Make it Count—Doing What’s Important

Do you have time for the important things in your life? We all go through life doing what we do, what comes up in our day, and what others ask of us. Ideally, we also engage in pursuits we’re passionate about and things we would love to do when there is time. Invariably, none of us has time to do everything we want. It can be frustrating when you can’t find the time for something, but if you live a full life, there will always be things that spill over and don’t fit in. It’s important to ensure that your activities are based on your priorities, not those dictated to you. You have the choice, even if it doesn’t always seem that way.

What is important?

How do you decide what activities are important to you? You have responsibilities and commitments, such as making a living and caring for your kids. But if you were wealthy enough not to have to worry about a living and could hire someone to take care of your kids, would you? Would you stop working altogether? How would you spend your time? That is the crucial question. It’s not about focusing on what you feel compelled to do—it’s about discerning what you want to do. It’s natural to daydream about what you would do if you had unlimited time and money, but are you considering what you’re passionate about, what kind of impact you might have, and what gives your life meaning and fulfillment? The question is not a simple one, but it deserves a lot of attention.

Finding the time

Time is finite, and your time demands can seem infinite. But even facing this, a key element in how you spend your time is recognizing and reminding yourself that how you spend your time is up to you. If you’ve figured out what is important to you, but it never makes it into your day-to-day routine, that’s a red flag. The time is there, but you have to grab it and hold it for what’s important. You have to be ruthless with demands on your time that don’t support one of your priorities. You have to say “no” often and with vehemence. If you feel compelled to spend time on something that is not your priority, vital to your work, or in support of a friend or cause, you must recognize that feeling and confront it head-on. It may take some soul-searching to determine what to cut out of your life, but finding the time to do what is important will always be worth it.

My new job

Last year, I retired from a job that took up about 75% of my waking hours. It was something I believed in. It was something that was challenging and (mostly) enjoyable. It was something meaningful and impactful. But it left little room for other parts of my life that were my priorities. When I retired, I didn’t think about my retirement in a typical way. I fully intend to throw myself into Blocks of Life (blog, poetry, publishing, music, and social media) as a full-time job. And it certainly is that. It takes up all the time that my old job did, and more. If I had twice as much time, my new job would still occupy all of it. So, I have had to prioritize. I have had to cut some things out of my life that I love and that are meaningful to me, such as woodworking and painting.

Mission creep

There will always be additional tasks or activities relating to any activity you undertake. It may not be apparent at first, but they are always there. If you volunteer your time, you may have to engage in fund-raising for that organization. If you coach a sport, you will eventually have to help manage the league. My priorities for Blocks of Life are writing (the blog, poetry, and books) and music (the music I write and the music I perform live). However, many other tasks correspond to these key functions, such as marketing and advertising, publishing, and social media. These may not be important to me in and of themselves, but they are vital to getting my work in front of people, which is important to me. Inevitably, you will also have to make time for these, too—to incorporate that time into your planning and scheduling. It can be frustrating, but it’s a fact of life.

Learning to let go

There are priorities in your life, as well as responsibilities and commitments. You may always need more time for some of your priorities and must come to terms with that. No one with reasonably broad interests can do everything they want. You make time for your top priorities, but you will likely have lesser priorities that get put on the back burner. You might tell yourself that you’ll get to them later, or tomorrow, or next week, but you never seem to have time for them. A better alternative is categorizing them as they are and putting them on a separate list. This doesn’t mean you’re giving up on them; rather, you’re keeping them in a more realistic category of activities. You’re labeling them “strong interests I plan on getting to at another time.” Removing these activities from your current to-do list frees you up to put all your energy into your top priorities. It allows you to immerse yourself without the distraction of regret or guilt about not getting to everything on your list. And you’re opening yourself up to the excitement of picking them up later.

Your time is yours, and how you spend it is up to you. Find the time for what’s important.