting ourselves or staying in our comfort zones?

Here's a way you can test this for yourself:

If someone gave you a full day free to spend however you wanted, would you do what you've said you don't have time for (things you've said you want to do or try- get the promotion, start a business, write a book, etc.), or would you fill the space with other tasks?

If you think you'd fill the space, you might not have a time problem. I suspect it's a fear problem - filling your time with safer activities to justify not going after the thing you want that scares you...

It's not easy to give ourselves permission to try something and maybe fail or to do it imperfectly. Trust me, I know. I have been victim to 'should' too, but the more layers I peel back, the more I find myself able to make a decision for myself rather than the way I was conditioned to see what I "should" do.

So now, I'd love to know...what would you do if you weren't scared? And if you can name something and suspect fear may be pumping the brakes, are you ready to try it anyway?

Time is tricky, but however you're feeling about it these days, I hope you take some time to do something that bring you joy this week and still get done what you want to get done. I am still figuring out that balance.