There is only time. You do not have to find it, make it, or schedule it. The time is there for you to use or ignore, however you see fit.

We like to think that we can make time. That presupposes that we have some sort of influence over the day, that there won’t be a thousand busy minutes filling up our hectic schedules. If we could make time, we could just give ourselves more of it whenever we needed.

You can’t find time either. It’s not like people are walking down the street, dropping seconds out their pockets like pennies. I can’t do a drive our hand out tax receipts for time. It has value, but it cannot be lost or stolen, simply wasted by inefficiencies.

And if you think a schedule is going to fix this problem, think again. Don’t get me wrong, it’s definitely a step in the right direction, but a good schedule is not the end-all, be-all. Writing on a schedule provides you with the opportunity but it’s up to you to take hold of it. Just having the time doesn’t mean you will make the most of it.

It’s best if we start thinking over time something valuable and precious. Because it can be so easily mismanaged we have to take ownership of those moments in our day. Writing is an investment and we have to consider the returns. Do we really need to make another cup of tea? Is this really the right time for us to consider our tax returns? How can we stop looking for the excuses to not write and just get on with the business of being creative.

You can’t find make or schedule time but you can certainly waste it. Keep that in mind as you make your way through your days. Yes, you need to have routines and it’s good to take breaks, but just make sure that everything is in balance. In the end, if you are losing time, it’s no one’s fault but your own.

There is only time, but for us, it is in limited supply.