For a long time, I was indeed fooling myself saying that I don’t have enough time to do what all the other bloggers are doing on a daily basis. In fact, what I really didn’t have was the commitment to do the best I possibly can. Instead, I was only using the time as an excuse to not be committed to my online endeavors.
Now, I am not trying to act a fool here. It is true to some extent that I don’t have enough time because of various reasons – my day job, 4 months old kid in the house, other online endeavors and so on. Oftentimes I wonder who does have enough time. All the articles about time management wouldn’t exist if everyone had plenty of time. I mean, even if there was 48 hours in a day, we still wouldn’t have enough time to do everything we want to do.
I vividly recall what my dad used to tell me while I was growing up. He always said ‘Adam we all can have what we want or have the excuses for not working towards what we want’. Back then, I just thought that my dad was foolish and was trying to make me bust my ass for nothing. But, I was wrong!
So what is the best way to find enough time to do what you want to do if you are committed? Apparently, make a schedule that works for you even if you can only make an hour of free time every day to do just that. This led me to my own philosophy that if you want to achieve something in life all you have to do is allocate one hour a day, every day for the rest of your life.
You know, all the single hours add up when you are continually doing it for months and years. Of course, it might take you decades to be where you want to be, with just doing it an hour a day, but you will eventually get there. Now if you want to get there in couple of years, obviously you have to devote more than just one hour a day. If you want to get there in a year you probably have to devote all day every day. You see the relation between time, goals and success here?
Well, rewarding yourself when you get something done is another way to motivate yourself to find enough time to do things that needs to be done.
If someone told you that they have 100 dollars waiting for you once you are done with the task, you would probably jump straight to the task and get it done as quickly as possible. Hell yeah! I would. Wouldn’t you? Guaranteed reward compels you to make enough time to get things done unless you really are a lazy bum.
By changing our inner attitude towards getting things done, anyone can achieve great things in life. The right mindset and attitude is crucial for your success and to what extent you are going to be successful; after all this is actually nothing more than a mindset game.
If you think that there isn’t enough time to do what it takes then your actions are also going to be made that way – which in fact will lead you nowhere as you will be playing the catch-up game forever.
Only you know the real truth behind the excuse you are making on not having enough time. I mean there are 24 hours in a day and a lot can be achieved in these 24 hours if you know how to manage your time and be committed in doing what it takes.
Unless you are trying to find some excuses to not get things done, there should be no reason as to why you shouldn’t take action on what needs to be done. If you honestly think about it; the only thing that is stopping you from succeeding is yourself, your mindset.
We can always have stupid excuses that we use to not do what really needs to be done or on the other hand we can choose to stop making excuses totally and actually start doing it.
I realized that it is not just me that has problems and challenges in life. Who doesn’t? Everyone does. I know you do too. Even the people that claim to have no problems or even if they have oodles of money, they still have problems. Shit! Problems are always going to be there no matter what. Problems are part of life but excuses don’t have to be.
It is just plain old common sense that if you want to achieve something you got to start working towards it. Git ‘er done – Just like Larry the cable guy says (O:
If you start making excuses saying oh! I can’t make enough time then your dreams are simply going to be just dreams not reality. So think about what motivates you. You might be motivated by money or success, more family time, quitting your 9-5 job whatever; use this as a motivation to work towards what you want to achieve and stop making excuses, especially the I don’t have time excuse.
The only secrets to success is prioritizing your goals, taking action and be committed to it. The reason why I am saying all this to you is not because I am a success guru, rich or any shit like that. I used to make that – I don’t have time excuses – on a daily basis and all it did was led me to procrastinate even if I did have time.
I don’t have enough time to be a full time blogger and do what other full time bloggers do on a daily basis. But hey, it is not only me; there are other bloggers that go to school or college 5 days a week, keep up with their homework, assignments, prepare for their exams, tests and still make enough time for blogging. Then there are those who work full time and still manage to start an online business. There are mums who deal with their kids and household job daily and still have found enough time to follow their passion.
