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We can't stop time either. It passes, whether we want it to or not. Some activities cause it to appear to pass more quickly than others. Others make it to appear to pass more slowly, but those are usually the activities that we do not enjoy. As we age, it seems to pass by a lot more quickly too. 

One of the thoughts that motivates me to spend time discovering and being my best self is that the time will pass by no matter what I am doing so I might as well be doing something I want to do. Take for example the pursuit of an advanced degree. It requires a lot of sacrifice to do something like that. It means that I will have to give up some of my free time. I won't be able to watch as much TV and I may have to cut out other things too. Before I began my MBA program I played racquetball on a regular basis. When I began the program I had to stop playing because I could no longer fit it into my schedule. My point is that because we only have so much time, we must allocate the time to fit what we want to do or we won't be able to do it. The choices we make in life determine how we can use our time. Whatever we do must fit into the time we have. The conflict comes when we try to do to much without reallocating our time. 

I think we all realize the danger of going through life without a plan. Despite this general awareness, very few people actually develop a plan to live on purpose. The majority of us go through life day by day hoping for the best. The older people get the less likely they are to develop a plan because they are involved in a life routine that meets their basic needs. Striving for something more would require them to break their routine and that would take them outside of their comfort zone. As a general rule, we don't like to stretch too much. We like to live on Easy Street.

Most people I know hate to plan their day because they do not like subjecting themselves to any more scheduling. Endless "to do" lists and calendaring of events seem to bog me down too. Life is already scheduled enough with work and family, so many of us allow our free moments to remain unscheduled. As result, countless hours are wasted surfing the web, watching TV or texting others. People who regularly tell me they wish they had more time spend an awful lot of time on Facebook searching for long lost friends or on Twitter announcing that they are watching Grey's Anatomy. I know people in their 30's and 40's who spend more time playing Halo or the Wii then just about anything else. It is easy to get caught up in the plethora of information and virtual games available to us. I do not wish to say that we should not use these wonderful tools, I just wish that we would learn to use them more responsibly. I waste at least an hour every day, and that is probably a conservative estimate. Imagine what I could do with that hour. I am sure I need some downtime to relax and unwind, but I know I am not getting the most of that hour now. I know this because the more I engage in these types of activities, the less relief I feel from the pressures of life.  If I want more time, I must look here first. If I figure I work 8 hours and sleep 8 hours then I must consider what I do with those other 8 hours. 

Over the Christmas break I thought a lot about what my perfect normal day would look like. I was not thinking about a day when I could do anything I wanted. I was thinking about the normal day when I must fulfill my work responsibilities and all the other responsibilities that are mine to bear. How would I live that perfect day? How would I fill the moments that are not reserved for my work and my family? I just asked myself, who do I want to be in the moments that belong to me? How do I want to spend my time on the perfect day when everything goes according to my plan. I realize that every day will be different so I did not put a schedule to it, I just considered and selected the activities that I would do on the perfect day. I aligned those activities with my life aspirations. Now that I know what my perfect day looks like, I spend time each day organizing it around the things that I want to do. I am amazed at the focus and the resolve that comes from this type of planning. I made a template for my perfect day and now I can organize my day according to that template. I don't think about "to do" lists, I think about the commitments I am willing to make today that will help me live my perfect day. I selected a start time and an end time to the perfect day. I am amazed at how many hours are in between and how well I can use them. Planning my day this way is still new to me so it is fresh. I think though that it will stay fresh because it is aligned with who I really want to become. I feel more productive and engaged in each day that I plan this way. I don't feel scheduled, I feel aligned and balanced.

What would your perfect normal day look like? You can't change the fact that you need your job and I am sure your day would be a lot more stressful if you found yourself suddenly unemployed. Be grateful for your work and now decide how you will use the other hours of the day. What will you do? Who will you become? I am sure if you consider and align your day in this way you will discover there is a lot more time available to you than you previously thought. Give it a try.

Life is good!

Andrew Thorn

760-559-3549

athorn@telioscorp.com