Not Enough Time in the Day

Why are we all so time poor?

Do you feel constantly exhausted?  Do you feel that there’s not enough time in the day? Do you feel like you have a never-ending To Do List that you’re never going to see the bottom of? 

Life sometimes seems out of control doesnt it?  There’s not enough time to keep up with every single thing that we have to do, and just when you’re about to reach the end of the list, your television or social media give you something else that you just have to do. 

I don’t know about you, but I’m really tired. 

This morning I was watching breakfast television while getting ready for work, and there was a man discussing his new book all about creating space within our lives.  Space to breathe, space for family and friends, space to just…be.  Brilliant, I thought.  That would be the perfect thing to sort my life out.  If only I could create some space to read the bloody thing first!

I mean, even the things that are going to help us take care of ourselves take time. 

Straight away most of us have to take away 8 hours a day for work, plus generally an hour of travel on either side; so we’re 10 hours down already.  14 hours left. 

The constant barrage of TV advertising tells us we should be cleansing, toning and moisturising.  We have to floss and use mouthwash, look after our nails, our hair, our skin.  All of these are the basics and let’s say that if we’re mega quick, that lot is going to take 30 minutes a day.  13 1/2 hours left. 

Then there’s exercise.   We’re supposed to try and ‘move’ for 30 minutes a day, which is pretty do-able, but most gym sessions or classes are an hour, so let’s be positive and give up an hour for that, plus 1/2 an hour for travel there and back.  12 hours left. 

We definitely need to eat healthy food.  5 portions of fruit and veg are recommended, and then you get the likes of Jamie Oliver and Joe Wicks telling us, ‘yeah that’s great, but you should be making everything from scratch to avoid preservatives and additives and glycol-cosamino-acidopholus-snurgit-binders….or whatever they’re called.  Fine, so Ive taken ten minutes to eat my apple, which was a bit raw and kind of like a work out in itself, and now I have to prepare a healthy lunch AND a healthy dinner (probably for a family of 4, none of whom will eat the same bloody thing).  Ok, so that’s ten minutes for the apple, fifteen minutes to make lunch, and thirty minutes to make dinner.  Then taking the time to eat it too probably works out at about 1/1/2 hours.  10 1/2 hours left. 

Water!!!  OK, here we go.  We’re supposed to drink 2 litres a day.  Whenever Ive tried doing that Ive had to pee approximately every 30 minutes all day long.  Lets give up 30 minutes to the toilet then! 10 hours left. 

Time to get some sun and fresh air now, particularly after all that time in the toilet!  I suppose I could replace my exercise time with this, and just go for a run or a walk in the fresh air, but to be honest it’s generally raining in England, so let’s make do with a 15 minute walk to the shops and back at lunch time.  9 1/2 hours remaining. 

Of course the latest trend for self care is mindfulness, so we can start the day with some positive affirmations in the mirror.  4 minutes to stop laughing and 5 minutes to actually think of something to say.  1 minute to say them.  Meditation is an absolute must for peace of mind and entering your thoughts, so let’s give it half an hour.  Of course the actually effective meditation will only take 10 minutes, but you’ll need the rest of the time to get the right position, deal with the sudden itches that have to be scratched, and stop running over what you’re going to make for dinner in your mind… 40 minutes gone.  8 hours 50 minutes remaining. 

Another way for us to truly be in the moment is to take up a hobby.  This will allow you to switch off your brain.  Something along the lines of reading, journaling, colouring, gardening etc.  Let’s give that an hour and a half.  7 hours 20 minutes remaining. 

We also need to spend time relaxing with friends and family.  Sit down together and play a game, or talk, or walk, or whatever floats your boat without everyone having their heads stuck in their own individual electronic, handheld worlds.  Bearing in mind most of us can’t stay away from our phones for longer than around 30 minutes without going into a cold sweat, this one’s a huge challenge….but let’s be ever hopeful and give it one hour of quality time.  6 hours 20 minutes remaining. 

Oh no, I nearly forgot chores.  You know the regular crappy stuff that has to be done each day..making the bed, tidying, washing up, phone calls, emails, finding things that your husband is standing right in front of…Let’s give that our spare 20 minutes.  6 hours remaining. 

Then it’s the real crap…come on, let’s be honest now.  Even though we all know it’s bad for us I bet most of us spend around an hour a day (at least) on social media.  And then there’s that new drama series on Netflix.  I cant miss that as otherwise they’ll be talking about it on breakfast TV tomorrow…. ooh, and I’m a Celebrity/Strictly/X Factor starts tonight….THREE hours gone just staring at various screens.  3 hours remaining.  

Right then…what else? 

I’m sure there’s something else that I need to cram into my day.  

I’m really tired. 

I wonder why. 

Sherry x

Ever thought of a Digital Detox?

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