If something is truly important, how will you make time for it?

You’ve probably heard the phrase “where there’s a will, there’s a way”, but sometimes it takes more than just a will, it takes a why. When there is something you want badly enough, or you’re motivated enough by a compelling reason, you’re more likely to find a way to make it happen. 

Perhaps you have a big work project, or you’re writing a book. Maybe you’re learning a new skill that will be valuable, or clearing a lot of physical or digital clutter. You might be pursuing a promotion, implementing a new strategic initiative at work, or planning a big event. Those are all great goals, but understanding WHY you want them will motivate you to carve the time out to do what it takes to make them happen. Your why could be for a sense of accomplishment, to generate revenue to support your family, or to travel, or because achieving the goal will boost self confidence, or because writing the book will help lots of other people, etc.. Find your why and you’ll more easily be motivated to find your way – making it a priority in the limited time you’ve got each day.

Choosing Your Why

When you need to overcome an obstacle on the way to your why, don’t just throw your hands up in the air and think it can’t be done. Make it a priority and invest in trying out some different things to make it happen. Choose it, choose you, choose your why. Sometimes that means saying no to other things. If done thoughtfully, saying no can be a beneficial time-saving strategy, both personally and professionally. Remember, every time we say yes to a request for our time, we are also saying no to anything else that we might have done with that time. Keep the trade-off in mind when prioritizing your why. 

Finding Your Way

• Search for a way to make something more convenient. What things can you do to make your goal easier to achieve? For example, if you want to work out but are struggling to get to the gym every day, maybe it is easier to work out from home.
• Build it into something else you need or want to do. We call this the best of both worlds! A practical example is how Debbie gets in some of her steps each day by committing to walk her neighbor’s dog 5 days a week.
• Commit to a certain time each day and stick to that. Make it part of your daily routine. Don’t let other things get in your way.
• Consider what you need to make it work for you, and then build that in to your life and schedule. What is that you need? A coach to guide you? Someone to hold you accountable? A recipe or program to follow? A reward to look forward to upon completion?

What’s Getting in Your Way?

Below, Debbie discusses an obstacle relating to making time for fitness in her daily schedule. She’s determined that exercise is instrumental to having the energy she wants for life, for herself, and to give of her best self to the other people in her life (her why). She had to search for an option to make exercise consistent and landed on an online workout program with a coach she could do at home and daily walks outside (her way). Perhaps you’ll find inspiration in her example and think about what might be getting in the way of your why and how to move past it. When something is important to you, learn to carve out time in your schedule for it. There’s always a way and time for what really matters.

If you have a goal but haven’t found your way yet, we can help. Through individual consultation or our virtual “It’s About Time” productivity program, we can equip you with strategies to help you overcome obstacles. 

What are some things that are getting in the way of your why? What works for you? We’d love to hear about it in the comments.