Time management - the uncomfortable truth

The truth about managing your time is you can learn all the hacks (there are plenty and they can - up to a point - greatly help people) and still never master time. No matter how focussed, efficient, or productive you become, you will still not get it all done.

The uncomfortable truth about time, is that it is LIMITED. Life is FINITE. Time management at a deeper level is accepting this: we can only do a fraction of what we want to do. To all the rest we will need to say no. The difficulty is - this is not just saying no to things we don’t want to do. As Elizabeth Gilbert writes, “it’s much harder than that. You need to start saying no to things you do want to do, with the recognition that you only have one life.”

It can feel very uncomfortable saying no to opportunities, experiences, relationships that we do want to spend time on.

As I explored this with one of my clients a few months back she shared this wisdom with me that has helped me come to terms with and choose what I do with my time. I’m sharing it here in case it helps you.

There are many things in life that will catch your eye, but only a few will catch your heart. Pursue these. – Michael Nolan.

What catches your heart? What do you need to say no to? What will this allow you to say yes to?