I don’t want to survive; I want to live

– Captain, WALLE; Ben Burtt

Having a conversation on the drive home with a good friend of mine; she asked me about my schedule and how I manage to find so much time to do anything.  After word vomiting every thought that came to mind, realization struck! My perception of time has dramatically changed over the past few years. Time was my friend, not my enemy.

Entering the adulting phase of life, we experience stress, exhaustion, and many other emotions that are highly correlated to the lack of time we feel we have.  Add a 9 to 5 job; or any job that we feel OBLIGATED to work at, and the perception of time becomes a negative one.

 Are you living or surviving at this point?

Below are just a couple examples of how to start befriending time…

STOP WAITING FOR THE WEEKENDS!

Your allowed to live a life during Monday through Friday; I promise it is not forbidden. The transition to adulthood makes you forget that life still occurs before and after you clock-in or clock-out of work. It took me awhile to remember, but I will not be forgetting any time soon. Below are a few ways to bring the weekends to the weekdays:

• Go watch a movie – some theatres have a special weekday price!
• Host a weekly dinner with friends – everyone needs to eat.
• Go watch a live sports game
• Meet up with a friend for a breakfast date or a lunch date

Last year, my boyfriend and I met up with some friends on a Thursday night after work to go see a Sacramento Kings basketball game.  I had never been more excited about a Thursday. We enjoyed our time so much we planned another trip this year; on a Thursday and may continue the tradition.

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FILL YOUR TIME WITH THINGS YOU WANT TO DO

We can ALWAYS tell where people’s priorities lie based on how they spend their time. When you meet someone, who spends most of their time at work, constantly complaining, and extremely stressed out; you are not alone in feeling sorry for this person. A good balance between the things you need to do and the things you want to do is necessary. It also improves your perception of time – Time is now a friend.

One of my favorite things to do is volunteer at the Nevada Humane Society as a Dog Walker. Dogs bring me a sense of calmness and joy. But with work and school, I felt like I had no time to give. Time was my enemy. But then I reconsidered my wants and my priorities. Currently, I walk dogs every Wednesday during my lunch break at work. Its my perfect combination of a NEED & WANT in one day.

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CHALLENGE ACCEPTED?!

Look at your calendar, whether it’s the week or the month, and consider your Needs/Obligations. What do you HAVE to do? Then choose 2 areas where you can squeeze in a WANT or an activity you would normally wait for the weekend to do. Test it out. See if your perception of time changes by adding in these two spots. I would love to hear about your chosen additions; just leave a comment below!

As always, I hope you will continue this journey with me by subscribing to this blog, commenting your thoughts and topic suggestions, or following me on my social media platforms, as we embark on this transition to adulthood.