One big [entirely self-imposed] obstacle on the road to positive change has been my tendency to let time slip away from me. Today I want to talk about 2 ways this happens, specifically during the week, and how I’ve been trying to fix it.
Historically, my evenings looked a bit like this: I’d get home from work and sit down for a while (problem #1) before making and eating dinner, and then I’d just relax and watch TV (problem #2), and before I knew it… it was 10PM and I’d be tired and basically useless, and bedtime was upon me.
Problem #1: Sitting down when I get home from work. It took a while but I eventually came to terms with that fact that doing this is bad for me. It takes a long time and a lot of willpower for me to get up again once I’ve succumbed to the couch. 20 minutes will fly by as I sit and dinner has yet to be started. I know I am not alone here; I’ve spoken to others like me.
My solution: I keep moving once I’m in the door and I don’t stop until it’s time to eat dinner. I’m already walking, so why break that bit of momentum I have? I put away my stuff, pet Morty (my cat) for a few minutes, and get working on something. Usually it’s emptying the dishwasher and starting on dinner. Making this tiny change has not been difficult and it has had a great impact.
Problem #2: TV, my ultimate time-sucker. I have to control my TV intake during the week or it will surely control me. If it goes on before I’ve started my after-dinner tasks, I’m in trouble. I will just want to stay glued to it and before I know it, 3 hours have passed.
My solution: Now, on most days, the TV stays off ’til around 7:30 or 8PM. I’ve also instituted “No TV Tuesdays.” By doing these things, I’ve freed up a few hours each week to focus on more worthwhile things. (I’m waayyy behind on so many shows now which totally sucks from a TV lover’s standpoint, but at least I’m being a more productive adult, right?)
Another (and probably my favorite) thing I like to do is set timers for anything and everything. It works as a call-to-action for me and I kinda enjoy racing the clock. Also, knowing there’s a limit keeps me from totally resenting the task at hand because I know there’s an end in sight. If I need to dust, for example (important when you have a cat), I’ll set a 10-20 minute timer and then go be a dustin’ fool. And BONUS: I’ve usually built up so much momentum by the time the alarm sounds that I’ll just continue for a while or I’ll easily move on to something else.
These are small changes but over the course of a couple months, they have totally made a difference. It no longer feels like time is constantly disappearing from me, and I consider that a very big win.
=)
Slow To Change 