A common theme that comes up a lot in my coaching sessions is feeling like there is a lack of time. We all have so many obligations and time-sensitive activities but what many of my clients don’t realize is that a lot of what creates the overwhelm and ultimate burnout is their thinking/scarcity around time. 

Even a simple thought like “I don’t have time to do all this.” ~one we often say and is the leading cause of feeling overwhelmed. However, we don’t realize that our to-do lists/tasks have no power over us until we start having scarcity around them. This thought can create the feeling of overwhelm, which, interestingly enough, often leads us to give up and not work on any of our tasks. 

I know firsthand that when I am in this negative head space and feel as if I don’t have enough time, I become more stressed and turn to buffers like FB, IG, or online shopping to offer temporary relief. 

These are some of my remedies to these thoughts and feelings:

1). Become aware of when you start to feel overwhelmed

We can’t change what we are not aware of, and if we want to break this pattern and have an abundance of time, we have to become aware of when we are not feeling that way

2). Remind yourself that your to-do list/tasks themselves cannot cause stress

Only our thoughts can create this type of overwhelm

Also, remember someone else might look at your to-do list and think it’s a piece of cake

3). Practice more abundant thoughts

Try: Even though I feel like there is not enough time, I will get all of these things done

Or, there is plenty of time for everything

Time is a mental construct; you get to decide that there is plenty of it to do the things you want to get done

4). Cut down on known time wasters

Who isn’t guilty of being on their phone too much? If time feels like it is lacking, schedule time to scroll, end Netflix watching, or other buffering activities that don’t feel like they move you forward

All with compassion and grace

5). Schedule downtime

I love putting my workouts, meditation, and journaling time on my calendar first to honor my need for rest, relaxation, and reflection

Scheduling enjoyable activities or “me” time allows for (a mental reset? your thoughts to calm down? insert their benefit here)

I hope this blog helps illuminate how sneaky our scarcity thinking can be and show you the power that your thoughts can have in creating more abundance of time in your life. If you would like to go deeper with this or any other topic I have written about in the past, I invite you to reply to discuss working together more or schedule a 1:1 call with me.

Warmly,

Melanie