All of us have some kind of goal we would like to achieve. Some goals are easy to achieve, while others can take a lifetime.
For example, for the past 6 years, one of my goals has been to become a better communicator. This goal might take me a lifetime to achieve, but every day I feel that I am making a bit of progress.
Some of the goals other people might have could be:
- Achieve financial independence
- Have a better work/life balance
- Be in better physical shape
- Overcome mental barriers
- Become geographically independent
- Have deeper relationships with loved ones
- Become a better leader
Most of the time, the main things keeping us from attaining our goals, are
- Inertia
- Being surrounded by people who don’t share our goals or worse yet, who will try to prevent us from achieving them
- Lack of time
Today, I want to tackle the issue of lack of time.
How to find extra time in your life to achieve your goals
Many of us have a busy life. We work, we study, we spend time with family, we commute, and at the end of the day, we might have a few minutes to drink a beer or to watch a TV show. So, you might ask yourself:
How am I going to find extra time to work on any of my goals?
I get you.
As we build our days, we fill them up with a myriad of activities that make us feel busy and that every second is accounted for. But if we look a bit closer, we might find pockets of time here and there that we could reclaim.
1. Digital distractions
We have grown addicted to the digital distractions on our phones. As I walk into a metro station or an airport, I see many people playing video games. Or mindlessly scrolling through social media.
Imagine if you use those few minutes to read a paper book or an ebook on the same digital device, or to listen to an audiobook or a podcast. I bet that little shift of time can get you a bit closer to your goal.
A friend of mine is trying to learn English as a second language. I suggested that she could listen to audiobooks or podcasts in English to get used to the sounds. She responded that she would rather listen to music. Well, I guess her learning is going to take just a little bit longer.
2. Get rid of your TV
I am serious!
We have grown to believe that a TV is a must-have item that deserves a special place in every living-room. But do we really need it? Have you ever thought of all the things you could do if you didn’t spend time in front of the TV? If you could get closer to your goals, in exchange for all the hours in front of the TV, would you do it?
The TV is made to distract us from our reality, from our real lives. At the time of the Roman Empire, the Caesar used to use the Roman Coliseum to entertain, pacify and distract the masses. Now we used Netflix and the news to keep us pacified and not to notice our discomforts.
3. Drugs, alcohol, gambling, and other mind-numbing activities
After a hard day of work, you might want to go home, open the refrigerator and get a cold beer. Since you are at it, why not two or three. How about a gambling few dollars on the sports game of the weekend?
Just as with TV and digital distractions, sin products or activities only get us away from our goals. They provide very little relief and demand a disproportionate amount of time.
I know it’s not easy to give up your sin activities or products, but if you do, you could put all that time and energy towards the goals that really matter to you.
OK, now what?
Once you have made the first step to cut these distractions out of your life. Now, you want to fill the time with the things that will help you achieve your goal.
If you want to have better health, make sure your refrigerator is full of healthy stuff and you diminish the number of barriers preventing you from doing exercise. I keep my weights and my yoga mat in my living room, right in front of my face. The barrier between me and doing a few shoulder-presses is literally one step away.
If you want to grow your business, learn the skills necessary to grow your business or work on the relationships you need to take your business to the next level.
If you want better relationships, make sure you take the time to nurture those relationships by doing some activities together.
Now that you have found some extra time to work on your goals, success is just a bit closer.
If you put these tactics into practice, how much extra time can you generate?
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