“Time is against us”
We’ve all heard that one before.
Maybe felt like we’ve experienced it, too.
Things pile up, and with so much to do, it becomes difficult to balance everything.
At least, that was definitely the case before this epidemic.
The spread of this virus has turned out to be an equalizer to society.
Virtually everyone has “reset” into the same position – stuck at home.
Some still have many responsibilities, while others don’t.
But, we’re mostly all in the same boat.
Yeah, I know. Some days it feels surreal – dream-like, even.
But, we know it’s real. We see it every time we tune into the media.
The frustration. The anger.
The loss of jobs, money, and life.
This can’t last though. Everything changes.
We don’t know if it will be in a month, three, or 10.
But we do know this thing will end.
Life goes on, though.
The clock keeps ticking.
And, this is time none of us will get back.
Deep down, we know this is true.
It’s always been the case.
In that sense, nothing’s different.
It’s just now, we’re limited with our escapes.
I mean, how many trips can we make to the fridge?
How long can we stare into a screen?
I don’t know about you, but I devoured all my snacks during the first week of quarantine.
I know it can be stressful, and during times of stress our brain runs wild.
I get it. It’s only natural. We’re designed that way.
Seek pleasure and avoid pain – anything to maintain.
It’s just, it doesn’t take long until our well-being is effected.
This is why we need a plan.
Even though things are uncertain, and we can’t control what’s going to happen, our days can still be mapped out.
The best way I’ve learned to do this is not to ask myself “What do I do?”.
Because, frankly, there’s a lot we know we “can” do.
In times we want to be most productive, we should ask ourselves “What’s the outcome I want?”.
This, in essence, takes us from the start of our day all the way to the end.
Like this, we’re REVERSE ENGINEERING our twenty-four hours.
It’s a subtle change in the ways of thinking, but ends up causing a massive shift.
Rather than placing our attention on the myriad of tasks we can drown ourselves in, we direct our focus into the results we’re committed to achieving.
If you’re good at picking up patterns, you’ve probably noticed me saying this time and time again: our ability to DIRECT our focus is a superpower of ours.
“Your life is controlled by what you focus on.”
– Tony Robbins
When have in the forefront of our minds what’s most important to us, it’s hard to become distracted with what’s in the fridge, what’s on our screens, or what other people want from us.
It redirects us from ‘consuming mode’ into ‘creating mode’.
That way, time isn’t AGAINST us – it’s WITH us.
However, if you don’t know what you want, don’t have a plan, and don’t know why it’s important to you, I can almost guarantee that you’ll fit into the plans of others.
This is something I learned not while planning my days in quarantine, but in growing out of my 9-5 job.
If you truly value your freedom, it’s critical.
To get what we really want out of our days – out of our lives – we need a clear objective that actually means something to us.
Then, we just need to keep that objective in mind as we allow ourselves to spring into action.
After that, it’s a mental sparring match.
One-on-one against your distractions.
Just be careful, and watch your reactions.
Make sure they cause future self dissatisfactions.
“If you love life, don’t waste time, for time is what life is made up of.”
– Bruce Lee