There’s one thing we can all agree on regarding the topic of time:

we don’t have enough of it.

There have been books, podcasts, and speeches all written on time saving tips and productivity. I’ll be honest, I didn’t know what all the fuss was about until I started a full time job along with this photography business. It can be very challenging getting everything on my todo list done within the week.

I read a book recently called 168 Hours by Laura Vanderkam. I highly suggest it! While there are some quite innovative tips in her book, the most enlightening ones to me were the simple suggestions. I bet your like me, you want to go to work, exercise, eat good food, have some time for fun/relaxation, and sleep. All of that can be super challenging to fit into a 24-hour day.

There are times when I come home from a long day at work and all I want to do is sit down and watch Netflix. But, I know I need to be working on our photography business or exercising. If I’m not careful, one evening of watching Netflix turns into a week of watching Netflix. Being lazy turns into a routine. There are also times when I feel so busy that I say no to things that I actually want to do like going to dinner with a friends.

In her book, Laura Vanderkam reminds her readers that everyone has the same amount of time in a week…

168 hours.

Yes, even the most successful people in the world like Oprah, Mark Zuckerberg, and Beyonce only have 168 hours.

Laura argues that there really is enough time in a day to do everything on your list, and feeling “too busy” to do a task, really just means that task is not a priority.

So lets turn that little suggestion on ourselves…

When I argue with myself that I’m too busy to workout, I’m really saying working out is not my priority. Taking care of my body isn’t my priority. My health isn’t my priority. And I’m a nurse!

Wow, that stings.

What about the nights that I’m too tired to go to dinner at my grandmother’s house. I’m really saying visiting with my family isn’t my priority. Making memories with my grandparents isn’t my priority…

Yep, that feels very different than “I’m too busy.”

Simply exchanging those phrases in my mind has made a difference in the way I spend my time. I’ve been trying to solidify my own personal priorities for my life in my head so when I am planning my time, I’m choosing to spend those precious 168 hours on the things that matter most to me. I encourage you do make a list of the things that are most important to you in order of priority and run them through your head each time you plan your day. Mine are:

My Faith

Family and Friends

My Home

My Job

If whatever I’m doing has nothing to do with either of those priorities, I stop and make sure I still want to be doing it.

There are many other amazing things to be learned in Laura Vanderkam’s book, and many others. But, this one simple mindset change has really made a difference in my life. I hope it will in yours too!

-Chelsea