Continuing with this week’s theme, lead articles from previous editions of The Dreaming Cafe’s weekly newsletter.
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Spending Time, Finding Time
On February 24, 2009 the L.A Times reported that the average family spends 151 hours a month watching television and another 27 hours a month online. This is equal to 7.4 days per month or SIX hours PER DAY!
That little tidbit of news astounded me!!
Combine this with trying to juggle work, grocery shopping, housework, writing our first novel, PTA, soccer practice, directing the community play, dance lessons, cheerleading, homework, science projects, starting and managing our own business, and the list goes on and on. Throw in an average daily commute of about a sixty minutes per day, based the latest US Census Bureau survey, and we wonder why we are tired, exhausted, and have ‘no time’?
Now, you may not spend six hours watching television per day, but do you know how much time you do spend? How about grocery shopping, running errands? Checking and answering emails at home and at work? Have you ever stopped to figure out how much time these activities absorb in a normal week?
We all have the same 24-hours per day. Most of us have jobs, businesses, families, responsibilities and our days are full. We spend all of our time absorbed in living and meeting these responsibilities.
So, what can we do?
We can’t save time. We can’t put it in a ‘time bank’ and use it later.
What about finding time? Is it possible to restructure our days and spend our time more wisely so that we find more time to devote to more fulfilling activities or find time to pursue our goals and dreams?
Over the last year I realized there were a lot of things I wanted to do, but didn’t seem to be able to find the time for them. And, when I did find time, I was too tired to do anything or I was so unaccustomed to having free time I didn’t know what to do with it.
I decided to make finding time a priority. Below are some of the things I did that worked.
Sandy’s “Fav Five” for Finding Time:
1. Turn off the TV. I only watch about 4-hours of television per week, less than an hour per day. These hours are spent watching pre-recorded programs and DVD’s and PBS (cooking shows, NOVA, etc.) I do not watch the morning or evening news. Twice per day I check the Internet headlines to keep up with what is going on in the world. I limit this to 5-10 minutes. Reducing my TV viewing time to less than one hour per day didn’t happen over night. It was a gradual process. And, honestly I don’t miss it.
2. Plan meals and shop with a list. This not only helps me find time for other activities, it also saves money. Most of the time (not always) I try to plan what we will eat for the whole week. I make a grocery list based on our planned meals and shop accordingly. We do the ‘big’ shopping every Sunday morning and we stop at the farmer’s market once or twice during the week for fresh fruits and vegetables.
3. Eat at home and cook extra. By cooking our meals at home and cooking extra, we do not have to drive to a restaurant, wait to be served or sit in the drivethru. By cooking extra and making soups and casseroles on the weekend, we are almost always guaranteed meals for lunch and dinner the rest of the week. And, the prep time for a home cooked meal each night is only about twenty minutes. An extra benefit…it’s healthier for me and my family.
4. Combine errands. This is an easy one with a little planning. I combine errands into one trip, such as getting gas, picking up the dry cleaning, stopping at the farmer’s market and going to the post office to pick up our mail. It saves gas and money, too.
5. Letting go. It doesn’t have to be perfect. This goes for just about everything. Housework: It doesn’t have to be perfect. A little dust never hurt anyone, A few pillows out of place is okay. A few smudges on the fridge? So what? Let it go. Car or truck: unless you REALLY love washing, vacuuming and polishing your car or truck, let it go. An occasional run through the local car wash is all you need. Dinner: Have a pizza delivered and use paper plates and napkins. No one said you had to cook every night. Yard work: Unless you truly enjoy having a perfect yard, it’s okay to have a few leaves piled in the corner. It’s okay to mow the lawn once every two weeks instead of every Saturday. No one’s walking around with a ruler checking how tall your front lawn is.
These are my “Fav Five” tips for finding time. I now spend my time pursuing activities I enjoy: writing, reading, learning, hanging out with my nieces and nephews, family and friends, and most of all, spending time with you and The Dreaming Cafe.
How are you spending time? What are your tips and tricks to finding time? Email me and share your favorites.
Continuing with yesterday’s theme, each day this week I will post the lead article from a previous edition of The Dreaming Cafe’s weekly newsletter.
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Wishing Life Away
“I wish it were Friday.”
“I wish I could lose 10lbs.”
“I wish I’d gone to college right out of high school.”
“I wish we had a million dollars.”
“I wish…”
Are any of these ‘wishes’ familiar? Can you add a few of your own?
Often times we say these types of things without really giving it much thought. But, they are distracting and they move us out of our current time and place. It is important to remember our past, and to plan for the future, but it is more important to be fully in the present moment.
Have you ever been around someone who is truly mindful of the present moment? When you talk to them, they really listen, time seems to slow down a little. What about when you are happily engaged in something you enjoy? Time seems to stand still.
