I don’t have time

“Please clean your room before getting started on your homework.”
“But I don’t have time to clean my room and do my homework!”

(Yes. Yes you do.)

A pleasant, completely calm interaction over the weekend prompted me to think about time.

When we say, “I don’t have time to do this,” it means we think one of two things.

One: Completing this task will take longer than the allotted time.

Or two: Completing this task — without deferring other activities — will take longer than the allotted time.

It’s that part about “deferring other activities” that tends to get us into trouble. Many times, we just don’t want to give up comfort, leisure, and relaxation. Or we don’t want to change our schedule. Or we don’t want to make sacrifices.

So we protest, “I don’t have time!”

But often, we do. It just might require flexibility, discomfort, or a little of both.