Stop Saying, “I Don’t Have Time”

Do you say, “I do not have time” very often?

If yes, as a first step, you need to change your style of saying: I do not have time.

“I’m sorry, but I’m unable to commit to this right now as my schedule is already quite full.”
“Unfortunately, I won’t be able to take on this request at the moment.”

Now question yourself: Why I do not have time?

When a person says they do not have time for you, it is simple. They do not have the energy or feel the need to take time out of their life for you. Not sure if you would have spent or taken out time for them. They simply do not feel the need to.

This is one of the most common sentences used by people while interacting with people – professionally and personally.

Most people complaining about not having enough time in the day have a problem with prioritisation. They do not rank tasks in order of importance or decide on what is most important in their lives, which explains why they always feel like there are not enough hours in a day.

What we mean when we say, “I don’t have time,” is several things:

I have not made time.
I do not know how to make time.
I do not want to make time.
I do not have time to do that and keep all my other commitments.
I am not willing to sacrifice any of my current priorities to make room for this one.

We list here things you must inculcate in your daily routine to have more productive time:

Wake up early
Go to bed later
Spend less on social media / TV
Plan ahead
Plan around
Ask for help
Chunk your time
Commit to less
Stop negotiating
Multi-task

If you have been a procrastinator by default and love to laze around and when work pops up or you miss out on something important, you excuse yourself by saying: I did not have time.

However, inculcating all the tasks listed above requires a lot of discipline and sacrifice but if you become successful in doing these things you will have time for yourself – time to read, walk, run, paint, take a bath, work out, have nariyal paani on the beach – whatever you want to do with the extra time is up to you, but remember: it’s always a choice, and you are always choosing.

What does “I don’t have time” or “I just can’t find the time” really mean? It simply means that the person is just not able and/or willing to do a particular task/activity at a particular point in time.

“I would like to make my dreams come true, but I don’t have time and motivation,” an acquaintance once said.

What do you think I replied?

I replied: What were you doing yesterday?

She replied: I was fooling around with a friend, eating, sleeping, and playing cards.

Hmm… And you say you do not have time?

Do you know how much time you wasted?

Living a life like this killed many years of my life.

Oh yes, everyone has time, but not everyone uses it properly!

Have you ever thought about how much time you would save if you devoted just 15 minutes every day pursuing your hobby say singing? In two years, you will be singing like a pro, doing concerts, and becoming an accomplished singer, soon!!! And you would only have to spend 15 minutes a day!

Or if you start learning the secrets of happiness every day for at least 10 minutes a day? Or if you spent 10 minutes every day on a new book? Or if you listened to an audiobook on the way to work? Do you say you do not have time? If you try to tell me why you do not have time, you will lose another minute…

Oh yes, you won’t say, “I Don’t Have Time,” anymore.

Indeed, not every time it can be taken as an excuse. Many times, the reasons are genuine. People do not have time after finishing their daily chores. They lead a disciplined and well-managed life leaving little time for pursuing their hobbies. In this case, you can hire help or request your people to help with daily chores.

Sometimes, asking for help is just asking for help. Saying to your friends or family, “Hey, I am stressed out about some things right now. Could you help me with X, Y & Z so I could go do A, B & C?” can significantly change your schedule! Upon hearing how busy you feel, you may have people volunteer to help you cook, clean, pick up the kids, or — at the very least — hold you accountable for the things you say you want to be doing!

This way you will be able to manage your time properly and it will enable you to chuck your favourite dialogue: I do not have time!

After reading this article following the tips mentioned will help you in using your time wisely. Oh yes, starting today, you will direct your motivation in a different direction.