Do This if You Struggle to “Find Time” to Build Good Habits
It’s the oldest “excuse” in the book: I just don’t have time.
People are always concerned that they don’t have time, but I’ve found MOST people do, they (we) just fill it with doing things that don’t serve us (hello scrolling through Instagram).
Today, I'm going to help you start making time for the things you want, starting now.
We all have 24 hrs in a day, but between work and other commitments and responsibilities, most of us leave ourselves with 4-8 hrs to do the things that we want (during a workday).
Client Example:
Becky (fake name) wants to start working out, but she doesn’t think she has time. She works a 9-7pm job (still from home at the current moment). She normally gets up around 8am and goes to bed around 12am (she’s done a really great job at prioritizing her 8 hrs of sleep - hooray for Becky). With her current schedule, she’s given herself 1 hr in the morning and 5 hrs at night.
I ask Becky to time-track her 6 hrs for the next couple of days and this is what we see:
Morning (1 hr): She’s quite rushed because she only has an hour to get ready. Between actually getting out of bed, putting her makeup and clothes on and making coffee and breakfast, she doesn’t have much time for anything else. We notice that she spends a few minutes in bed hitting snooze and/or doing some scrolling through Instagram.
Night (5 hrs): She lingers on the computer a little longer than she needs to (7:30pm-ish), finishing up emails and completing some “final touches” on things (unfortunately common for people that work from home). She then orders dinner for her and her husband and they walk the dog for 30 min. When they get dinner (around 8:00pm), they sit and watch a few episodes of TV together. At around 10/11pm (depending on the night) she showers and gets ready for bed and spends the rest of her time doing a combination of scrolling through Instagram, online shopping, reading, etc.
Becky has already mentioned she doesn’t really want to workout in the evening, she really values her time with her husband and she’s exhausted from the work day, so, she’s willing to try working out in the morning. To do this, Becky will have to wake-up earlier, which means she will have to go to bed earlier, and because she did the time-tracker I spot a few areas we can play with.
To make an already long story, a little shorter… Here’s what we came up with:
To start, 60 min of working out seems like a lot to begin with in the morning, so we’re aiming for 30 min workouts. This seems way more doable. Becky will start waking up at 7am and going to bed at 11pm (just an hour difference). To get to bed at that time Becky wants to have hard stop from work at 7pm and will limit their TV episodes to 1-2 a night (ideally just 1). If she finds herself wanting to scroll or read afterward, her limit is 30 min. We start there.
By observing what you do during the day, you become much more self-aware of the habits that aren’t serving you so you can make room for ones that do. Making room for new habits can seem really daunting when you, “don’t know where the time goes.”
Here’s What You Do:
If you’re looking to build a new habit that takes time, my first piece of advice would be to time-track for a few days to see what your current day ACTUALLY looks like, and be super diligent and honest about it (i.e. scrolled on Instagram from 11:15-11:30 am). It sounds tedious, but just like meal journaling, it is VERY insightful and shifts you from mindlessly doing things to mindfully noticing what you do. You can do this on your computer calendar or a calendar notebook (ideally something that separates time into 30 min increments). Don’t worry, you’re not going to do this forever, just a day or two.
Then, dependent on the habit, make your barrier to entry super easy - i.e. instead of working out for 60 min, start with 30 min. Instead of meditating for 10 min, start with 5 min. Instead of meal prepping for the entire week, cook one meal. The easier it is, the more likely you are to make room for it.
Take my example with Becky above and see where in your day you can manage to add/subtract a few minutes to build your new habit.
Now, I’m all about being gentle and empathetic, but I also have to be forward and truthful.
The hard truth is, it’s not that you don’t have time, you’re just not making time.
If something is a big enough priority for you, you will find time to do it, that’s not to say that it won’t take more effort than someone else depending on your circumstance. We all have 24 hrs in the day, but they’re most certainly not, “the same 24 hrs.” However, almost everything is manageable. Yes, even if you work two jobs. Yes, even if you have kids. Yes, even if you work long hours. Trust me, I've seen and worked with clients through it all.
Remember, your time is yours. You are not a slave to time. Take it back for the things that matter most to you, little by little.
If you’re looking for a safe space where you can learn how to let go of dieting for good, enjoy food without guilt, and turn exercise into something you love to do rather than something you “have” to do, submit a client application to get in contact with me! I work with clients virtually all over the world helping those who are frustrated with dieting and want to change their relationship with food and themselves.
Hi, I’m Azul Corajoria, an Integrative Health Coach, Personal Trainer & Yoga Instructor. I support my clients in making step-by-step changes so that they can live a healthy and balanced life. By recognizing the interdependent roles of mindset, nutrition, and movement I educate and hold my clients accountable for achieving their health goals through lifestyle and behavior adjustments with an emphasis on self-care. Together, we navigate the contradictory world of nutrition through intuitive eating, practice mindful movement, and implement small mindset and lifestyle shifts that empower them to be their best selves in the easiest way possible.
