When You Gotta Do What You Gotta Do

Whenever I tell people that I send out articles to those on my mailing list at least once a week, they are fascinated by it. The next question they ask is:

They: Do you write the content yourself? 

Me: Yes.

They: How do you find the time?

Me: I make time

They: Wow. I have difficulty writing content and don't have the time for it.

Me: I do what do because I gotta do what I gotta do

So why do I write these articles week after week? As a therapist, not only do I serve my paying clients, I believe that there are many people out there, who could benefit from what I write. Since I write about my own life's lessons, and what I have encountered, I am quite sure I am not unique in facing these lessons and everyone can relate and perhaps the articles do shed some light on them too.

I think it is important to share life's experiences and help others connect, and it is also a good process for me. I feel that this is a good habit to cultivate -- to communicate and to reach out and to open doors for others to reach out to.

And yes I do have a busy schedule, but like everything else in life, it is not a matter of having not enough time, it is a matter of prioritizing what is important. To me, writing on my blog, and sharing these with my email list is a priority. I create time for it.

Time is something that we have in equal amounts, we each have 24 hours a day, 1,440 minutes a day, or 86,400 secs in a day. No more no less. To me, each and every one of these seconds is important, and things and people who get any of my seconds get them because I have prioritized them.

What I have learned about time management and prioritizing my time is this: it is always a fair exchange. Whatever I put time into, I will receive something of value in return. Sometimes, we may feel like we have wasted our time on things or people, but I choose to see the value of the time spent as lessons learned. Having said that, it does not mean that we should set ourselves up for time-wasting activities. So do avoid things and people that will not only suck your time but your energy away.

I have to say that my skills in time management sharpened by 1000% when I became a mother. When faced with the reality that you do not have that much time to waste, or that you only have 24 hours a day and you still need to get that much done, you get on with it as if it is a do-or-die situation!

And later on as a single mother, time management immediately became a matter of survival.

Many of my clients struggle with time management. One of the first things I always tell my clients is this: YOU DO HAVE TIME, DO NOT TELL YOURSELF YOU DO NOT HAVE TIME. You have instead chosen not to make a task or certain people in your life a priority. I also highly recommend this book: 168 Hours by Laura Vanderkam to my clients. There are brilliant exercises in there which I have my clients do, together with the coaching program they are on. So if you do struggle with time management, give this book a read for a start.

What is it in your life right now that is a priority, that you absolutely must get on with? How have you prioritized it? What are the things or people that are absolute time suckers? What are you going to do about them? Have a think -- it may be time well spent for your future time investment.

First published in ©2018, edited in ©2022

Let me know how I can assist you if you have any questions [email protected]

Shamala Tan is an author, spiritual entrepreneur and healer. Her work focuses on transforming the lives of others on the spiritual, emotional, mental and earthly levels.

Shamala’s clients include small business owners, holistic practitioners as well as those seeking to find more significant meaning and value in life. Shamala offers laser coaching to her clients on a one-to-one basis or in a group environment, offline as well as online.