I’m sure lot’s of us would love to. It’s easy to fantasise about just one more hour in bed. Or turning the clocks back just a little each evening as we try to cram in all the things we enjoy doing before it gets too late in the evening. Here I am to burst that bubble of thinking that someone will come and grant you that 25th hour to your day, it’s just not going to happen! What we can do is start to take more control of our time, and I can promise you that once you get into the practice of this, you’ll stop wishing for more time and begin to feel gratitude towards the fact that you’ve been intentional with the time that you’ve been given.

Here’s why being present can give you control over time and make your days feel full.

 

How do you view time?

 

We all understand the concept of the past, present and future and that time is used to measure the sequence of events. We understand that time is continuous and irreversible, once a minute has passed, that’s it, it’s gone. Time has such a huge importance in religion, philosophy and science, and in our everyday lives it can feel like it is a big focus of how we operate. Between scheduled meetings, appointments and even something such as a workout, these are often controlled by the time set out for them and how we’ll fit everything else around it. Whether you have a jam packed diary or a more relaxed routine, time comes into play a lot.

The thing is, there are so many intricacies to time, something we all know to be true is that 1 hour can drag if you’re in a meeting you don’t want to be in, or stuck in traffic. But the same 1 hour can fly by when you’re scrolling on your phone or lost in a good book. Thinking to those moments when you’re laughing with friends over dinner – suddenly the restaurant is closing and you’re the last ones there. It’s like time is flying past because you’re so deep in whats in front of you.

One thing I notice is that I seem to feel like ‘time is running out’ when I’m not being present. And changing that over the past few months has helped me massively.

 

Getting started on being more present

 

What does it mean to you to be present? Do you need to be tech free, outdoors or focused? Well, you could be, but no, that’s not the meaning behind it. Being present, to me means being intentional with what I do rather than just going through the motions. It means putting your energy and attention to what’s happening in the present moment. There are loads of tips online about how to be more present; I’d say not to get caught up in other people’s tips and look inwards for what the answer might look like for you. Because being present for me means putting my phone away as often as possible, actively listening to others, spending time alone and listening to my body. This might look completely different for you, we all have our own ways of being present.

 

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