It felt overwhelming.
I had so much that had to get done before we left, and so few days.
We were quite literally snowed under!
Add to that extra errands for preparing for our first tropical vacation and a few social engagements, and I had no idea how I was going to do it all.
With only 4 days left before the big trip, I woke up and decided there was only one way to do it:
Bend Time
As soon as I decided that bending time was the solution, I said it out loud.
To get this all done, I have to bend time; I said to myself.
I told my husband.
He nodded and encouraged me to do whatever I had to do as he rushed out the door to meet clients.
I posted it on Facebook to a few encouraging cheers.
I told my fur-kids. I don’t think the fur-kids thought it was strange, though. They always bend time. It’s what they do.
So I was faced with the dilemma.
Just what did I mean by bend time?
I knew what the result needed to be.
I needed to accomplish every critical item on my to-do list.
And
I needed to not feel rushed and overwhelmed in the process.
Sure enough, for those days before – and even during – our trip, I felt time warp and stretch to suit my needs.
Several times a day I would check the time and be amazed at how much of it was left.
Bending time served us well!
We had an amazing vacation and every detail that was necessary was taken care of.
The thing was, it wasn’t until I’d been doing it for days that I figured out just what I was doing.
It’s mostly a double-double combo Jedi mind trick, but there’s a dash of practicality mixed in.
You can bend time, too!
These are the steps I followed:
- Set the intention. Understand what you’re doing, what it looks like when you’re doing it, and tell the world. When I’m bending time I don’t feel rushed; I get all the necessary things done, and I always have more than enough time. When I’ve told others I’m going to do it, I feel a sense of responsibility to stick with it.
- Set yourself up to succeed. If I’m going to get everything done, I need to get things accomplished when I have the most energy. I know my brain is fried by dinner time and that I’m pretty foggy for the first hour when I get up. If I get up at an early-ish time, I can take my time waking up before hitting my to-do’s with gusto – and I can rest by evening when I don’t have much in me anyway.
- Be realistic – prioritize. I had a huge list of to-do’s, but some of it included things that need to be accomplished over the next 3 months. Others needed to be done within the week, but I could do it the perfect – and over-the-top time-consuming – way or I could take the shortcut and fix the details later. Choose wisely.
- Be in the present. Even if you haven’t done those first 3 steps, the number one way to bend time is to really be exactly where you are. Are you talking with a friend? Don’t get distracted. Put away the phone (except to check the time). Really listen. Feel how it feels to be with your friend. Relax into the moment. Tell your stories with wit and humour. Laugh with her. Breathe in everything about this time together. You’ll have such a wonderful time, and you’ll be surprised at how much time you have when you pause and take a look at your phone.
- Pour love into it. Write and read your to-do list like you would a love note. Approach your tasks as you would a long lost soul-sister. Notice the people you are with through the eyes of love. Everything moves more beautifully in love.
Bonus – If you want bending time to be all it can be, there’s one more thing you can do.
Once you’ve set your intention to bend time, you’ll find that time is a beautiful song you dance with at your own pace. Enjoy the moves, swing with the beat, cha-cha with every step backward.
This beautiful time is yours. Are you ready to claim it?
Give bending time a try all on your own. If you find being truly present a bit too challenging, you may find the group clearings and butterfly nudges at Retro Sundays will help.
So now that you have the keys to always having enough time, what do you plan to do with this beautiful life of yours?
I enjoyed reading your post. Most people would say that bending time is not possible, but I have to agree with you, the trick is to set the intention. Being in the present helps keep all those yesterday and tomorrow distractions away to leave you fully focused on the tasks. I would also include, Giving Time. It’s a mindset that says…I have all the time in the world to do this task/tasks so you remove hurry from the equations. It’s remarkable how time bends when you don’t have to hurry. Time slows like some space time warp.
Nick Grimshawe
Being there and benefiting from the bending of time made it possible to enjoy the beauty and company in a wonderful setting. You helped make our holiday away more than I could have hoped for. I believe in you and in myself.