We never have time for the things we don’t want to do.
Read that again.
Whenever there is something we don’t want to do, it is easy to find other things to do instead, and to keep putting off that thing until the day is over and we can try again tomorrow. But chances are, it is something that we will be better off for doing. So instead of trying to find the time, we need to make the time. Schedule it into your day, or better yet, do it the moment you think of it. It may not be the optimal time, but getting it done at a suboptimal time is better than not doing it at all!
The other day I was hurrying to get work done before meeting a friend for a run. As I was getting ready to go downstairs from my office to chance for the run, it occurred to me that I really should spend ten minutes doing yoga before this run. I almost let myself go downstairs to change, but I was already running late and knew once I went downstairs, I would not come back upstairs where my mat is. If I went straight downstairs, yoga would not happen. So I made myself do it, right then, while I was already near my mat. And as much as I find yoga to be boring, that ten minutes felt really good. And I was ten minutes late to meet my friend, but she understood, and I know my body appreciated it.
It is easy to find time for the things we enjoy, because we are looking forward to them. But when it comes time to do the things we dislike, suddenly there are 100 other things we need to do first. Since we never have time for the things we dislike, they often don’t get done, or don’t get done well. It could be yoga, or strength training, or cooking nutritious meals instead of getting take-out. Whatever it is, if it’s important, we have to learn how to make the time to do it and do it well.
It helps to know your “why.” Why do you need to do this thing that you dislike? What benefit will it have for you? For me, it’s yoga, I just don’t enjoy it. But I know that my body feels better when I do it, and I know that it helps me prevent some of my recurring injuries. Remind yourself of your “why” whenever you are trying to put off this thing you dislike, and just get it done. Don’t put it off until “later.” Do it now. Or decide when exactly you are going to do it, and schedule it into your day. Make yourself do it when that scheduled time comes. Depending on what it is, make it a daily or weekly habit. Keep it on your calendar and stick with it until it is a habit and is easier not to avoid. Whenever you are tempted to skip it, remember your “why.”
And most importantly, remember that you will never have time for this thing. You will always have to make the time. Don’t let yourself get caught up in vague ideas that you will “do it later.” Later may never come. Do it now, while you are thinking about it.
What is the thing that you never have time for? What is your “why,” and what can you do to make it happen?
