MONDAY MOTIVATION: 11.7.16

So how did you enjoy your extra long weekend? Thanks to daylight savings, we “gained” an extra sixty minutes this weekend. What did you do with the extra time? To be honest, I didn’t even notice the extra hour – the weekend just flew by.

That’s the thing about time; it stops for no one. As I adjust the time on the clocks in my kitchen and in my car I can’t help but to think about time and how I use it. With only eight weeks left in 2016, I’ve dedicated myself to doing three things to ensure I leverage the remainder of the year as best as I can:

“Work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion.”

– Cyril Northcote Parkinson

No more open-ended To Do lists. I now block out specific blocks of time to complete each task on my To Do list. I’ve noticed that if I have a lot of time to do something, I will take a lot of time to do it…not necessarily because I need to, but just because I can. By scheduling a defined block of time for each task, I find that I have a lot more extra stuff to do a lot of projects that I’ve dreamed about doing but could “never find the time to do”. Funny how that works.

“It’s not worth completing that which shouldn’t have been started in the first place.”

– Peter Turla

I pride myself in seeing things through to completion, but lately I am working on becoming more judicious about what deserves my unwavering time and commitment. I’ve been guilty of moving forward on things that I feel “meh” about, just to say I did it. This is especially true about reading books…sometimes I keep reading underwhelming page after underwhelming page just to say I read the book. What’s the value in that? Sometimes you just need to throw in the towel and keep it moving with your head held high. #aintnobodygottimeforthat

“Don’t let the fear of the time it will take to accomplish something stand in the way of your doing it. The time will pass anyway; we might just as well put that passing time to the best possible use.”

– Earl Nightingale

I’ve also realized that things I think will take “forever” are actually quite attainable…especially if I do a better job managing my time. Sometimes goals seem overwhelming, but mapping them out and breaking them into actionable items makes them much less intimidating. There is nothing cute about wanting something right now, but dealing with the reality that it will take you two years to accomplish it. Here’s the thing; that two years will pass regardless – if there’s something that you really want to do, there will be no worse feeling than two years from now wishing you would have started today. Just do it.

This week I am committed to using my time wisely and surprising myself with all the “extra time” I discover to work on things I’ve always wanted to do.

What’s going on for you this week?

Monday Motivation is a quick mood board that I make to kick-start my work week. You can check out what “motivated” me in past weeks here.