“I Don’t Have Time for Everything”

“I really don’t.”

This is something I’ve believed for years. To me, having time meant I had hours to do it — but I believed I never did. Endless tasks were taking over my life as work spread beyond 9-5. Back then, I guessed I should’ve been grateful that I still had time to eat.

Underneath that, “I don’t have time” meant something entirely different. I was either too tired or indecisive.

But the deeper issue was that I lacked structure in my days. Hobbies were pushed aside because I deemed my evening time unusable. If I had “nothing to do,” I would mindlessly scroll news reports (I quit social media a very long time ago). The only thing foiling my plans was my inability to plan.

The fifth lesson I learned after working from home is: You do have time for everything, but you have to make room for it.

It Wasn’t Just Onsite

I’d done it. I’d created a routine where I didn’t have to catch a rideshare, bus, or train. With this new routine, I thought I’d freed up my time to achieve work-life balance.

Only I still didn’t have one. I found myself working past dinnertime, even though I could have finished everything earlier. I expected to just have time to sit before clocking in, but found myself sleeping in.

It’s one thing to lose time commuting to and from work and to feel like you can’t do anything else with your day. It’s another thing to still lose time at work when all you’ve done is roll out of bed. All I could ask myself was… why was this still happening? (Answer: Go read Working From Home #2.)

Time is What You Make It

Truly. I had to accept this. For example, as someone who loves to sleep in, I sometimes need to rise early if I really want to get things done. I had the time for everything — what was missing was the discipline to utilize it.

Blocking your time is not just for work — at all. You can use it for your entire life if you want to. I use a real calendar that I refer to daily.

Initially, I blocked out working time and lunch time for the weekdays. Then I set aside time to block off workouts and hobbies. Now, I’m at the point where I’m blocking off time with loved ones, too. Whatever time I don’t use, I lose.

To be honest, I thought that would be the end of it. But recently, I’ve let one-time tasks fall by the wayside for weeks. I could’ve gone extreme and given it one designated day, but I blocked out a whole week in case I didn’t get to it on Monday. Surprisingly, it worked; by Wednesday, I had completed that task.

A filled-out calendar looks cute, but I also couldn’t forget to block out time to do nothing. While that doesn’t seem serious or important, it really is. Having buffer time, or an hour of nothing, keeps me from burning out.

Another great tool is time tracking. Those games that tell you how long you’ve been playing are so helpful — after an hour, I would just automatically save and quit. If time tracking keeps me from gaming for too long, why shouldn’t I apply it to everything else? Even now, I’m using a time tracker to write this entry. It has been a game changer (no pun intended), so I don’t spend too much time on work or life tasks.

Balance Sounds Equal…

Let me be clear. Not every day of my life is balanced now. But the tools I use have shown me where I do have time for something. You may think that balance means giving everything the same amount of attention every day.

However, balance means making sure that work does not take over the entire day. Blocking and tracking time are tools to help me devote time to something, then close it out when the time is up. At the very least, balance helps me touch work, life, and play. It looks different for everyone.

Once I treated my time as something to protect, I found that balance that allows me time to be an employee, a creative, and a friend.

Have a cozy workday, dear.