Regardless of what your life looks like, you may find it difficult to make time for your passions. Maybe your full-time job encompasses some interests of yours, but there are others that you want to pursue, whether just for fun or for potential monetary gain. Maybe you’re a stay-at-home parent, which is a passion-fueled role, but you’d love to make more time for other facets of your life, like a hobby or project. Whatever the case is, look no further for some simple tips to give your previously neglected passions a greater spotlight in your life!
1- Incorporate your passions into the facets of your life you do currently prioritize.
Here are some examples of this in action:
•Say that your passion is styling outfits, and your full-time job isn’t fashion-related. You can channel that passion into getting more creative with your outfits for work, as well as for other places you attend.
•Say that your passion is cooking, and your full-time job isn’t food-related. You can channel that passion into cooking your meals for the workweek each Sunday.
•Say that your passion is giving advice, and you’re a stay-at-home parent to your kids. Chances are, they’ll need advice at some point, which is where your passion can shine.
These are just a few illustrations of how you can apply this tip to your life! There’s a good chance that any given passion of yours can be linked to something you already do. It’s just a matter of identifying the link(s) and honing in accordingly!
2- Identify time that you spend on things that don’t add value to your life.
Consider this a life audit! How do you spend the small moments in between the chaos (i.e. your early waking moments of the day, your lunch breaks, your evenings, etc.)? Mindlessly scrolling on social media without gaining anything from it? Letting one distraction lead you on what ends up being an irrelevant quest? Talking to people who you just don’t click with anymore?
Of course, not everything we spend our time on needs to be productive or even significant. I’m all for resting, watching a good TV show/movie, etc., and I find that these things are actually essential to feeling recharged! In this tip, I’m more-so referring to the things we do out of boredom/default mode. Something you do for enjoyment, even if it’s something simple like watching a show, adds the value of joy to your life. As for the things that don’t, they could be taking precious time away from your passions. So, here’s your cue to live more intentionally and swap your “filler” activities for things you actually do enjoy!
3- Identify ways that you can get your chores done more quickly and efficiently.
This isn’t to say, take shortcuts even if it means compromising the quality of your work. It is to say, though, that sometimes we spend more time on something than needed. It could be worthwhile to invest in life hacks that will simplify your tasks for you. It’s also worth considering the role that distractions play in prolonging your tasks. While we can’t exactly prevent all distractions all the time, we can look out for recurring distractions that are within our control to eliminate.
For instance, if answering text messages (that aren’t emergent or time sensitive) slows you down often, it might make sense to put your phone (or at least specific contacts) on DND. You can always set it up so that those who may need to reach you right now are not on DND, and you can ask them not to contact you during that time unless absolutely necessary. Other examples of limiting distractions include wearing headphones (whether to actually listen to something or just for noise cancellation), closing the door of the room you’re in, and putting things that could distract you in another room. Whatever might work for you and your circumstances is worth a shot!
4- Set aside specific time blocks for focusing on your passions.
Identify times in your schedule that aren’t currently designated to anything specific. Maybe it’s an hour a day, or maybe it’s a couple of few-hour blocks a week. Whatever the case is, consider these your new times to pursue your passions! Of course, our schedules don’t always go exactly according to plan or look the same all the time. If you have to skip a session or two here and there for more pressing matters, so be it. It’s just good to have a general outline of a schedule to go by. That way, you know you’re not putting your passions on the back burner! And if additional time blocks open up, even occasionally, you can spend even more time on them than originally intended!
The bottom line…
While busy schedules can make it difficult to prioritize our passions, strong time management can certainly help. Adjust the lens through which you see your days (and your life as a whole) and see where you may be able to interject the things you love most. That’s how you romanticize your life and make it that much more enjoyable and meaningful!
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