Time. It’s the concept of change that is forever advancing and is always absconding right before our eyes. This abstraction was first created for humans to survive and live as a species, but now is the limit to do so. Every day, you see people require time to be deposited for their dreams and passions, but it’s never the priority so that time dissipates by their schedule which includes everything that is expected for a human being to live. Work, sleep, eat, family, friends, entertainment. Others will blame themselves for this “waste” of time with the belief that not everything they do is essential. Although this responsibility might be rightfully placed, it’s not to say that they can be blamed. We live in a tempting world where everything is part of a cycle. We have the entertainment to cope with living because we are not satisfied with what we’re doing. We’re not satisfied with what we’re doing because we don’t have enough time to accomplish what our hearts truly desire and we don’t have enough time because we are doing everything else.
Personally, I believed that more time would be the answer to every problem, aspiration, and obstacle I was going through, that is until 2020. Before last year, I felt with all my heart that time was what I needed to be the best version of myself and accomplish all that I wanted to. I never doubted for a second that the lack of time wasn’t my problem, at least it was the source. How couldn’t it be the solution? If you want to get in better shape, you need more time to exercise. If you want to eat healthier, you need more time to plan and cook meals. If you want better grades, you need more time to study. If you want to explore a passion or work on a side hustle, you need more time.
2020 made me realize that I don’t need more time, but that I wanted it. This need for more time was the result of unrealistic planning and the lack of prioritization. In 2019, I would have considered myself a prioritizer. I would make sure to finish my assignments for my classes before I would work on the newspaper. I would make sure to finish my work before I went on my phone. I would make sure to do chores before I had a snack. For 2019 me, that was prioritization. This resulted in success at the top of my list but next to nothing by the end of it. I didn’t understand what I was doing wrong. I could only pinpoint the so-called fact that time was what I lacked.
With the knowledge of that two-week extension to march break, I expected to be living my ideal life. Why? Because of the overabundance of time I expected to have. Yes, I would lose my social life but like anyone else, I believed it to be temporary. Two weeks into this assumed-plethora of time, I wasn’t making nearly as much progress toward my goals as I thought I would. To that, I thought: “maybe I’m being a bit unrealistic. Rather than expecting the absolute maximum, I should set my expectations to merely be more than what I could do before.” This lasted for a bit, but when school started this strategy proved to be defective.
What was I doing wrong? I had all the time I ever wanted and somehow couldn’t accomplish a fraction of what I thought I would.
This is when I realized one of the most important lessons I have ever learned. If you want something done you have to make the time, rather than just want it. Like anyone, you have heard the quote before. I thought the intention was right, but its purpose is pointless- how do you make time?
After so long, 2020 taught me that waiting for there to finally be this rare abundance of time is not a reliable nor a correct strategy. It taught me that making time means actively prioritizing what’s important to you. Not saying that you will get to it when you have the time, but ensuring that it is a part of your everyday agenda.
Since this awareness, I have noticed exponential growth in my productivity and accomplishments, not to say that this new mindset isn’t still a work in progress but it is continually getting better. Due to this recognition and a new mentality, 2020 has changed my life. In fact, saying that 2020 changed my life is an understatement. It changed how I live my life and I couldn’t wish for something better.