I always read and hear people not having enough time allocated to do the things they want. As if their current affairs aren’t a reflection of their current priorities. It’s infuriating when people make excuses as to why something cannot happen. I understand people have their own lives and commitments. I cannot assume the saying ‘you can do whatever you set your mind on’ applies to everything, there is a time and place, and this isn’t the situation. What triggers my annoyance is constant excuses instead of admitting a lack of determination and priorities. Accept that you don’t care and then do something if you want to change. Stop this battle against yourself and maybe you’ll take steps in the right direction.
Our lifestyles are tailored toward our goals and complacency stops us from prioritising anything of value. It’s ludicrous to imagine that we can happily go months and years without changing our priorities. Time is the biggest factor when changing priorities as effort levels costs time, hence why many of us continue the way we are. Adding something to our routine is an expenditure most of us are reluctant to perform. This boils down to heedlessness. It sounds simple enough, but acknowledgment is harder than most assume.
The issue doesn’t lie with laziness. We know we’re capable of great feats, it’s a matter of adding it onto the list of everything else we already do. Valuing whatever it is, enough to make it a must in a day-to-day schedule proves difficult. Our worry is time, will we have enough time for ourselves if we add one more task for us to do. We want to rest and do nothing, but wouldn’t it be better to struggle now to get what we want? Sitting there mindlessly isn’t elusive and will only lead to regret as we waste time knowing there are goals, we wish to achieve.
The root cause can be many factors that cannot be dissected unless every factor was laid out. Despite this, there is one general problem most of us face when it comes to priorities that I mentioned previously: in denial. Admitting to yourself that you’re too lazy is too much of an ego hit, no one wants to admit they’re incapable. So, instead, we create an excuse to masquerade the truth. You may not agree and that’s okay, I know my thesis is correct to some degree. My experience stems from countless interactions and also my own excuses, it’s easier to accept a falsified reality than to accept the pain staking truth.
Benjamin Franklin was a prominent man in the US, he was a polymath who was respected by many. Franklin was a diligent worker and lived a fulfilling life. He worked all the time; in his biography, it was stated he would often work past 11 pm to get a job done. However, people around him were complaining that he was not doing this and that. Franklin lost his patience and got fed up with the noise. So, he started noting, observing himself by starting a diary and wrote a list of worth doing tasks, less important tasks, least important tasks, and avoidable tasks. He marked finished tasks daily. After a week of documentation, he concluded that he had been working on less important and avoidable tasks more than worth doing tasks. If a man like Benjamin Franklin can achieve so much, yet at the same time spend his efforts performing the least important tasks. Isn’t there most definitely something in our lives that holds greater importance than it should?
Remaining truthful to yourself can open up many doors. Time is against us, don’t make it harder by lacking time management and poor priority setting. I’m sure you know what you want and what you need to achieve. If you don’t, then it’s time to sit down and figure that out. It’s time to stop making excuses and to start making progress. Be meticulous with your current routine by documenting your weekly schedule and prioritise accordingly. I’m positive you will find a way to make time for whatever you wish to do, it’s just a matter of effort on your behalf.