Finding time for what is important to you.

I am a morning person and I really like to start my day off with a workout. Ideally, I either get on the treadmill or elliptical in my garage, go to a bootcamp or go for a run or walk before everyone else wakes up. 

Here is the problem:  "Ideal" only happens 1 day a week, maybe 2 days on a good week. The other 5-6 days of the week either my schedule doesn't allow for a 5:30am workout or I just cannot get out of bed that early. 

It would be very easy to leave it at that and say I don't have time to workout, but I know the truth is that I have to make time. It is important to me, and I have to find the time if I really want to do it.  If I want to be true to myself, I have to find other options that fit with my current schedule/life situation. 

Think about your life. What do you want to make time for? What are you telling yourself you don't have time for, but really just need to be honest with yourself and find the time because it is important to you?

Here are a few tips for finding lost time...

1. If you have busy children, plan to accomplish something specific while your child is in their extra-curricular activity (ex: drum lessons or karate). Can you fit in a walk, plan your weekly meals,  go through a stack of paper (that you grabbed off the kitchen counter on your way out the door), or zip through those catalogs that stack up this time of the year?

2. Wake up 30 early or stay up 30 minutes late for 1 specific reason. Don't make these 30 minutes about getting a jump on the day, instead make them about doing the dishes, a short workout, bible study/meditation, or daily planning. Not only is the feeling of accomplishment great, but you also get to complete a necessary task. Just 1 task. 

3. Find one thing to cut out each week and fill it with one of your top priorities. Maybe it is a TV show that you watch regularly but could do without, or maybe it is time spent reading blogs and playing candy crush on your iPad.  Spend that hour doing something meaningful for you. Just one hour a week.  

Time is valuable. Make the most of it by filling it with what is most important to you. If scheduling is the only way you can find time for what matters most to you, then schedule it AND be true to your schedule.  Is really comes down to this... How bad do you want it?

Take Control, simplify, and go make it happen.