21/03/2025
Debunking the “I Don’t Have Time” Myth
Have you ever bought storage bins or clever organizers to tame an overcrowded closet? Then you already know what happens. Things improve for a week or two, but soon the clutter is back.
Why? Because you treated the symptoms (the clutter) without addressing the problem (you keep buying stuff or not putting things away). Until you address the root cause, you’re wasting energy on solutions that don’t work.
It’s the same with your time. You can be a multitasking-ninja, but it’s never enough. The demands for your time and attention keep adding up, like the clutter overflowing your closets.
You don’t need more time. You need less on your to-do list.
This is usually where people start telling me about their overwhelming schedules, and how they have no time for themselves. Well, it’s not true and I can prove it.
Picture yourself in the middle of your busiest day. You’re scrambling to keep up. You don’t even have time to eat or use the bathroom.
Then, the phone rings. Your house is on fire.
How busy are you now?
Here’s the truth. We make time for things that are important to us. Increasing demands on our time are a major cause of stress and burnout. Doing more isn’t the solution. You only “make more time” by getting rid of less important things.
Action Items:
* For at least 80% of the things you do, “B+ work” is good enough. The effort needed to go from B+ to A+ creates unnecessary stress for a marginal improvement that no one notices but you. Identify one thing that wouldn’t bring the world to an end if done imperfectly.
* Be careful about taking on responsibilities that only serve other people’s expectations. Eliminate one thing that you’re doing just to keep other people happy.
* The more responsive, effective, and efficient you are… the more other people will come straight to you when they need something. Stop making yourself the easiest solution to other people’s low-impact problems. Say no to one request today, so someone else can learn to do it.
* Take the phrase “I don’t have time for that” completely out of your vocabulary. Those words are creating the illusion that you have no control over your time. Replace it with “that’s not a priority for me right now,” because that’s the truth. Identify one thing you’re spending time on that could go to something more meaningful.
* When you feel like your to-do list is drowning you, put it to the “house fire” test. What’s one thing you could eliminate from your day, if there was a true emergency?
Remember, everything you say yes to requires that you say no to something else. Often that’s your sleep, self-care, or family time. When you’re on your deathbed, which will you regret more?
Choose wisely.
❤️ Natalie
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