We’ve all got a dream project - something we’re telling ourselves that we’ll get around to one day. It could be that novel we want to write, that new career we want to launch, that skill we’d love to develop, that language we’re keen to learn, the level of fitness we’d like to achieve, etc.
The problem? For most of us, we’ve also got a lot of other things going on: work, family, friends, chores, volunteering... The seems to infinitely continue and those dream projects might seem destined to remain just dreams. A big long-term project could take an hour a day to make progress on. Where are you going to
find the time?
The quick answer is – you’re not. You’re going to make the time for your dream project. Here’s how:
- First: Pick One Thing
Don’t try to pursue twenty dreams at once. This might be the year when you write a novel. It won’t be the year when you write a novel, run a marathon, save $10,000, learn Mandarin, publish a daily webcomic...
Many of us are very good at starting new projects – and very bad at finishing them. Most life and career coaches advise sticking to one key project at a time, until it’s complete, or (if it’s something ongoing like a fitness program) until it’s firmly established in your life. There is absolutely nothing wrong with wanting to try a ton of different things. However, you have to admit that it would be tough to find the time for that let alone mentally focusing on them all.
- Second: Identify Unproductive TimeMost of us, however super-efficient we might be, have some gaps in our day of time which we rarely use productively. Perhaps you always spend your lunch hour reading blogs, or you sit straight down in front of the television when you get home in the evenings. Maybe your weekend mornings are non-existent because you lie in till noon.
Where do you have chunks of time that could be reclaimed for your dream project? Try to find at least a couple of hours a week that you could use: perhaps on Tuesdays, there’s nothing good on television, so you’ll commit to spending 8pm – 10pm pursuing your dreams. I am not saying that you have to give up everything that you have deemed as downtime or the things that you use to relax, but if you are serious about accomplishing a dream project, be prepared to make some choices.
- Third: Double-up Your Time
A great way to make more time is to double-up. That means engaging in two activities at the same time. I don’t mean working on your dream project while you should be working for your employer, I mean using periods of time like your commute or the time you spend chopping vegetables for dinner. Identify any time-consuming parts of your day which involve mainly physical, rather than mental, effort. For some projects, these are ripe for doubling-up.
Here are just a few ideas of how your time could double-up:
- Writing poetry on the bus to work
- Listening to language CDs during your workout
- Playing audiobooks about the new career you’re planning whilst making dinner
- Knitting that afghan while you listen to the radio
- Fourth: Get Your Time Back
If you can’t find enough time for your dream project by using unproductive time and by doubling-up, you need to look into some ways to get your time back. There are two possibilities here: either you negotiate with a partner or friend, or you pay for assistance.
For example, if you find that an hour of your evening is spent cooking dinner and washing up, why not ask your partner to cook every other day? While they’re doing so, you can work on your project.
If you don’t have a partner, or if they’re unable/unwilling to help out, look for paid help. Personal development blogger Sid Savara found that the price of pursuing his dreams was just $60/week:
For just $60 a week, I’ve bought myself some time to chase after some dreams: more time to workout, play guitar, and write in this blog. For $60 I managed to free up 10 hours every week!
Some other ideas are:
- Rope in your kids to help with chores or basic kitchen tasks (you may have to bribe them, but it’ll be cheaper than employing someone else!)
- Do all your shopping online – no more Saturdays spent battling the crowds.
- Cut back on some of the committees or voluntary groups that are eating up your time. Don’t feel you have to say “yes” to every request.
- Swap child-care duties with another family: you have their kids round one evening a week, and vice versa. This could give you several free hours to work on your project.
What’s your dream project? How have you made time for it – or how are you going to?
 | Written on 2/2/2009 by Ali Hale. Ali runs Alpha Student, a blog packed with academic, financial and practical tips to help students get the most out of their time at university. | Photo Credit: nertzy |
译文:
为你的“梦想计划”创造时间
我们都有自己的”梦想计划“--那些心里头想着有一天要做到的事情。它可以是我们想写的小说，想要开始的新职业，希望提高的技能，很想学的语言，期望达到的健康水平等等。
问题是？绝大多数人都有太多的其他事情在做：工作、家庭、朋友、杂务、义务活动... 这些可得继续，那些“梦想计划”好像注定仅仅是梦想而已。一个大的长期计划可能得花上每天一小时的时间才有进展。你能从哪里“挤”出时间来呢？
即刻的回答是--“挤”不出来。你将为自己的“梦想计划”“创造 ” 时间。以下是如何创造：
别试着一下子追求20个梦想。就好像，这一年你能写一部小说，但不可能同时写一部小说，跑一场马拉松、存10000美元、学中文、出版一部每日网路漫画...
许多人擅长开始新计划--且又不长于完成它们。大多数生活和职业指导师建议人们在一段时间内坚持一个最重要的计划，直到完成或(如果是象健康计划那样持续性的事情)已牢牢根植于你的生活之中。想尝试做大量不同的事情绝没有错。然而你得承认，要找到时间来做所有这些已很困难，更别提在心理上做到同样重视。
大多数人，无论能达到多么的超效，一天中总有些不怎么富有成效地度过的缝隙。也许你一直在午餐时间看博客，也许晚上一回家，你就径直地坐到了电视机面前。因为一直睡懒觉到中午，周末的早晨对你而言或许并不存在。
在哪些地方，有大片的时间能收回用于你的“梦想计划”呢？试着找出一周中至少几小时能使用的时间：也许在星期二，电视上没什么好看的，那么你就能把晚上8点至10点用在实现梦想上。我不是说你必须要放弃所有空闲时间或用来放松的事情，但若你认真去完成“梦想计划”，就得准备好做出些选择。
创造更多时间的好办法是让时间变得双倍高效。这意味着同一时间从事两种活动。我不是指你应在为雇主工作时同时进行你的“梦想计划”，我指的是两地往返路上或为晚餐切蔬菜的时间。找出你一天中任何费时、并主要牵涉体力而非脑力付出的时段。对一些计划来说，它们是使时间双倍高效的好时机。
这里只是如何让你的时间变得双倍高效的一些想法：
- 乘车往工作地点的途中写诗。
- 健身时听学语言的CD。
- 做晚餐时，打开有关你计划的新职业的声讯电子书。
- 听收音机的同时织软毛毯。
如使用虚度的时间和让时间双倍高效的做法，还是不能让你为“梦想计划”找到足够时间，你需要了解些找回时间的办法。这儿有两种可能性：要么和一个搭档或朋友交涉，要么付钱寻找援助。
例如，若你发现晚上有一个小时被用在做晚饭和洗餐具上，何不让你的搭档每隔一天做一次饭 ？当他们做这些时，你可以从事你的计划。
如果你没有搭档，或他们不能或不想帮忙，寻求收费的援助。个人发展博客主人Sid Savara就发现追求他的梦想的代价仅仅为每周60美元：
“每周仅需60美元，我就为自己买到了追求梦想的时间：更多的时间来健身、弹吉他、在博客上写作。60美元让我每周可空出来10小时！ ”
其他的办法有：
- 说服你的小孩帮助做些家务或基本的厨房活（也许你得贿赂他们才行，但这也比雇佣其他任何人要便宜！）
- 全部采用网上购物--星期六不再挣扎在拥挤人群中度过。
- 少参加耗尽你时间的那些委员会或志愿团体。不要觉得你必须同意所有请求。
- 和另一个家庭交换照看孩子：每周的一个晚上你请他们的孩子来做客，反过来他们家也一样。这能为你从事“梦想计划”提供好几小时自由时间。
你的梦想计划是什么呢？你是怎么为它创造时间的--或者说你打算怎么创造？
