Is summer your favorite time of year? It is definitely mine, and I’m sure you must be thinking it’s already flying by. Memorial day has passed and we know we only have until Labor Day to satisfy our summer bucket list. How are we going to use our time? Are we going to merely frolic in the lazy days of summer or are we going to take advantage of the warm weather and be more productive with our outdoor projects? For me, summer energies me…the days are longer, the sun is brighter, and I want to get out and do something.
I read a life changing book about how people manage their time (168 hours: You Have More Time Than You Think) and it was mind boggling to realize how many people do not utilize the extra hours of their days in a week. Yes, everybody has extra hours of down time when they are not sleeping or not working. Nobody works 24/7, it would be physically impossible. Many of us are not aware of this and so valuble hours can easily slip by. The book changed how I look at time forever. Thank you Laura, my time-management guru.
Here’s how she can change your life too. Back to our summer plans. She’s already crunched the numbers. From Memorial Day to Labor Day there are 14 weeks. Do the simple math; multiply 168 hours and you get 2352 hours. Now that’s some big chunk of change, ya think? If you are lucky and get 8 hours a night sleep, then deduct another 784 hours. And if you work 12 of those 14 weeks, subtract roughly about 480 hours, which leaves you well over 1000 glorious extra hours of leisure time!! OMG, you’ve hit the lottery. This is precious time, do not waste it!
Organize it, make smart choices, manage your time because you own it , it’s yours. Plan your bucket list and aspire to satisfy it. Spend your hours doing anything you enjoy doing. Make more time for your family and friends. Ride a bike, take a hike, read the book you’ve never have the time to, create a new hobby, rise early before the dawn, bask in the sunshine of a summer day, and catch the beauty of a brilliant sunset.
Plant, grow a garden, or paint a room. Or maybe be more ambitious and clean out the garage, basement or attic? And yes, maybe even take a delicious nap on a hammock. Enjoy the priceless summer hours, you cannot take them back in winter. Make them count now and savor them forever.
This is YOUR time, YOUR summer. Ask yourself this…what will you be doing with all those hours?