No excuses whatsoever should stop you from doing what you truly want. Adjust your lifestyle accordingly to make enough time. Cut your sleeping time by an hour or take an hour off your fun time, an hour off your social media time – that’s already 3 hours of extra time that you never thought about.
It is like whatever you want in life is waiting for you. All you have to do is make enough time and be committed in order to get it. Yeah, there are going to be ups and downs, you might even fail miserably plenty of times; the road can be downright uphill and bumpy but we all can do it!
Once you are committed to doing the things that you truly want and stop doing the things that are giving you no long term benefits or happiness; you are going to find enough time. So if you really think about it; in fact, it is not the time you are lacking but the commitment to make it all happen.
What do you think about this?
Please feel free to comment down below and add to the above conversation. Plus, if you like this article Tweet it, share it in Facebook or your favorite social media outlets.
Here’s to your successful online endeavor!
-Adam Paudyal.
 |
Before you go...
|
I created this blog to chronicle the success and failures of my various online endeavors and to share with you the knowledge I gain along the way... 
Hi Adam,
The 1 hour per day for the remainder of your days sounds like a full commitment to me. Awesome advice here.
You decide whether to take action or not. Use your will power. Hold a vision of your dream life. Do what it takes to get there. You receive direct telegraphs from the universe when holding the vision consistently. That will move you off of your bummy
Thanks for moving into action on this Adam!
RB
Ryan Biddulph recently posted..Why Be a Clown – Work Less Hours to Supercharge Your Home Based Opportunity
Receiving direct telegraphs from the Universe..haha..I really like the way you put it man!
It is indeed us who have to decide whether we want to take action or not. Having a vision and a will power to take the necessary steps to turn that vision into reality is of utmost importance.
Thanks for adding awesome value to the conversation Ryan.
Talk to you later.
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Ryan Biddulph, Adam Paudyal. Adam Paudyal said: Time Or Commitment: What Is Stopping You From Taking Action? – http://endeavor-online.com/?p=9497 [...]
Adam,
You make some awesome point. For most people there really is not time to complete everything that needs doing. Time management and dedication can make your use of time more effective, but it does not create time out of thin air.
The point is that if something is important enough you find time for it. Obviously with a full time job and a family “free time” is at a premium. YOu cannot choose to “not work” or not spend time with your family. Those are non-starters. But your plan of spending a minimum of one hour a day, EVERY DAY is perfect.
It all comes down to motivation and your dad had it perfect. You either make time or you make excuses. I think we all know which group successful people belong too!
Steve recently posted..19 Ways Fiverrcom can Grow your Internet Business
Yes indeed! Dedication and time management certainly are 2 definite approaches in order to utilize what time we have.
You hit it spot on; if one is motivated enough they will make enough time for it – even if they can only allocate small amount of time everyday to do just that.
Thanks for stopping by Steve and giving your remarkable thoughts on the topic.
Later on brother.
Hi Adam, I think you are right that the key is setting priorities. What do you really want to do? How much do you really want it? What other things can you sacrifice to get it?
For example, I know a lot of people who pay over $100 a month for cable TV. If they want to travel or start a new business, they could just get rid of cable and use that time and money. However, they are likely to give you many excuses why they couldn’t possibly give it up (I’ve challenged people with this in real life).
I really like your point about commitment. If you are slow but steady, you can still get there. People are amazed that I picked up a second language as an adult but I really didn’t spend more than a few hours on it in an average week. I just worked on it every week for years.
Jennifer Barry recently posted..Stranger in His Own Land- Part 11
Jen,
The example on cable TV you gave is cent percent true, even in my own context. In early 2010, I decided to disconnect cable TV at my place because I was wasting a lot of time watching BS that was not beneficial to me whatsoever. I mean everyone needs entertainment once in a while but we as a family decided to do other things for entertainment rather than watch TV. You know things like going out once in a while, cooking out and other things that presented us the opportunity to spend quality time as a family.
