Time Freedom…It sounds so good. If you say it out loud it will may you feel great. But, what is Time freedom and how can we achieve it? Keep reading to find out.
Priorities, the first step towards Time Freedom
In order to achieve Time Freedom you need to understand where you are, and where you want to be.
After being clinically dead for 25 seconds due to a cardiac arrest when I was 19, I realized that my life was not what I wanted to have, where I wanted to be, and who I wanted to spend my time with. I was a people pleaser.
I decided to take a different approach to life. I started traveling and moved to London. And from there on, I promised myself that I would live an intentional life: everything I wanted in my life would be a priority to me, and whatever I did not want, I would cut out. No matter if this is people, jobs, activities, or things. So ever since that before and after breaking point, decision-making has not been easy but became much more simple: If it is not a “hell yes”, then it is a no.
It is not always so easy to do this, because sometimes you have to cut out things that are fun or you think you really want but are not adding to your life. I decided to create time freedom in my life.
What is Time Freedom?
Time freedom to me is when you consciously and intentionally choose what you do with your life, who you include in your life, and where and how you spend your time.
To achieve Time Freedom, you have to set boundaries and be really clear in your priorities.
I haven’t watched TV or Netflix for over 10 years, I don’t party anymore, and I don’t drink alcohol. I cut out so many things in my life to be where I am now.
It really comes down to what you are willing to prioritize in your life.
Do you prioritize watching Netflix 2 hours a day or going on a hike, painting, or walking at the beach? Does Netflix give something to you? Where can you get more out of life?
The lack of Time Freedom leads to brainwashing
Patriarchy has been telling us for hundreds of years that we have to be faster, stronger, and do more in a shorter time.
But by doing so, everyone is losing out on quality: quality of life, quality of moments, and quality of people you spend time with.
If you think about it, we cannot really think because we don’t have time to think and reflect on what we want out of our lives.
So when we don’t think, we get our thoughts from social media, influencers, the news, etc. We are brainwashed in all the things that we have to do, the things we think we need to do, and the things we think we want to have.
It is not us anymore who decides, but it is the input from the outside.
When we slow down and we cut the outside influences and the bullshit, we can come back to ourselves and hear what it is that we want, what we don’t want, and what we desire.
There might be things that we do all the time… but have we ever stopped to think…do I really want it?
Slowing down allows us to get to all of the things that we really want with more quality and more impact.
I help people to focus more and slow down to create more Time Freedom.
Actionable Steps to prioritize
Step 1: Track your Time
Start by tracking your time for 3 weeks. You can use Toggl.
Track everything that you do. The time you spend scrolling on social media, the time you spend reading the news, and even the time spent doing nothing.
The reason why you should do this is that you will see how many things you do that you are not aware of.
With Toggle you just need to push a button when you start and finish the activity and name it.
I don’t want you to judge the outcome. This is a judgment-free exercise. The goal is to raise awareness. “Oh wow, I am doing this for half an hour. Do I really need to do this?”
You normally think that you are scrolling on social media for only half an hour a day, but with this exercise, you might actually realize that you do it half an hour four times a day.
Our brain is creating stories to keep us safe.
In order to step into a new reality we need to be aware first. We need to get uncomfortable.
Step 2: Set Priorities
Once we track all our activities, we need to assess where we spend time that is unnecessary to spend.
After that, we need to set our priorities.
What are priorities? Priorities are things that you decide you really want to spend your time on, and this time is invested so that you get something back: joy and peace, money or time back.
You invest time in these things, not spend it. This is a huge shift, and when you understand this, you will use your time really differently.
You can use methods to set priorities. In my book, The T.I.M.E. Method, I wrote about 3 different ways to prioritize. But you can also make it really simple and every time you think of an activity, ask yourself these questions to decide if you prioritize it: Does it give me money back, does it give me time back, does it give me peace of mind?
If the answer is yes, you can invest time in that task. If the answer is no, then better skip it.
How to take advantage of your Chronobiology to achieve Time Freedom
Scheduling is a great way to start getting more structure in your life.
Our brains are built on structures, and the way our brain works is based on routines and habits. This is why habits and routines, and habit stacking, will help you to create more time freedom.
How can structure create more time freedom for you?
I created the Chrono Energy Types which help you to be within your circadian rhythm and chronobiology: when you go to sleep, when you wake up, etc.
There are certain types of Chrono Energy that we know for quite a few years. In my research and my work over the past 15 years with a lot of high performer leaders, CEOs, entrepreneurs and employees, I realized that there is another thing that influences us, and this is our energy flow through the day.
The energy comes in waves and is connected to the moon cycle and to the chronobiology and circadian rhythms.
When you track your tasks, you can see when your energy is high and when it is really low. And you can schedule your time based on your energy flow: You want to schedule the most important things when your energy is high. You can do short tasks when your energy is low.
If you would like to know what is your Chrono-Energy Type to take advantage of your energy flows to create more time freedom, take the free quiz here.
If you are a busy, overwhelmed entrepreneur or business owner
ready to leave the hustle & grind behind – and step into a new reality of work-life integration I strongly advise you to join THE T.I.M.E. ALCHEMY KOLLEKTIV. You can read all the details here.
This blog post was created based on the below Podcast Episode hosted by Jeff Mendelson.
You can play it here below. Enjoy it.
Want to learn more about your Chrono-Energy type and how to use it to your advantage?
We have the perfect workshop for our members in the Time Alchemy Kollektiv.
Join us today and get immediate access to this amazing workshop:
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