I posted a quote on the My Gut Tells Me Facebook page this morning, and have been thinking about "making time" ever since. The biggest shift in behaviour for me, on this journey, was making time for exercise. We always make the time to eat; nutrition is more about choices. But exercise? That's about scheduling and prioritizing and showing up.
And the only way to do that is to let go of other things. Initially, it was TV. I watched far more "back then" than I do, now. The PVR helps, because I can still record shows to watch at my convenience, and with the rise of Netflix and on-demand and Internet viewing, TV habits are changing. It's much easier to wait for a series to come out on DVD and binge-watch it than to have to make the time each week. Other kinds of screen time have taken the place of the television, though, which brings me to the conundrum: writing, and blogging, takes up a lot of time. It takes time sitting, sedentary, in front of a computer. And I won't forfeit the time spent at the gym, just to write about fitness and weight loss and ... going to the gym. So, the posts are getting to be fewer and farther between, or I'm re-posting articles and links by other (much more qualified and credible) sources.
It often feels like there's never enough time to do all the things we want to do, and especially for the things we need to do. We live in a culture that glorifies "busy" and so I think we often mistake the illusion of busy, stressed, and frantic for being important. Maybe it's just me. There are things on my to-do list which get deferred repeatedly, because I make the time for the things I really WANT to do. I make time for the things which are important to me.
What's important to you?
What do you make time for?
I enjoy writing and reading. I also enjoy socializing, sleep, and getting the paycheque that comes from showing up at my job (and I also legitimately enjoy my work and doing the best that I can in it). I am learning to enjoy exercise and movement, and how I feel when I do it. However, it makes for pretty boring blog content: "Dear Diary, today I lifted a heavy bar. And then I put it down. And then I picked it up again!" Yeah. Nobody wants to read that. Or, if they do, they're on Twitter and Facebook. I want to write about things with depth and personal meaning, and that kind of writing takes me longer and requires contemplation, reflection, research, and much proofreading and editing.
It takes time.
And the only way to do that is to let go of other things. Initially, it was TV. I watched far more "back then" than I do, now. The PVR helps, because I can still record shows to watch at my convenience, and with the rise of Netflix and on-demand and Internet viewing, TV habits are changing. It's much easier to wait for a series to come out on DVD and binge-watch it than to have to make the time each week. Other kinds of screen time have taken the place of the television, though, which brings me to the conundrum: writing, and blogging, takes up a lot of time. It takes time sitting, sedentary, in front of a computer. And I won't forfeit the time spent at the gym, just to write about fitness and weight loss and ... going to the gym. So, the posts are getting to be fewer and farther between, or I'm re-posting articles and links by other (much more qualified and credible) sources.
It often feels like there's never enough time to do all the things we want to do, and especially for the things we need to do. We live in a culture that glorifies "busy" and so I think we often mistake the illusion of busy, stressed, and frantic for being important. Maybe it's just me. There are things on my to-do list which get deferred repeatedly, because I make the time for the things I really WANT to do. I make time for the things which are important to me.
What's important to you?
What do you make time for?
I enjoy writing and reading. I also enjoy socializing, sleep, and getting the paycheque that comes from showing up at my job (and I also legitimately enjoy my work and doing the best that I can in it). I am learning to enjoy exercise and movement, and how I feel when I do it. However, it makes for pretty boring blog content: "Dear Diary, today I lifted a heavy bar. And then I put it down. And then I picked it up again!" Yeah. Nobody wants to read that. Or, if they do, they're on Twitter and Facebook. I want to write about things with depth and personal meaning, and that kind of writing takes me longer and requires contemplation, reflection, research, and much proofreading and editing.
It takes time.
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