How do I find the time to pursue my dream?
Living your dream would be a real achievement, right? Then why do so many not prioritize the time to pursue it?
Probably because pursuing your dream often comes with the belief that you’re too short on TIME & ATTENTION.
Problem #1 No time to pursue your dream
I have a guide to help you untangle that belief HERE if you want it
Anyway, back to you and addressing the no time to pursue your dream problem. I’d have to kind of agree with you on this one, to an extent…
The average person spends the most time at work. About 13 years of their lifetime AND they will have had about 12 different jobs!
Problem #2 short on attention
Did you know that the average attention span is now just 8 seconds?! That’s less than that of a goldfish! (who is 9 seconds, by the way)
So it’s no wonder that you’re not off base in saying you just don’t have the attention. In a world that is literally competing for your attention, you’ve got to be extremely intentional with where you allow yours to go. That is if you’re wanting to go where your dream is.
We know two things about our dreams: one, they are BIG and two, they are scary.
Big – why else would it be a dream of ours instead of an achievement of ours?
Scary – mostly because we overthink the entire process of getting there and overwhelm ourselves to the point we can’t even get started!
Okay, enough of the depressing reality of what we already know and on to the things you CAN DO.
5 things you can do NOW to pursue your dream
(even if you are short on time and attention)
#1 Unsubscribe
Yep, sounds basic, but if I were to ask you how many unread emails were sitting in your inbox right now, would there be less than 10? I can hear you laughing…
If it’s not something you are going to ACT on in the next 24 hours…DELETE. (read that again, process…feel that courage coming on? You CAN do it! Here’s your permission…YES.)
Odds are the emails sitting there are because you gave your e-mail to the sender for a reason.
Maybe it was a free printable of how to clean out your inbox or an e-book “How-To clean out your inbox”. Perhaps it’s a weekly newsletter with a blog about how to clean out your inbox, a discount code for the e-course, etc. Sorry, I couldn’t help my exaggeration there, but you get the point I’m making, right?
Those may have captured your attention at the time and you got what you needed when you signed up, but is it still relevant now?
If it’s something you repeatedly delete, leave it unopened, or tell yourself you’re going to go back to it later (and do not)…UNSUBSCRIBE.
Seriously, stop getting the offers you KNOW you are not ready or going to act on and unsubscribe! (especially for the sake of this post, if it’s not helping you pursue your dream) It served its purpose at the time…move on.
#2 Find a mentor
Cliche’ I know, but hear me out on this one.
We all need people in our corner to inspire, encourage, support, and teach us, but for most of us – all of those “ingredients” do not come wrapped up in the same person for each of the “categories” of our lives.
Can you think of different people that you find inspiring, encouraging, and supportive and that you love to learn from in different areas of your life?
How about the ones that point you to the pursuit of your BIG & SCARY dream?
For me, a lot of those people are ones that I have never even met in person. Yet, they inspire, encourage, support, and teach me through their writing, their speaking, their videos, online courses, conferences, and even emails.
Yep, I subscribe to the emails that I know I will open each and every time because they will either inspire, encourage, and support what I’m trying to accomplish and/or teach me how to do it! Do you?
#3 Read, watch, listen.
This goes hand in hand with the above tip.
There are countless books, blogs, and articles you can read about whatever topic you can think of! So imagine reading one that is specific to your particular need right now. When you see the words, you remember them better. (just sayin’)
What podcasts or audio courses can you be listening to instead of the radio or your playlist while you are commuting, cleaning, or working out?
Are there YouTube videos you can watch instead of another Netflix binge?
How about a conference, seminar, or workshop? Face-to-face interaction and hearing from a person who’s passionate about the topic are so helpful, not to mention, refreshing!
Do you see how these can propel you toward progress in pursuing your dream?
#4 Create a “happy place”
Not everyone can hop a jet to a luxurious locale that ends with feet propped up, a tasty beverage in hand, and a breathtaking view to post on your preferred social media outlet.
However, you can create a space that you can retreat to in order to refresh, refuel or just relax. (even if it’s super short-lived)
A hot bath with the door locked and earbuds to drown out the knocking. (’cause your peeps will come knocking)
A small part of your closet with cushy pillows where you can pretend you’re E.T. hidden behind the clothes, but with a Tervis cup filled with something adult-ish with a lid and straw. (don’t want to get thirsty or spill wine on that dress that’s two sizes too small)
Listen, even if it’s a corner of the couch with a cozy blanket, a lit candle, a tasty hot beverage, and an inspiring book.
Not gonna lie, sometimes a cold drink in my car in the garage with the radio on is a sweet spot for a few, til I’m discovered.
I’m just saying, do what you have to do in order to find the space and place that allows you to exhale. (even if it’s just for a few minutes)
#5 Have a good ‘ol Brain Dump
I’m not even going to elaborate on this one because I wrote a whole post about it here. (go check it out) Besides, I’m waaay past your 8-second attention span!
Congrats if you have read this far – you have exceeded the average person’s 8-second attention span! I’m so proud of you!! You really are a goal-getter!
Listen, pursuing any dream is not easy, especially these days when time and attention are so very short! But I hope with tips like these YOU will be making progress to pursue your dream!
Making progress toward pursuing my dream with steps like this right there with ya,
Still not sure you’ll have the time? Let’s chat and come up with a plan you can live with!
The attention span is no different from a muscle – if it is not used, it atrophies. An attention span can be built up by constant use. Before you know it, you get so wrapped up in something, you’ve forgotten to make supper. (Then your peeps are really knockin’!)
I must have a phenomenal attention span – !!! – because of the amount of time it took every day (for the three months before the mid-term elections) to unsubscribe, block, and delete the hundreds of political emails that flooded my husband’s inbox, from sites neither of us ever signed up for. (A Massachusetts citizen, I’m not qualified to vote for somebody in Utah. Duh!) Deletion, unsubscribing, blocking as junk – none of it made the least dent in the barrage! I was reduced to wholesale deletion.
Read, watch, and listen: Absolutely vital. I’m always reading two or three books at a time. Over the course of a day or two, my attention in them swaps back and forth. In general, one promotes and informs my profession, and the other is pure pleasure, to cleanse the palate, as it were Both feed my creativity and writing.
I don’t do much watching or listening -to podcasts, etc. – because I don’t find the medium comfortable for long sessions. So I prefer to read – blog posts and such. My online watching and listening are limited to 10 to 15 minutes at most. My online reading tends to be much shorter – being older, I’m hard-wired for hard-copy reading, which uses a different part of the brain than screen-reading.
We do what works best for us. It’s all good!