But yesterday, I looked at the calendar and realized it’s almost December! I say it every year, but I honestly don’t know where the time went. 

And I felt that familiar panic when I realized there’s only a month left in the year. And it’s a super busy month. Which means I won’t have much TIME to finish the things I wanted to get done this year. Before I go any further, I want to point out that all those things I’m telling myself about time are just stories I’m telling myself. They’re not true. They’re just things my brain makes time mean. It’s how I tend to think about time as it relates to defined periods of time and my goals.

This made me think about the things we tell ourselves about time. Specifically, why so many of us today believe we don’t have “enough time” or why we’re constantly feeling “pressed for time.” And that’s what we’re going to talk about today. So let’s dive in.

We all have a different relationship with time. For me, the time issue came up for me because of where we’re at in the year. I like to be goal-oriented and there are certain points in the year when I naturally look back and evaluate how I’m doing with my goals. I do this to evaluate whether “I’ve used my time wisely.” And for me July and December are the two times of the year when I do this. 

But my outcome is usually completely different for me in July than it is in December. And it has to do with how I look at time. In July when I look back to see how I’m doing against my goals, I feel motivated. Even if I have mixed results or even if I haven’t even started on them yet. That’s because I’ll tell myself things like “Well, I may not have gotten to that yet, but I still have six months left in the year.” 

And I’m making that mean that I still have plenty of time left in the year to get things done. This makes me feel motivated. And I’m usually inspired to dive back in with renewed focus and energy.  But in early December, it’s a completely different experience for me. Now we’re at the end of the year. So, when I look back to see how I’m doing against my goals, I tend to feel panicked because I don’t have ‘a lot of time left’ to go after that goal. I tell myself that the ‘year is basically behind me and it’s too late’ to do get anything accomplished.

This makes me feel demotivated. And that usually means I don’t do a thing about my goals. I just try to sweep them under my mental rug, so I don’t have to think about them and I tell myself “I’ll add those to the list next year.”

So, I’ve got this container view of time. Instead of viewing time as a continuum that’s ongoing, at least when it comes to my goals, I view time in buckets and tell myself that my goals need to be accomplished in that amount of time.

Of course, none of that is true. But it sure sounds true. At least to me. The truth is we can start our goals anytime. And what difference does it honestly make if we accomplish them within the calendar year or not? It’s completely made up. And yet, it’s something I’ve done my whole life. 

Can you relate to this? With my clients I’ve noticed this usually comes up with weight loss. Like ‘do I have enough time to get to my goal weight before swimsuit season?’ and if not, ‘oh well, there’s not enough time so bring on the cupcakes.’ Right?    

Or for you, the time thing might be different. You might be a parent with several kids, all of whom are involved in activities. And that, coupled with your job and daily life might have you in a const

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