I totally agree with you on sacrificing. In order to achieve something great one has to sacrifice the things that are not beneficial.
Thanks for stopping by Jen.
Later..
Oooooh now that’s a kick in the balls Adam
I love that quote you added because that’s the reality.
Everyone is chasing this idea of being a full time blogger but let’s face it – everyone has stuff that needs to be done. You can’t do two full time jobs without overloading yourself so that’s why time management is necessary so you know how to spend that limited time to gain the best results.
Yeahhhhhhh keep at it man! Kick ass at those projects!
Murlu recently posted..An Unconventional Guide to Kickin’ Ass in 2011
Murray,
Right on man! It is impossible to get involved in many things at once and expect to come out on top of everything we do. After all, we are all humans. Having said that, time management plays the key role in doing many things that needs to be done in equilibrium.
Kick in the balls (O: Yes it is!
[...] asks a question in his post that could be asked of any of Dorothy’s friends. What is stopping you from taking action? Is it Fear? Is it not having the inspiration and motivation of “heart?” Is it not having [...]
Hi Adam:
For you it is very important to find time to handle the business you want to have. So, you have to prepare a system that can find a way to adjust everything in order and follow it. You are motivated, you got what it takes to be where you want to be, so you have to find time to be able to do it. Do not cut too much of sleep time, but organize and win. Make sure you have time for family and little fun too.
Sleep, family time and fun without that you will not be able to operate fully. So the best is create your “Smart” program to work. The “smart” that you mentioned in one of your posts.
Make a list of things you have to do. Priorities it, and add number of hours to each, then add the daily time to each one according to schedule. Brainstorm to do the best. It might take longer,but continue doing everything. Sooner or later you will reach your goal.
Adam you can do it.
Fran A
Fran Aslam recently posted..20 Ways To Reposition Your Blog To The Next Level
You are right Fran. Sleep, family time and fun time is essential in order to operate at the best level that we possibly can. You know i can’t focus on anything I do unless I get 7 hours of uninterrupted sleep every night..which oftentimes is not possible with a 4 months old around..(O:
Thanks for the continuous support. I truly appreciate it.
Take care!
Hi Adam!
. I have tweeted and stumbled it. Thanks for sharing & have a great week.
Excellent post!”There are going to be ups and downs, you might even fail miserably plenty of times; the road can be downright uphill and bumpy but we all can do it” lovely phrases.I always tell my friends problem is the one will make our life challenging and make our life interesting.Without problem nothing joy out there
Rammesh recently posted..Pros and Cons of Private Label Rights Niche Market
Hey Rammesh,
Yup; problems are always going to be there but excuses don’t have to be.
Ups and downs, failures, uphill battle are all part of life. Those who make it are the ones who are persistent and utilize the lessons they learn everyday.
Thanks for the insights my friend.
See ya around!
Hi Adam!
Awesome post! I believe in taking action immediately, even if you have a full time job (like I do). I am steadily working towards my goals and I believe everyone has it in them to succeed at what they love to do best.
Sometimes we need to sacrifice a few things in the beginning in order to make it happen. Like, sleep, for instance.
But it IS doable!
Thanks much for this inspiring piece!
Morgan recently posted..Is Twitter an Effective Marketing Tool 5 Tips That Will Help
You are very welcome Morgan.
Just like the saying goes; no pain no gain huh!
If one has passion and are persistent they are going to make it as long as they take action and sacrifice.
Best of luck on you goals.
Hope to see you around!
Great post!
I have basically cut down my TV time dramatically and by doing this I’m giving more time to my online business activities.
I have realized that I can actually do something productive related blogging before going to work (creating blog posts, writing a report, promoting my posts …). However, this means that I wake up earlier (05.45AM) to do this and know in advance, what I’m going to do.
And yes, it’s all about setting priorities. One has to decide which is more important – watch the TV or work on your goals
Timo Kiander recently posted..4 reasons why you should appreciate your day job – even if you hate it
Timo,
Thanks for the RT and the comment!
