In 2019 I want to do more but be less busy. It sounds like a strange concept, but I’m determined to make it work. You see in 2018 I revelled in being busy. Being busy has become the catch cry of my generation. We all have our side hustles and our regular jobs and our dreams of doing more and being more. We’re all so incredibly busy that if we’re not careful another 12 months will go by and we won’t know what we did or why we did it. Most of 2018, my last year in my twenties, is a blur. I don’t want to feel the same at the end of my first year in my thirties.
I woke up New Year’s Day (cliché I know) and decided that enough is enough. I’ve been thinking about being less busy for a while now, but the thought actually terrifies me. When I’m busy, I have an easy excuse for why I don’t keep in touch with the people I love better or why I don’t have time to go to the gym every day. Busy is nothing but an excuse preventing me from getting where I actually want to go.
2018 was a year of excuses, with my most common one being “I’m too busy.” We’re now three days into 2019, and I’ve already caught myself falling into old habits. I know it won’t be easy, but another year of doing so many things, but really doing nothing will be just as hard.
So how am I going to do it?
I’m going to be ruthless with my time. I’m going to ask myself if whatever task I’m currently doing is pushing me in the direction I want to go or if it’s just busy for busy sake.
I’m going to prioritise time for myself. That’s the gym, reading, getting quality sleep and photography and writing for the joy of it.
I’ll find inspiration and motivation wherever I can – I started writing this one handed on my notes app while on the elliptical and finished it in as a passenger in the car on the way home from a picnic and swim in the Victorian High Country.
Our time is our most precious commodity, and we give it away without too much thought. Learning how to better manage my time is going to be one of my main goals this year. Work smarter, not harder (again, cliché) will be my mantra, and I’m going to keep myself accountable with regular written check-ins, like this one.
I don’t want to say something like “big things are going to be happening this year,” because, well I don’t know that for sure yet. All I do know for sure right now is that I’m the only one who can make things happen in my life if I want them to happen. So, here’s to a happier, healthier and more productive 2019!
