What If You Had More Time + Challenge!

I hear people tell me all the time, “I just don't have time to do what I want to do.” Or they say, “I'm too busy to do that,” or, “I forgot.”

While forgetting is simply poor time management, “I don't have enough time” is simply a lie we tell ourselves to justify not following our dreams.

In today's What If Wednesday, I wanted to ask, “What if you had more time?” and offer up a challenge.

Let's establish a baseline of things that are universally true and we should agree upon.

1. Everyone in the world has 24 hours in each day. No more and no less.
2. There are people in the world living the life of their dreams, and people who are not.

The number one reason I hear from people not following their dreams, or pursuing their passion, or exploring a fun opportunity, is that they “just don't have enough time.” Their life today is getting in the way of the life they want tomorrow.

So, what if you did have more time? What would you do with it?

We can answer that question by taking a look at what we're doing today, what we've done in the past. Our own personal history can act like a window into the future.

A: When you got off early that day a few months ago, did you invest that time back into yourself?
B: When you had no plans over the weekend, did you design a blueprint of the future of your dreams?
C: When you took time off, did you waste it away on a beach somewhere? Or did you take steps toward attaining the life you hope to live?

Those are some tough questions, right? But just to show you we're in the same boat, let me share my answers to those questions.

A: I went to a movie.
B: I purchased a new video game and played for hours.
C: We have a week long vacation to Costa Rica planned for later this year.

If you're like me, you can look back over the past year and find times when you weren't pursuing your dreams. And that's ok. We all need time to decompress and relax. But if we're spending all of our free time relaxing, and none of it being productive, we'll never get to the future we envision for ourselves. And if that's the case, we surely can't complain about not getting there.

You have to prioritize your personal development. No one will take your success more seriously than you.

7 ways you can get time back.

1. Watch less TV.
2. Use the time spent waiting in line reading or listening, ie the Kindle App on your phone or podcasts.
3. At the end of each day, reflect on what went well and what didn't.
4. Use your commute time as personal development time.
5. Get up 30 minutes earlier and read.
6. Listen to a podcast while doing the dishes.
7. Spend your lunch hour reading or connecting with someone new; tell them about your goals.

I guarantee that if you did three of those things this week, you'd have several hours invested in yourself that you didn't have before.

Will there be an adjustment period?

Of course.

Will it be harder than you expected?

Absolutely.

Will you face social pressure to quit?

More than you know.

Average tries to stay average; if you're going to achieve your dreams, and accomplish your goals, you'll have to get comfortable with being a little weird. (Tweetable, no?)

Now for the challenge!

Over the next 3 days, I challenge you to keep track of how you spend your time. When you're done, you'll have a clear idea of what you're doing and where you're investing your time. Take note of your activities throughout the day. Write down what you’re doing during each 30 minute interval for the next 72 hours.

Here's how to participate: (If you've got a great memory, just skip to Step 2)

Step 1: Click here to download the worksheet as a PDF. Print it out and fill in the blanks throughout the day. At the end of each day, go to the link below and submit your activities.

Step 2: Click here to go to the form I've embedded on one of my pages. Each form contains 24 hours. Fill in the blanks with your activities for that time block. After clicking “submit”, refresh your page and you'll be able to do additional days.

After I've collected your responses, I'll share the results (anonymously) with everyone in a blog post. But please be honest, it only works if you are.

Bonus! If you'd like to download a 24 Hour Worksheet to use any time, Click Here!

Question: Do you wish you had more time? Will you participate in the Productivity Challenge?