Prioritizing what needs to be done is the key in managing time. This holds very true especially for people like us who work full time; but is not always easy however (O: It all boils down to making the best of what we have and understanding what is important right this instant. Don’t you agree?
Later on brother..
Hello there my friend, as people say, success is in our hands and if we know how to manage this, it will truly come to us. Motivation is primarily a good thing that a person should posses as well as time management as you’ve said. Anyway, thank you so much and I really learned a lot from your experience.
Everything starts with commitment. If you are committed to do something, regardless of the circumstances, you’ll find the time and resources to keep things going. Doing something you want, provided it’s done on a regular basis, eventually becomes a habit. Habits, as we can observe, are pretty much effortless.
Parekh recently posted..Excessive Facial Sweating
[...] enjoying every moment of it. Nothing is going to happen when we just want it unless of course, we take action to have it. Okay let’s say you want to start your own blog to talk about the topic that you are [...]
[...] – Be passionate and take action: [...]
[...] benefits or happiness; you are going to find enough time. So if you really think about it, it is not the time you are lacking but the commitment to make it all happen. It is about taking action; doing the things that need to be done – the [...]
Adam, you threw me all the way back to grade school with the time usage conversation. “Back in the day” we had a grade on our large blue report cards for an abstract called “Uses time wisely” filled out manually by the teacher, separated from academics altogether. They taught us to prioritize. The combination of time, what one feels important, and responsibility, is what governs much in life.
One’s most important things are taken care of first. Note that I did not say “responsibilities”. What is important to the individual is varied and very subjective.
In order to be successful at your endeavor there are some things that are nearly written in stone. These are not controlled by the individual but by time and resources. We are quick to realize there is only so much time – 24 hours a day – that’s it. With a complex and demanding modern world each second, minute, hour, of these days is precious. So how does one get the time to blog, for instance, to further one’s endeavor? Prioritizing is a way to see IF one has time for anything other than necessary responsibilities. When one has children, they become number one in responsibility – first. There’s family – wife and beyond. One has bills, like house and car, utilities. If blogging or one’s endeavor is not bringing in needed cash then something has to be done to bring in that dollar.
What I’m saying is that there are some near absolutes that have to be satisfied in order to have “extra” time for anything. How one finds out about this extra time is to access one’s priorities. If one finds that after prioritizing one’s responsibilities that no time is left, that’s the cruel “IT”! Some of us wind up trapped in our economic niche because of this.
This is where “Using Time Wisely” is such a winner. Being in a small school the teacher could see what we were doing any and all times of day, and in this small town, sometimes after. She taught us for instance, to do our homework before time for favorite TV shows, as close to getting home as possible while our minds were still running in school mode. To get house and family work done before going back out to play. And to make what we wanted to learn play instead of idle games and especially, not spending time talking about nothing on the phone as there was no internet.
In grown life having to prioritize ones life activities is a must. There are times when once one gets all the have-tos and honey-dos done, there is no more day. All the creativity in the universe can’t affect the number of hours in a day, the number of days in a week.
So how does one deal with this? Yes, Prioritize!! Sound redundant? Sure it is but that’s the key. Some things that will help one make more time available is to include family in your endeavor. Take your children with you. Have a wife/husband/significant other, who is a partner in your endeavor or at least behind you at it. Another is to realize your actual priorities. Look for that which is not necessary, that which actually is not a good productive use of time, and replace those slots with more productive endeavors, maybe with your own endeavor. If you feel your blog is more important than turning bolts on that old car in the garage, then swap their places in your list.
Another factor to look at is are you using your allotted time wisely – Is the time you actually using on items well spent? What were you doing when you went to the grocery store? For instance – did you know what you wanted before entering the store or have to spend an extra half hour deciding while shopping? Did you shop at Wal-Mart and have to wait in line half an hour or Kroger with little wait and prices only pennies different? Did you go to the Cowboys game on Saturday? The Mavs game on Tuesday? Did these help your blog, your endeavor? How much and what TV did you watch? How much time spent on Facebook – Does it matter what’s changed on anybody’s wall? Did you get some exercise or drink a six pack? This is what “Using Time Wisely” is all about.
