Ask Dr. Zoe – How Can I Find Time to Enjoy Life?

‘Samantha’ Asked:

I don’t feel like I’m living the life I want to be. I work during the week (and I love my job so I’m not trying to find an alternative to a 9-5) but on my days off (weekends) I end up running errands and doing household chores. How do I live a more fulfilled life while still working a traditional job?

Dr. Zoe Answered:

The only way to live the life you want is intentionally. Your work is not your life. It’s the thing you do to pay for your life. Hopefully, you are passionate about your work. Even so, it’s important for you to separate the two and intentionally live out your other passions.

As a busy, working woman with a lot of things I love to do, I understand the struggle to fit all of life in.

Are you prioritizing what you love?

You can’t wait to live until the weekends. Your life happens every day, so you should be doing something every day (outside of your work) that fulfills you, energizes you, and makes you love your life. It doesn’t have to take hours. You don’t really have hours. 30 minutes a day of focused time on your passion does wonders.

On average, Americans watch 3 hours of television per day, yet many Americans say they don’t have time to do things that they want to do.

If you watch TV, you would gain more from ditching your favorite show to focus on the life you want to have. Although you may miss the show for a week or two, you will quickly realize that it was just entertainment and you don’t need it in your life. There are more life-giving ways to relax. If that sounds extreme or doesn’t apply, also try the following:

Make a list of your priorities (don’t forget to include your passions). What are the most important things to incorporate in your life to make you feel like you are really living and having the life you want?

Now, write a list of all the major activities that you do on a daily, weekly, monthly basis. Draw a line from every activity to the priority that it upholds. Make sure every activity points back to your priorities. If there are activities that don’t fulfill your priorities, consider removing them from your life.

A little time toward your passion makes a big difference.

I hope you are beginning to see how much your belief system that you don’t have time keeps you from even making room for it. You can absolutely fit your passion into 30 minutes to an hour every day. You may need to get up an hour earlier to make this work or take an extra hour to yourself after work, before you come home, to learn a new skill or take a class.

Sometimes you may just not be utilizing your time well. Optimize your errands and outsource your busy work, even if it costs a few dollars. You’re a busy working woman and you need to find time for you outside of your work.

Don’t shop on the weekends. Switch your maintenance shopping online (yes, even your grocery shopping) and try to fit it in during your lunch, if possible. Simplify your life so you have time to live.

Put your self-care and self fun on the calendar. Yes, block the time off. Time will never free itself up, you have to do it yourself! If you put yourself on the calendar, your activities will be much more likely to happen.

Everyone has the same amount of time in the day. If you aren’t living the life you want to live, it’s not because you don’t have enough time, it’s because you’re not maximizing the time you do have and focusing it on living your best life.

You’ve got this! All it takes is a few tweaks and a little bit of grit and grace!