Making Positive Changes When You’re Time-Poor

No matter how desperately you want to lose weight, save money, eat healthier, or build a new routine, sometimes there simply isn’t the time available to do this the way you want.

And that’s okay. You’re not alone here – many people who struggle with improving their well-being think their problem is motivation and willpower when in reality, it is HARD in our culture to find ways to be healthy.  For many of us there just isn’t the time!

Yet that doesn’t mean you can’t get there… eventually ; ) Here are a couple of steps you can take to make positive changes in your life when you don’t have much time:

1. Pause for a moment and honor how hard you’ve been trying. This effort (and frustration!) shows how important this is to you.
2. Honor how you feel right now. If you want to make a change you’re probably uncomfortable. Maybe you don’t like the way you look, or you don’t feel good, or you’re in the middle of a difficult transition, which are not easy places to be! Yet you’re determined to make this different – give yourself some credit for this persistence!
3. Right now you’re busy and maybe overwhelmed, and it’s hard to find the clarity (or even a moment to think) about the steps you need to take to make change or new habits happen. One thing to remember is that it all doesn’t have to be done at once! When you lack time, it simply can’t be done that way.
4. One place to start might be to sit and have a cup of tea every day for 5 minutes. It may not seem like much, but this creates a moment for you to honor where you’re at and stay connected with the vision of where you want to be. (Set a timer for 5 minutes, and if that isn’t possible set it for two or three.)
5. Eventually you might add an extra minute for reading an article here, or stretching a bit, or listening to a favorite song. And then you might set the timer for another 5 minutes later in the day to make a grocery list, take a short walk around the block, do some chair yoga, call a friend, play with a pet, or something else that feels joyful to you.

6. These might seem like nothing much, but over the course of weeks and months this will add up, and you’ll be able to create a routine that feels enjoyable, sustainable, and helps you reach your goal!

Sometimes it feels like you have to do big things to make positive change happen, but it’s really the small changes over time that can make the biggest difference.

This week starts with that cup of tea (or glass of water, or a journal, or whatever you think will work for you!) knowing that in these small moments you’re beginning to build a strong foundation for your health, well-being, and the life you want.