"Time is a created thing. To say 'I don't have time' is like saying, 'I don't want to...'." Lao-Tzu

One thing I hear often as a coach is "I don't have the time to...". We all feel we don't have enough time at least occasionally. But I'd like to offer a different point of view, which mirrors that of Lao-Tzu above. While time is finite and we can't create more of it, we do have total 100% control over how we use our time.

Okay, I can already hear you complaining that you don't have total control. Relax. Breathe. Try to keep an open mind here. It is true that we live our lives at a furious pace. We often feel as if we don't have time to take a breath, much less have fun or get everything done. I'm with you so far.

However, when was the last time that you took a really careful, detailed look at where your time is spent? How much time do you really spend working? How much time is spent in non-productive time at work (visiting, reading the paper, walking the halls, attending useless meetings, etc.) How much time do you spend getting ready for work? How much time do you spend with your loved ones? How much time do you spend caring for others? How much time do you spend caring for yourself? How about watching TV? How about with friends? How about cleaning house? If you are able to truly look at your life in an objective way, I will bet that you will find you spend a lot of time doing unimportant, useless, even harmful (to yourself) things, all of which you accept as just a normal part of your life.

So, here's the challenge: keep a log for a few days of everything you do, broken down by at least 15 minutes increments. Be brutally honest about your activities. After you've kept the log for a few days, review it and try to identify areas where time is wasted, you just don't want to do it, or where you might like to do it if you had all the time in the world, you don't, so you choose not to do this anymore. You will find free time to spare.

Now what you do with it is something else. It is at this point that you can also be totally honest with yourself about things like exercising more, walking the dog more often, cooking more, etc. All the things you think you should do and, of course, would do if you "had the time". Now you can admit that you just don't want to do them, and stop blaming it on lack of time. It is 100% okay to be who you are, and stop trying so hard to be who you think you should be.

Mary Anne Fields, Personal Coach, Trainer and Speaker specializes in helping mid-lifers with living their dreams, thriving through transitions, and adding meaning to their lives. (713) 528-5971 maf@lifeunfolds.com Join the Life Unfolds mailing list. Receive free monthly newsletter, free report "85 Ways to Be Happier Now!" and access to resources that help you live a life that matters! http://www.lifeunfolds.com/articles.htm