“Not only can you do big things worth doing, even in the middle of a busy life, you can be the happy beneficiary of a time paradox. Putting big and worthwhile things into a schedule actually makes you feel like you have more time, because in your mind, you become the kind of person who has the time to do big and worthwhile things.” – Laura Vanderkam
Clarity Kickstart:
Adding big and worthwhile activities into an already-full schedule sounds counterintuitive, doesn’t it? Or perhaps even impossible?
Like Laura Vanderkam (quoted above), however, I have definitely found this to be true. Not only in my own life, but in the lives of countless coaching clients over the years as well.
Here’s one way I think of it:
Let’s say you want your diet to include more vegetables. You might look at your meal plan, or your dinner plate, and think you simply don’t have room to add more.
But when you clarify a strong ‘why’, and you make the intentional decision to commit, suddenly new options become clear:
You could plate your vegetables first, before adding anything else.
You might replace one current daily snack with a veggie tray.
You could commit to a certain number of vegetarian meals per week.
Think of your meaningful goals in a similar fashion. You cannot add more hours to your week, but perhaps you can reconsider how you’re utilizing some of them. Even dedicating one hour per week to your meaningful goal adds up over time.
This week, consider one bold and meaningful goal you’d love to achieve before the end of the year.
Somewhere in your week, block a period of time solely to that goal. Don’t worry if it’s two hours or fifteen minutes; if it’s more than zero, it counts. Feel free to utilize these additional tips for making the most of your time block.
At the end of the week, celebrate taking action in the direction of your goal! Then repeat, expand when possible, and revel in the joy of experiencing bigger time and meaningful achievement.
If you’d like expert help in achieving meaningful goals, contact my office to set up an introductory coaching consultation. And for additional ideas and insights each week, subscribe to the Reading And Purpose newsletter.