How to Find Time to Pursue your Dreams!

“I don´t have the time” is the most frequent excuse for not pursuing a dream. You can turn a dream into a goal by putting it on paper and then give it a deadline.

But, how do you find the time to devote to your dream, whether it be writing a novel, learning how to crochet, beading, running a marathon, going back to school or taking tap-dance classes?

I´m going to be very simplistic about it, because it really is simple. I also won´t concentrate on the money part, which I promise to discuss in another entry.

1.- Make a list of all the things you do on any given day that you really DON´T NEED to do, but that you do anyway. Some have become habits and may be so ingrained that you hardly notice. Here go a few common ones:

            - Surfing the Internet

            - Playing video-games

            - Indulging in social sites

            - Chatting

            - Watching TV

            - Gossiping

2.- Now make a list of the things you WANT to do but don´t because you think you don´t have time for them. They could be anything, but here are some examples.

            - Write a book

            - Train for a 5k, a half marathon or a marathon

            - Take beading classes

            - Start a home-based business

            - Take belly-dancing lessons

            - Swim laps

 3.- Now vow to stop, COLD-TURKEY, doing the things in LIST 1 and presto, you have time to do the things in LIST 2.

It´s not rocket science, but it works. I pared down my already pared-down life and in the past three weeks managed to rack up 175 pages of my next book so far. And I thought I didn´t have the time! Well, I proved myself wrong, didn´t I?

Well, so can you!

www.lorrainecladish.com

Pressed for time?

Time management is not easy, but it is simple, just like making a financial budget. Most people I know claim not to have time to do what they really want to. In fact, I have the exact same complaint. Throughout the years, however, I have learned to prioritize the things that are most important to me and I make the time for them. These are mainly running or practicing some form of exercise regularly and writing books, in addition to my free-lance writing and translating work. Raising my kids is weaved into everything else.
My “secret” to actually getting to do the things that are important to me is that I do not watch TV. I don´t mean that I don´t watch a lot of TV, it means I don´t watch it at all. My kids don´t watch TV at home either, so that has greatly contributed to their love of books and crafts. For news, I have the Internet, and if I want to watch a film, I rent a DVD, and even then I rarely indulge in that.
So, for those who complain about not having time to write a book, pursue a hobby or hit the gym, my first question would be: how much of your TV time are you willing to give up?

www.lorrainecladish.com/