The other day I heard these words, “The world will fill your time.” As the summer winds to an end, I find myself realizing the truth of this statement. My sunny summer days are filled. I drift from one thing to another and suddenly it’s bedtime again. I have no trouble filling my time with stuff.
Is that stuff the best use of my time? Well, that depends on what I value. If you value a quiet, unhurried life with basically the same things going on each day, then you’re going to be happy doing this. For part of the summer, this schedule makes me very happy.
Fall Is Time To Focus
It doesn’t last, though. By the time the air starts to chill, I’m eager to learn, grow and build again. Then, drifting through my days doesn’t feel like a sustainable model. It annoys me. Any progress that I was hoping to make on the projects that interest me have stalled. Time passes by without any change happening and I feel frustrated, like I’ve wasted my time.
It’s My Time To Use Or Waste
That’s another thing that I value: my time. It’s not an ubiquitous “the time.” This is MY time on earth that the world is filling for me! While it’s true that none of us have control over how much time we get, by drifting through my days, I’m giving up a valuable resource. How I use my time is one of the few things that I have control over.
Make Plans To Work On Your Goals
To avoid having the world fill my time for me, I’ve found that I need to be proactive. It’s a bit of a struggle for me because I’m easily distracted. I’ve tried imposing a structure on myself but myself is super-sneaky. It knows that the structure is self-imposed and not real. Therefore, my structure crumbles at the first obstacle. See my day planner experiment.
Looking Back To Discover What Worked
When I was teaching, my work world was extremely structured by others with a timetable of what was happening each day. I got a lot done within that framework. When I retired in midlife, there was absolutely no structure and I floundered. I’ve learned that I need some external organization and the presence of others, to keep me accountable.
External Structure Helps Move You Towards Your Goals
By signing up for a course/class that meets regularly, I can make progress.
- It’s harder for me to wriggle out of showing up when I’ve paid to be part of something.
- There are others there. We share a goal and help each other stay on track by showing up to do the course/class together.
- There’s also a set time for me to do the thing. This ensures that I dedicate a consistent time to the goal.
Perhaps you do this, or just phone a friend and agree on a regular time to meet each week for a walk or a trip to the gym. The ingredients are the same: a set time, a goal for that time, and at least one other person to keep you from cancelling.
In the near future, I’m hoping to use virtual co-working as another way to provide myself with the external structure that I need, to stay focused on filling my time with what’s important to me.
What are some of the ways that you prevent the world from filling your time? Comment below.
Retired, And Now What? 
Love this post, Caroline. I try to be very intentional about how I spend each day. I think of the analogy of the jar filled with rocks and sand. It comes down to knowing what your “big rocks” are and putting them into your day first. Everything else is sand.
Earlier this year, I re-read Joshua Becker’s book, “Things That Matter”. It really helped me relook at distractions and stay focused on what matters to me.
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This analogy of the rocks in the jar is really smart. It allows you to choose some big rocks for the day and then not worry about the sand that fills up the rest. Now to figure out how many rocks will fit in the jar each day… lol
A book recommendation is always welcome and something to investigate. Thank you.
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Ha ha. That is definitely the challenge! 😂
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