One of the biggest challenges of changing your life is finding the time to do it. There always seems to be a million and one things you need to do before change can happen. Standing in your way are the seemingly constant distractions, interruptions, and responsibilities our modern world throws at you.
But let’s be honest: do they really get in the way or are you just using these distractions as an excuse? You can’t shirk your responsibilities, of course, but you can approach them in a much more efficient manner.
And don’t forget the vital perception shift all everyday heroes should strive to make: seeing obstacles as opportunities to grow for the better!
Let’s take a look at some of the things that might be getting in your way and stalling your progress on your hero’s journey. Here are some ways to conquer those distractions and reclaim time to use it in a better way.
Your Life Is Your Own
The first step is to understand your life is yours to do with as you wish. It’s such a simple concept, yet few people put it into action. Every second of your time could be put towards doing activities that are beneficial to your life, and it’s up to you to design the lifestyle you desire.
Bottom line: you must decide you can reclaim your time in the first place, then come up with a plan that enables you to have more control.
Take Time Out
Many of us spend our lives in catch-up mode. There are always things to be done and too little time to do them. From the moment we wake up to the second our heads hit the pillow, we often forget to set aside time for ourselves.
So, the next step in the process is to pause, step back, and take a look at your life. Take a few hours, or a day—even a weekend if possible—and work out what you want for yourself.
What is it you want to fill your days with, and what could you drop to make it happen? Whatever it is, do it regularly, too, and see these “timeouts” as an opportunity to think about your progression and planning.
Stop Watching TV
Be honest, how much does TV benefit you? What if that time can be spent creating rather than consuming? By all means, take some time now and then to watch television to relieve some stress, but don’t be a slave to scheduling.
Cut the cable, and look into other ways of watching shows that give you control over the habit. You might follow this tutorial to download ShowBox on PC, for example, or start using streaming services. Doing this will enable you to free up hours of time in your average week, and allow you to focus on far more important and rewarding activities.
Turn Off Your Phone
While the smartphone has brought a lot of benefits to everyone, it’s also a constant presence that’s hard to ignore.
All those work emails you get throughout the evening that you feel you need to respond to…
The social media notifications that encourage you to log on and find out what people are saying about you…
The constant need for news, views, and opinions…
All of these little things soon add up and take away precious time from your schedule. The best solution is to turn your smartphone off at certain times of day and stick to that ritual.
Try to make a change today to fill your time doing something you really want to accomplish: writing that book, learning a new language, or even reconnecting with loved ones.
Without the distractions, you’ll find that your goals become a lot closer, much quicker!
A version of this post was previously published on livethehero.com and is republished here with permission from the author.
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Photo credit: istockphoto