Despite hundreds of time management books, frameworks, and tools, most of us still suffer from the “not enough time” issue. It’s still one of the top complaints from my clients: “Lidia, I would love to do X, but I just don’t have time.” True or true?
So, I’ve been thinking why this is still such a widespread issue. But more importantly, how can we solve it?
The BUNI world
A few years ago, we entered what is known as the BANI era. The world became 'brittle,’ 'anxious,’ 'nonlinear,’ and 'incomprehensible' (BANI).
The speed of technological change, including the rise of AI, is phenomenal. Global challenges like pandemics and wars are changing the way we live, the way we work, the way we communicate. And we need to keep up with the change, with the technology, with the challenges. We can no longer rely on “proven solutions.” The word has become unpredictable and hard to comprehend.
Moreover, the tsunami of information that is being thrown at us is overwhelming. Learning, adapting, adjusting, and just processing it all takes extra time and energy. It also triggers a lot of anxiety (hence, the word ‘anxious’ in the BANI acronym).
It is even harder for us - overachievers, perfectionists of the world. We are used to being on top of our game. That means with the speed of change, the challenges, the uncertainty, and the amount of information, we are overloaded, overwhelmed, or simply burned out trying to keep up with all of this.
Well, we can’t change the world. And we cannot travel to Marc. At least just yet.
What can we do to not just survive but thrive in the BANI world?
First, we must realize that “not enough time” is not a real issue. It’s not like you can create more time. We are stuck with the same 168 hours a week. New shiny tools or frameworks also are not that helpful. They might help improve the situation marginally. But we need much more than that.
So, the solution is to shift how we approach and react to what is happening in the world and change the mindset around it.
Here are 5 mindset shifts that will help overachievers forget the “no time” issue:
1. Actively remind yourself about death
We often live as if our lives are endless. We waste so much time on doom scrolling, proving someone wrong, talking to people we don’t enjoy talking to, etc. You can come up with your own examples. I’m sure you have plenty.
Reminding yourself that your life will end at some point is a powerful way to reduce that waste and do more of what brings you joy and gives you meaning and purpose.
A word of caution: those reminders need to come in healthy doses to avoid living in death, fear, and anxiety. So, find your own dosage. I like the concept of a life calendar; here is a fun version in Notion. Or you can go as far as creating a timer with your life expectancy and watch it fly with a Tikker watch. The last option is overboard for me. But hey, it might work for you. In particular, if you are fighting an addiction or something similar (Talk to your therapist to determine if it’s going to benefit you).
2. Continuously strive for less
You must adopt the mindset of “less is always better” in every aspect of your life. Fewer projects, fewer decisions, less stuff.
LESS has been a word of the year for me during 2022 and 2023. It seems like it will continue to play a big role in 2024 as well. It was a conscious effort to reduce as much as possible in my life: physical, mental, and digital.
In my business, it came down to the rule of one: focusing on one problem I solve for my clients, one solution I provide to solve that problem, and one platform I am promoting this solution. I still struggle sometimes to stick to the rule of one, but I try hard. I also use this rule of one for the priority for the day (notice the singular) and to have only one goal at a time (and that is what I teach in my free workshop).
It also means striving to work fewer hours. And working less is not a luxury. Our health, productivity, creativity, and mental well-being have been damaged due to working inhuman hours. WHO and the International Labour Organization (ILO) released a report showing that more than 745,000 people died in 2016 from heart disease and stroke related to working more than 55 hours per week. Another study found that working 49 hours a week was associated with poor mental health, especially in women.
In my personal life, I declutter relentlessly: delete, remove, give away. I also adopted a fixed weekly menu for the family and the same or very similar clothes that I wear every day. Just imagine that we have to make around 35k decisions every day. That’s way too many. So, whenever you can have a rule or a principle to help you reduce the number of decisions later, it will free up your mental capacity and give you that extra time you are looking for.
3. “You are the solution, not the problem”—Alice Boise
Self-improvement took over the world with the idea that all of us are somehow broken and must be fixed in order to become happy. The self-help industry put us on a treadmill of the constant need to meet some sort of standard. And they are continuously raising the bar on those standards.
I suggest you get off that self-improvement treadmill right now. Stop trying to improve yourself to fit the framework. Instead, learn and respect your individuality: all your perks, imperfections, and “weaknesses.” For example, instead of pushing yourself to wake up at 5 a.m. as gurus say you must do to be productive and successful, discover your own chronotype and live happily ever after.
You should stop looking for someone to give you the solution, I am afraid. The solution is already inside of you; you just need to discover it within yourself.
My biggest a-ha moment was learning about my core personal values and determining what it means for me to live life in alignment with them. That is why I now help others discover their values and transform their lives. I see that as the best way to live a happy & healthy life.
4. Put your oxygen mask on first
The “oxygen mask” metaphor is a cliché because it is true. And yet, it feels wrong and selfish to put yourself first.
Getting into a habit of putting yourself–your interests, your needs, your wants– first is hard. But it can be learned. Like any other habit. Regularly remind yourself that putting everyone else’s needs and wants before yours does not create a better world. Not for you. Not for them.
Having a good friend to remind you to prioritize yourself is a great way to learn this habit. I am very grateful to have such a friend.
5. “Hard choices - easy life, easy choices - hard life” - Jerzy Gregorek
This is a vicious cycle that you must recognize and put a hard stop on. Here’s what’s happening:
As overachievers, we take on too much. As a result, we are in a constant time/energy deficit, so we avoid hard choices and difficult conversations that require extra effort and time. But by avoiding them, we make our lives even harder and have even less time for our own things.
Imagine a friend or a colleague is asking for a favor. It is hard to say No, so you say Yes. When it’s time to do the favor, you realize how much time it will take - the time you don’t have. It makes you angry and frustrated with yourself and your colleague. It takes away your time, your energy, and your well-being.
So the solution is to say No, to have those tough-in-the-moment conversations in order to have more time and energy in the future.
Now, remember I told you we make about 35k decisions a day? Here’s where we come full circle. There is no way you make those hard for you unless you are a masochist. If you’re not, you start coming up with some rules, principles, and not-to-do lists once to remove the necessity to make those hard decisions in the future. This is a huge time saver and mental health saver.
There you go! Let me know if these make sense and if you find them useful.
Amazing
Thank you! I’m glad you found it useful