{"id":1659,"date":"2020-01-21T22:46:55","date_gmt":"2020-01-21T22:46:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/yourmorningcupofinspiration\/?p=1659"},"modified":"2020-09-06T13:02:43","modified_gmt":"2020-09-06T13:02:43","slug":"spending-your-time-wisely","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/yourmorningcupofinspiration\/2020\/01\/spending-your-time-wisely.html","title":{"rendered":"Spending Your Time Wisely"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"spending<\/a>
Photo by\u00a0Immortal shots – Daily\u00a0from\u00a0Pexels<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Life is short.\u00a0 We don\u2019t know which day will be our last.\u00a0 And when we take our last breath, the hope is that we will have spent our time doing those things that matter most to us.\u00a0 So, spending our time wisely each day is important.<\/p>\n

Consider asking yourself this: \u201cDoes my life currently reflect what is most important to me? How have I spent my time on this earth? Have I spent it on what truly matters to me?”<\/p>\n

How Do You Spend Your Free Time?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Think about it this way:\u00a0 Each day we have a finite amount of time.\u00a0 We need 8 hours of sleep.\u00a0 Then we need roughly 10 hours for work and commuting time.\u00a0 That leaves us with 6 hours each day of free time.\u00a0 The tough question we each need to ask ourselves is, “What am I doing with those 6 hours?”<\/p>\n

Those 6 hours are the greatest reflection of who you are.\u00a0 What you do with your spare time speaks volumes about who you are as a person. \u00a0So, carefully choose what you do with those hours.<\/p>\n

For example, for the last 18 years, my daughter has been my top priority.\u00a0 So, for those years, my spare time has been devoted primarily to her.\u00a0 I don\u2019t regret a single moment of how I\u2019ve spent that time.\u00a0 Being a mother has been the most rewarding experience of my life.\u00a0 Being a mother is truly what matters to me.<\/p>\n

Of course, I can\u2019t say that all<\/em> my spare time has been given to my daughter.\u00a0 I shudder to think of the time that I\u2019ve wasted surfing the Internet.\u00a0 Or the time I\u2019ve blown watching nonsense television shows.\u00a0 How much time have I wasted worrying about things that were out of my control?\u00a0 And how much time have I spent being irritated with other people?\u00a0 When I look back, I realize that far too much time has been wasted.<\/p>\n

Below are some ways to make sure that you don’t waste your time, but that you instead spend your time on what matters to you.\u00a0 Consider using these approaches so that your life reflects what truly is most important to you.<\/p>\n

First, Figure Out What Is Important to You\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Your time should be spent on those things that matter to you.\u00a0 The problem is that many people go through life not knowing what is important to them.\u00a0 They simply move through life without stopping to reflect.<\/p>\n

When we fail to consider what is important to us, we can make the mistake of spending our time doing what society expects of us.\u00a0 Or, we may let our spouse, our parents or our religion tell us what is important.\u00a0 None of those approaches will lead to our spending our time on the things that truly matter to us.<\/p>\n

Other people cannot decide what is important to you.\u00a0 Only you can make that decision.\u00a0 That is because we each are built very differently.\u00a0 So, what is important to you, may not be very important to me.<\/p>\n

For example, I know people for whom traveling is very important.\u00a0 It isn\u2019t for me.\u00a0 I like to travel, and I\u2019ve had the privilege of seeing many parts of the world.\u00a0 But if you told me today that I would never get on an airplane again, I wouldn\u2019t care.\u00a0 Traveling to me is interesting.\u00a0 But so are lots of other things.<\/p>\n

However, there are certain things that are very important to me.\u00a0 Being a mother is important to me.\u00a0 Being a good wife is important to me.\u00a0 Having time to read, write and listen to beautiful music is important to me.\u00a0 So, the key to my life is to make sure the bulk of my free time is devoted to those things.<\/p>\n

Set Your Boundaries<\/strong><\/h3>\n

If you don\u2019t set boundaries with other people, you won\u2019t get to choose how you spend your time.\u00a0 Instead, folks will consume your time with their needs and problems.\u00a0 For example, I once was in a relationship in which most of my weekends were spent doing activities that the other person wanted to do.\u00a0 As a result, I dreaded every weekend because my free time typically was spent doing activities that I didn\u2019t enjoy.<\/p>\n

Realize that you don\u2019t owe it to anyone \u2013 your child, your spouse, or your friends \u2013 to spend your precious free time doing things you don\u2019t like to do.\u00a0 Now that I am older, I try not to spend my time doing activities that I don\u2019t like.\u00a0 For the most part, I only do what I enjoy.<\/p>\n

Of course, I will admit that on occasion, we have to do things that aren\u2019t fun.\u00a0 There are the occasional social and family obligations which are a hassle.\u00a0 But, for the most part, you should be spending your free time in ways that are either enjoyable or rewarding to you.<\/p>\n

But to do so, you have to set your boundaries with other people.\u00a0 You have to be clear about how you will and will not spend your time.\u00a0 And you have to be willing to endure some whining when other folks are unhappy with your choices.\u00a0 But spending your time wisely is well worth it.<\/p>\n

Spending Your Time Wisely by Scheduling Your Free Time<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Most of us are very good at creating a schedule for work.\u00a0 We have appointments, task lists and deadlines.\u00a0 Our work lives tend to be very structured.<\/p>\n

By contrast, no one ever considers scheduling their free time.\u00a0 We want it to be more flexible.\u00a0 But the problem with not scheduling your free time is that it quickly gets taken up with nonsense.\u00a0 If you don\u2019t set aside time for what is important to you, people will think you have nothing to do.\u00a0 Then they\u2019ll waste your time trying to get you to do stuff for them that they could easily do for themselves.<\/p>\n

The best thing you can do is to schedule your free time.\u00a0 Make your desires a priority!\u00a0 For instance, let\u2019s say that in order to maintain your sanity, you need to work out daily.\u00a0 Tell people that you have an \u201cappointment\u201d between 5 and 6 p.m. every day.\u00a0 They don\u2019t have to know what you are doing.\u00a0 They just need to know that you are unavailable during that hour.<\/p>\n

The other benefit of scheduling your free time is that you don\u2019t fall into the trap of wasting your time.\u00a0 There are all kinds of distractions that we fall prey to when we are tired.\u00a0 Television watching, surfing the Internet and going on social media are just a few.\u00a0 When your free time is scheduled, you aren’t as likely to waste your time with distractions.<\/p>\n

When we are healthy and life is going smoothly, we sometimes forget how precious every moment is.\u00a0 But the difficult truth is that life is finite.\u00a0 We only have so many days to spend on this earth.\u00a0 Not one of us knows which day will be our last.\u00a0 As a result, treat your time like it is a valuable commodity.\u00a0 Spend it wisely.\u00a0 Use it for those things that are most important to you.\u00a0 In that way, you will have a life that is well-lived.\u00a0\u00a0<\/em>(To read more about time management, click here<\/a>.)<\/p>\n

Email: meerabelle@meerabelledey.com<\/p>\n

To receive my free e-book, “The Confidence Course,” and my weekly newsletter, go to meerabelledey.com<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Life is short.\u00a0 We don\u2019t know which day will be our last.\u00a0 And when we take our last breath, the hope is that we will have spent our time doing those things that matter most to us.\u00a0 So, spending our time wisely each day is important. Consider asking yourself this: \u201cDoes my life currently reflect…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":593,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1659","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nSpending Your Time Wisely - Your Morning Cup of Inspiration<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"None of us knows which day will be our last. That is why our time is such a valuable commodity. 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