How much time do we have?

Let me clear one thing first. I am no motivational writer or self-help expert, and don’t intend to be one either. I am just a twenty-something years old middle class Indian with my own set of problems, insecurities and challenges to take care of.

Why do I write? Firstly, I feel really good about it. That’s what matters the most to me. I feel good because I generally feel lighter in my head after writing a story or a post. Secondly, even if a handful of people reading my posts are able to relate to it, it serves my purpose.

Let me now get to the point of this story. How much time do we have?

For a person like me with a bouquet of varied and independent interests and hobbies, continuing with a hobby for an extended period of time has been challenging. I write blogs, publish cricket stats, sing and record unplugged videos, closely follow cricket, among other things. I also have certain long term personal projects going. All this apart from managing my professional life and spending enough time with the people I love — my family and friends.

Whenever I have some time at my disposal, having so many options to choose from, I sometimes go blank and end up doing nothing. I convince myself that binge watching a series on Netflix or watching random YouTube videos is the best thing I could do at that point in time. It’s not necessarily bad but not very productive either, for me personally. I come from that breed of people who like to “create” something — publish a story, record a new song, crunch cricket stats, etc.

One day, when I had some time for myself, I grabbed a cup of tea, sat back and actually thought through what I actually do — the routine I follow, the things I do when I have some free time, the things I could potentially have done in my free time, etc.

I noticed a pattern. I realized that I had more time than I thought I had. It’s just that I was not making complete use of it. Just being aware that I had more time helped me a lot. I consciously changed my thoughts from “I don’t have time to do XXX” to “I have time but chose not to utilize it to do XXX”. There’s a difference. In the first case, you are convincing yourself that you don’t have time to do the things you love. In the second case, you tell yourself that you consciously decided not to use you free time to do the things you feel good doing.

I’ve noticed that this stream of thought is healthier to have. At least, you don’t end up carrying that additional baggage in your head about how you wanted to do so many things but just couldn’t.

The truth is, if you really want to do something, you will find a way to do it, come what may. If you don’t have the time to do something, it just means your mind thinks it’s not important enough for you.

Did you end up watching 4 hours of Netflix and skipped the gym the next morning? Going to the gym is not important for you. That’s what your mind thinks

Did you want to get on a video call with your college friends but convinced yourself that you don’t have the time? That video call wasn’t important enough for you. At least, that’s what your mind thinks.

Did you want to complete a few chapters of learning on your Coursera course but ended up browsing Instagram for hours? Well, completing that course doesn’t matter for you. At least, that’s what your mind thinks.

It’s simple. We are what our mind thinks. The best part is, we can train our minds. Easily. Make it a habit to consciously listen to what your mind has to say. Train your mind to crave for the things you like doing. Create certain “cues” that tell your mind to go into action and set a routine. You could even reward your mind for doing certain things.

Let me now put the above points into simple steps

1. Make a list of things you’d like to do in your free time (apart from time spent at work and with family)

2. Make a list of things you think you shouldn’t be doing in your free time. E.g., binge watch a series on Netflix for more than xx hours

3. Make it a point to consciously tell and train your mind on the Do’s and Don’ts lists

4. Create certain cues that tell your mind to go into action on a work you like doing. E.g., I open a Word Doc and randomly start typing gibberish to get me into the groove to actually write something meaningful.

5. Decide on mini rewards you’ll treat yourself with, for utilising your free time to do the things you wanted to do. E.g., 1 hour of Netflix, 1 Belgian Waffles, etc.

Try this out and see if it makes a difference.

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