This is the beginning of a 5-part series on Taking Back your Life one step at a time. To be honest, it’s not my favorite wording and sounds a bit cheesy to me, but our lives have so easily become dictated by society these days. We let social media tell us where to spend our time and money. We can’t stop scrolling or we buy that new gadget someone’s promoting. We allow our jobs (where we often find our identity) to rule our schedule and energy, leaving us with little by the end of the day. Taking Back is an effort to notice who’s leading your decisions… you or modern-day culture?

We are Called to More than Scrolling

Though we were created and made by Someone who ultimately leads our lives, we have free will and the ability to make choices on a day-to-day basis. We are constantly choosing how to spend our time and resources: Do I spend more time looking at my phone and absorbing other people’s ideas? Should I go for the sweet or indulgent treat that will leave me wanting more? Do I utilize this free time to move my body or binge the new season? While my goal here is never to guilt-trip you into feeling bad over your decisions, I want to challenge you to aim for more.

We are given one body, one life to manage. Yes, we are human, and we will have days where we are low and can only manage to lay on the couch. There is room for that. There is grace. But we are called to something higher, something better. We are called to self-control.

For a long time, my gaze was solely on the world: How is everyone else spending their time, especially those who seem to be succeeding at life? Or I would think, “I should be at the gym. I should be cracking down on my diet. I should appear a certain way.” A mindset like this will leave you reeling and running after perception forever. There is not an end-game.

But when we shift our focus to our own responsibilities, not to be self-absorbed, but rather to be self-aware, we give ourselves room to grow and breathe. We are not competing with someone or something else constantly. Instead, “I should be doing XYZ,” turns into, “How can I use this time, money, or resource effectively?” We stop comparing our results to others’ progress and allow ourselves to be right where we need to be. We cannot rush growth. We cannot change how others function, only ourselves.

The bigger picture: Stop buying the lie that you are missing out. Let’s challenge media and stop subjecting to the demands of society.

Evaluate

Take some time to sit down with a piece of paper. Write down your weekly schedule. (Put down everything that has a pattern, i.e. monthly gatherings, scrolling moments.) Once you’ve done this, highlight where you have “free time” or non-busy moments. Maybe you have a block or two in your week; maybe you have none at all. Wherever you find yourself, it’s most important to just recognize where you fall with available time.

*Make sure to take note of the little tasks too. When are you eating? How long are you taking to get ready in the mornings? How much time are you outside each day?

Eliminate

Take a few more minutes. You can come back a little later or another day, but ideally, do this process in one sitting.

Now, in a separate spot, write down your priorities. Start with 3-5, but everyone has their own amount. Hopefully, you can stay under seven priorities.

Once you have figured out your priorities (and I’m talking non-negotiables), go back through your weekly schedule you wrote before. Circle the activities that don’t fall into your priorities. Now, go through these activities and ask yourself, “If I were to let this go, what would happen?” Then, “Am I willing to let that happen?”

If you answered no, then leave that activity and continue through the rest. The idea is that, eventually, you’re willing to release something or several.

Prioritize

Once you’ve identified which activities you can eliminate, then pay attention to how much time you give to each priority. Does your time given line up with where it falls in importance? This begins to feel tricky with work because often, that dictates much of your time. But believe it or not, if you work a full-time job, your work doesn’t even take 1/3 of your week.

With this in mind, take a look at your week and see how each item lines up with your priorities. If you’re seeing some misalignment, ask if there’s anywhere you can be cutting down this time? Can you restructure your days to mesh with your other priorities?

An example: Do you value exercise and fitness, but family time isn’t getting enough attention? Try playing a sport with your family or taking a hike together. This is called habit-stacking.

Your aim is to structure your week in a way that serves the priorities you value.

Don’t Throw Away Your Time

If we’re not careful, we can throw away our time by indulging in what others are accomplishing, or dreaming away our possibilities, or sacrificing what we stand for to the demands of the cog machine.

You do not have to answer to the world. Take back your time by asking yourself how you’re currently showing up for your values. Tune into your soul.

OG