“I Don’t Have Time to…” workout, meal plan, read, sleep, take care of myself; the list goes on an on. This is the number one excuse why people don’t take care of themselves and it’s the #1 excuse I DO NOT ACCEPT. We all have the same 24 hours in a day and yes, some people have a less filled schedule, but in 99% of the cases everyone has extra time to do whatever they prioritize. If we WANT to do something we FIND the TIME.
PRIORITIZE
From this day on, I challenge you to replace “I don’t have time” with “I’m not prioritizing that in my life right now.” This shifts the way we think about these things and changes from a can’t statement to a mindset of I “can” do xyz but right now I have other priorities. At different times in our lives we will prioritize different things, which is normal and great, but we shouldn’t forget about ourselves and our health. That should always be near the top of the list. Here is a sample list of priorities, but you need to find what is important to you, what gets you excited, gives you purpose, makes you happy.
- Family
- Alone-time with partner
- Health and physical exercise
- Nutritious eating
- Friends
- Work
- Volunteering
- Learning
- Hobbies – movies and reading
I know, so many of you right now are saying, “she is a personal trainer and works part-tme, so it’s EASY for her to workout and meal prep. Who is she to tell me that I have time?!”
Well, first of all, I work out of people’s houses and I do not workout with my clients. It’s on me to carve out my own time to workout. Second of all, when I’m not training clients I am building my online program, researching/learning, marketing, accounting, filming videos, editing videos, designing a website, engaging on social media, blogging, and taking care of my kids. At times I do put in well over 40 hours a week into Hahn Fitness.
Also, I haven’t always been a trainer and I’ve had jobs where I worked 50-60 hours per week every week, I’ve lived in a foreign country where it is not normal to see a woman lifting at the gym or running on the busy streets, I’ve traveled to even more of those countries for extended periods of time, I went to school full-time while working nearly full-time, I had extracurriculars every night of the week, and the list goes on. The bottom line is I HAVE HAD A PACKED SCHEDULE and life struggles where I easily could’ve made excuses to stop taking care of myself, but I never did. Instead I woke up in the Philippines at 5am to run in the ungodly heat & humidity (and got bit in the butt by a dog on a run), I went to the gym on lunch breaks to lift, I found a local to help me obtain a gym membership in Korea, I ran the streets of Beijing to explore the area (and I may have run a good portion of the Great Wall), I made workout dates with friends so we could catch up and exercise, I sneak mini workouts in while kids nap, I do bodyweight workouts on vacation while we watch the morning news (or cartoon). I’ve been consistently working out and making healthy choices for over 13 years all because I have made it a priority and a habit.
MAKE IT A HABIT
If you can make healthy life choices a habit they will come easily and naturally and you won’t even have to think about fitting them into your schedule. Workouts can be as quick as 20 minutes 3 days per week, meal prep can be done in place of one tv show, adequate sleep (unless you have a newborn/bad sleeper) can be obtained if you set a time to go to bed each night. Start slow and small with creating habits. Here are more tips on how to create habits.
FINDING / MAKING THE TIME
Once you figure out your priorities it’s important to strategize on how, when, and where you will engage in those priorities. Here are some ideas of places you can find/make time:
- Wake up 20 minutes early 2 days per week
- Utilize your lunch break
- Take 20-30 minutes before you go to bed
- Give yourself 1-2 hours on the weekends
- Skip watching TV one night per week
- Take a day off from Facebook/Instagram scrolling (we all get sucked in for longer than intended!)
- Find ways to involve friends/family into your personal priorities so you can spend time with them AND accomplish goals
- Use your commuting time (audiobook, podcast, meditation, hands-free phone call)
- Let your kids watch TV for 30minutes so you can do what you need to do
I could go on and on. Still not convinced? Email me your list of priorities and your daily schedule and I will help you FIND THE TIME: hahnfitness@gmail.com
TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF
Why is it so important to take care of yourself? Because it makes you the best version of you. Exercise, healthy eating, sleeping, self education, laughing with friends, feeling good, and loving yourself will make you a better you, a better spouse, a better parent, a better citizen, a better employee. You will be happier, enjoy life more, have more energy to spend with loved ones, and it’ll feel great.
I challenge you now to:
- Start saying “I don’t prioritize that right now” instead of “I don’t have time”
- And – make a list of your priorities and find/make the time for them.
6 responses to “I Don’t Have Time”
This is awesome!
Thanks Ashleigh, glad you enjoyed the post 🙂
This is a great post! A great reminder to put yourself higher up on the ‘to-do’ list! I have been slacking and just nerd to restart. I went for a nice 2.5 mile walk this morning and am going to do some Tabata later. Tomorrow morning back to the gym!
Thanks again!
That’s great Michelle! We all have setbacks and lose focus here and there, but the faster you get back to it, the easier it will be and the sooner it will just be habit 🙂
Amen Kelli! I remember I thought I could never get up at 5am to workout, but once it became a habit, it’s hard NOT to. Great advice especially for those who are taking the first steps in a healthier lifestyle.
Right?! When anyone tells me they slept until 8am or later, I’m like, “I didn’t even know people slept that late!” Waking up early is a habit here too and I am so much more productive in the mornings. Some people are more productive at night, which is great, but not me. It’s finding what works for each individual and their specific schedule and preferences.