The BIG question is how important is your endeavor, your blog? Know that there are some items that none of these should affect or especially replace – family responsibilities, especially your responsibilities to your children and any other children with whom you are responsible. Bills – yep, gotta pay Bill. He’s always got his hand out and always will.
Once you prioritize you can better see the trees in the forest instead of just mass of trees called forest. Somewhere in those trees, probably under a bush in the cool, is the ice cream, dawg.
The Mechanics of Prioritization
After all is said and done about prioritizing ones activities, how is this done? As mentioned “Using Time Wisely” is not taught any more as a class in most schools. What is the process then?
Prioritizing one’s time is not difficult. The hardest part of doing this is listing ones activities succinctly. First is the making of the list. One must keep some track, mental or written, of daily activities. Do this for some period, especially if one’s activities are not the same from day to day. List your activities until they begin to repeat. Be sure to list activities that occur outside your allotted time tracking period also.
Once this list is made you will have the base to look at and assign importance to each item. If needed a number system can be implemented. Here’s where the going gets rough. In these assignments you will find items that are important period and items that are important only to you. These HAVE to be separated in accordance with reality and certain undeniable responsibilities, like family obligations. When producing your list it might be of help to place the big obligations at the top without numbers at all as they are outside of this flex. The time used here is figured though and very important to one’s prioritization.
A good habit is not to attempt this alone. Get with your family about this. You’re going to need their permission anyway. Wives, don’t think you’re exempt here either. This ain’t just about the boys. You’ll need hubby’s as well as children’s OKs just like dad. They are the best governors and assessors of your priorities, especially governors. Many times when this list is made one can see the stuff that needs to be moderated anyway. It becomes a win-win.
It is also important to separate the have-tos from the want-tos. It is here that major adjustments usually become apparent and available. One normally has some want-tos that are so dear to heart that they seem like have-tos. In my world bowling is that kind of want-to. This where you have to make hard choices whether to watch a movie or further your blog or other endeavor. This is where just doing it helps. Some of our want-tos are difficult to override – one has to “just do” something else.
Once you have a workable and fairly complete list of your activities, time and even money, are assigned. How much time is spent on this endeavor and how much did it cost? Cruel stuff here. How much time does it take to watch the Mavs? Can I work on my blog while doing that – probably not. So a choice has to be made. You can ask is watching this game going to put any $$$ in my pocket? Cruel but logic says $$$ over Mavs – nothing personal, Mark. In such a list, once arithmetic is applied, the categories begin to self prioritize. Only you can make these assignments and if you make knowledgeable decisions you can get your blog or endeavor on in style.
It’s important to make this list flexible, as changes are constant and fluid making one have to “roll with the punches” – remember, lemons can be made into lemonade. Be ready to change the values of your items at will, even experimentally. Always make your plans like piecrust – Lenin really had something here – and be inclusive and aware that family can be your best asset.
Blog on.
You just lived-experienced and used the stuff in these two posts – by necessity.
Hell yes!
Back to the chase for the ice cream.
[...] It is possible to fight the resistances. It may take some time and is going to involve a lot of taking action but it can be [...]
[...] until there is little work done on it. (See my comments on prioritizing one’s activities in http://endeavor-online.com/take-action/) This can be a source of stress. Realize that there are times that life does not permit one to [...]
[...] years and years to come. They are the articles that awe-inspire your readers and compel them to take action. That pretty much sums up what keystone content is about. Those are also some very good [...]
[...] above these are the 4 things that will get you going. But you are not going to go anywhere without taking action. I should have included taking action as the first point in the list but I decided to leave the [...]
[...] Take action is the single best piece of advice for bloggers [...]
[...] Time Or Commitment: What Is Stopping You From Taking Action? [...]