The Time Crunch

One of the most common excuses we use when we don’t really want to do something is: “I don’t have time for that/I’m too busy”. As far as excuses go, it’s also a relatively well accepted one - whether we are saying it to ourselves or to others. Finally, it’s probably the number one excuse I hear for why people didn’t do their rehab exercises or why they aren’t taking care of themselves properly (be that eating a healthy diet, sleeping well, getting active, etc.) So I thought perhaps we could look into how valid that excuse actually is.

Our busy schedules get put to the test when an unforeseen hurdle or emergency situation arises. It could be a flood in our house, a good friend who needs a hand, a car breaks down, or even something like a technology glitch that takes our phone or internet out of commission for awhile. Inconvenient, yes, but regardless of how busy we may be, somehow it seems we magically conjure up extra hours we didn’t think we had and deal with it. So it would appear that these hassles help show us that we actually have more time than we think. At the end of the day, when something occurs that we deem important enough to deal with urgently, we do. So when you tell yourself you don’t have time, think about the days that you navigated those hurdles that took hours - even when you thought you didn’t have minutes to spare. Consider that perhaps when say we don’t have time for something, is it really that we don’t have time, or is it perhaps that we don’t want to make it a priority?

As we’ve discussed previously, being healthy can sometimes seem expensive, not only on our wallet but also on our clocks. That being said, the other option (being sick, injured or unwell), is far more expensive - in every department! If you don’t have time in the day to exercise, eat well, or calm your mind, then I guarantee you certainly don’t have time to be unhealthy or out of commission. Appointments are expensive, they are also time consuming and it’s a rare occurrence that openings in a practitioner’s schedule align perfectly with your schedule - especially when you need unexpected visits that aren’t planned in advance. So although it doesn’t seem like a priority when you are feeling relatively well, think about making your health important enough that it makes the cut onto that busy schedule of yours. The little things we do to improve our health don’t really take as much time as we think and can end up saving a lot of time and money down the road. Perhaps booking a few maintenance visits with some of your healthcare providers could also be beneficial. Talk to each of them and see if that would be appropriate for you or not. Sometimes doing a bit of maintenance and preventative care can help reduce the frequency of unplanned incidents and flare ups of a condition. As a bonus, those sort of visits can usually be booked further out so you get more choice of appointment times, making it easier to slot them into your schedule.

We should also remember that when it comes to our health we don’t necessarily need to carve out huge chunks of time to make a positive difference. Just replacing an unhealthy snack with a healthier option is a step in the right direction. Individually packaged snacks can seem more convenient when we’re short on time, but I assure you there are many “portable” fruits and vegetables out there that don’t require much prep time. And heck, the ones like bananas and oranges even come individually wrapped in their own peel so technically they too are pre-packaged and ready to grab and go as well! Opting for the stairs, parking further away, or sneaking in a few short walks can really add up to higher step counts each day. When you’re feeling tight on time, you don’t necessarily need an hour or two of a healthy practice to make it worth while, just slip in little bits here and there (that applies to excise, diet, stress reduction, mental health techniques and much more). 

Finally, checking in on our efficiency is another tool that can help conquer the time crunch. They say if you need something done, you should ask a busy person. That’s not because busy people have any more time in the day, but they’ve got momentum and are good at limiting wasted idle time - and we’re all capable of that. Physics has taught us that a body in motion stays in motion and a body at rest stays at rest. Staying productive and limiting the wasted time allows you to spend more of it on the things you love. 

So if you’re feeling the time crunch lately ask yourself a few questions: Am I making time for what really matters? Am I making my health a priority or am I pushing my limits and taking it for granted? Am I using the hours in my day effectively and efficiently? Then, see if you might need to make a few adjustments to your schedule. You do have time for the things that are a priority, emergencies and unexpected hurdles have taught us that - the only tricky part can be making sure you’re clear on what your priorities actually are!