Here are my ‘Fav Five‘ tips to breaking the habit of ‘wishing life away’:
- When you catch yourself ‘wishing’ take three deep breaths and bring yourself back to the present moment, the people you are with and the activity you are engaged in.
- Examine your ‘wish’. Is it actually a goal you want to pursue?
- Regardless of how happy or hurtful a past event was, let it go. Don’t dwell on it. Focus on this moment in time and what you are doing today. (If a past event is particular painful and you are having difficulty letting it go, maybe you need professional help to move through the experience. Find someone in your area by going to Psychology Today-Find a Therapist.)
- It is important to plan for the future, whether it is your retirement, your children’s education or your next vacation. Just don’t obsess about it. Identify the action steps necessary to make a future event happen, take those steps and let it go. Check in occasionally to make sure things are going according to plan and if they are not, take corrective action and move on.
- Take time for yourself every day. It can be five minutes or thirty minutes. The longer the better. Engage in some activity that has meaning for you. A walk. Reading. Cooking. Meditation or prayer. Any activity that is important to you. This is important for all family members including children. Everyone in the household should have time to themselves to do the things they enjoy and that adds meaning to their lives.
How do you remind yourself to stop ‘wishing life away’ and stay in the present moment? Email me and share your tips, comments or suggestions. Sandy@TheDreamingCafe.com
If you missed The Dreaming Cafe’s weekly newsletter or you haven’t signed up yet, here is this weeks message, “ABC’s of Following Your Dreams: 26 Keys That Worked For Me”.
I don’t usually post the content of The Dreaming Cafe’s newsletter, but due to its popularity and my sincere desire to share with you information that may help you on your creative journey to self-discovery, this week I am making an exception.
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ABC’s of Following Your Dreams: 26 Keys That Worked For Me
1. Accept yourself as you are today, who you are today and where you are today.
2. Believe in yourself, your dreams and your future
3. Consider ALL the possibilities; the pros and cons.
4. Describe your dream using words, drawings, pictures.
5. Enjoy what you are doing; have fun.
6. Fail…it’s okay. You learn by doing and making mistakes.
7. Goals…set short term and long term goals. What do you want to accomplish today, next month, in twelve months, in five years?
8. Help others while pursuing your dreams and ask for help when needed.
9. Imagine your dreams in as much detail as you can…what does it look like, feel like, smell like?
10. Journey…following your dreams is a journey, not a destination.
11. Knowledge…never stop learning and acquiring new knowledge. Lifelong learning and the pursuit of knowledge is key to succeeding in following and building your dreams.
12. Love yourself and love what you are doing.
13. Move…just keep taking one little step at a time.
14. No…Sometimes you have to say ‘no’ to certain activities and pastimes that take time away from your goals as you devote yourself to following your dreams.
15. Observe others who are committed to their dreams and learn from them.
16. Passion…ask yourself, “What am I passionate about?” Answer this question and you are halfway there.
17. Question…never stop asking questions and learning.
18. Relationships…it is extremely difficult and lonely to try and succeed on your own. Take the time to build a circle of support.
19. Share your knowledge and ‘know-how’ generously with others.
20. Track your progress. Keep a log or journal of your accomplishments and successes, as well as your mistakes and failures, and what you learned in the process.
21. Unique…lots of people may have the same dream as you, but you are unique and your dreams will manifest as a unique expression of your personal values, passions and knowledge.
22. Values…what are you personal values and beliefs? Are your dreams aligned with your core values?
23. Wobble…sometimes following your dreams is like learning to walk. You have to wobble and fall down once in awhile. Before long you will be walking and then running toward your dreams.
24. X marks the spot. Create a map to your dreams and mark them with a great big ‘X’.
25. Your dreams. Make sure you are following your dreams, not your parents, your friends, siblings, spouse, mentors or children. Your dreams.
26. Zigzag. No matter how clearly thought out your goals are, how clear your dreams may be, or how many maps you have created, the path to your dreams will never be a straight line. Be prepared to zigzag, while continuously correcting course.
Not much to say today. Going to put some ideas into action.
Idea: A beautiful garden, bursting with color.
Action: I am going to work in the yard today, build my raised beds, fill them with organic soil and plant seeds and seedlings that will soon become a rainbow of flowers, fruits and vegetables.
Idea: Draw and Paint.
Action: I am going to sit outside, under the trees, in the shade with my art supplies and draw and paint whatever comes up. No agenda, no purpose, no judgment.
Idea: Read, Write and Reflect.
Action: I am going to spend some quiet time alone, let my imagination out to play for awhile and read and write until my hearts content.
Idea: Indulge my creativity.
Action: See all the above.
for a door prize; copies of my e-book?
on 
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