Hey everyone! Life Coach Carisa here! If you’re anything like I used to be, you might wake up and go to bed thinking there’s just never enough time. Or maybe when someone asks how you are, “busy” is your go-to answer. It was certainly mine! We’ve been conditioned to believe that ‘busy’ equals ‘accomplished,’ right? But I want us to pause for a moment and really question that.

I was recently reflecting on my own mother and grandmother. Can you imagine the sheer amount of manual labor they did? Washing cloth diapers by hand, hanging clothes to dry… it was a completely different level of ‘busy’ compared to our modern conveniences. And yet, many of us still feel utterly overwhelmed. So, what’s really going on here?

The Root of Time Scarcity: Inherited Beliefs & Distraction

I believe a huge part of this feeling comes from what I call inherited beliefs about time. We might be carrying narratives about time and productivity from generations before us without even realizing it.

For me, I grew up seeing a workaholic father who was never satisfied, and a mother who, despite working, was ‘everything’ for us kids. She was always going, rarely showing exhaustion. And my grandmother? A true workhorse. I unconsciously learned that strength equaled constant busyness. It became my ‘normal.’ This pattern can lead to an ingrained belief that being busy is simply ‘how it is.’But here’s the truth: how we think about time is crucial. When I used to constantly tell myself, ‘I never have enough time,’ guess what? I would routinely prove it true. Our minds are incredibly powerful, and if you feed it a narrative of scarcity, it will find ways to confirm it. Add to that the constant distractions of our modern world, and it’s no wonder we feel stretched thin.

Shifting Your Perception: Your Power to Reclaim Time

So, how do we break this cycle? It starts with intentional reframing of your mindset.

One of the most powerful starting points for me was journaling about time. I recognized I had an unhealthy relationship with it. So, I just wrote down everything I thought about time – how scarce it felt, where I thought that feeling came from. Then, I asked myself: ‘I have 24 hours in a day, just like everyone else. What do I want to prioritize in those hours?’ If I want 8 hours of quality sleep, that leaves me with 16 hours to be intentional about work, health, family, and fun. This simple act of journaling helped me see that I get to choose how I spend my time.

And that choice really hit home for me. I can recall being so proud of my ‘busyness,’ feeling like a superwoman. But what I didn’t realize was the price I was paying. I was constantly thinking about the next thing on my to-do list, never fully present with my children when they wanted to connect. I was constantly distracted, which just solidified my belief that I didn’t have enough time for what truly mattered. But the truth is, if one of my family members had a serious need, I would drop everything. It showed me I could prioritize when it really counted.

Alongside journaling, I used affirmations. These are powerful sentences you feed your brain to literally rewire your thinking. Thanks to neuroplasticity, our brains can change! By consistently feeding myself new sentences about how I wanted to view time – things like ‘I have exactly enough time for what matters to me’ – I started to form new neural pathways. And before I knew it, my entire relationship with time had changed. I haven’t said ‘I don’t have enough time’ or ‘I’m so busy’ in over four years! That’s how powerful intentional reframing can be.

The Comparison Trap & My New Book

Now, when we talk about feeling like we don’t have enough time, often there’s another underlying factor at play: comparison. We look at others, fill in the blanks about their capabilities, and often use it against ourselves, further solidifying that negative mindset.

In my new book, ***Why Am I Like This?***, I dedicate a whole chapter to comparison. I share a roadmap for how comparison can actually be healthy, and how you can train your brain to approach it differently, turning it into a tool for growth instead of a source of self-doubt. It’s about recognizing that what you see isn’t always the full story, and your journey is unique.

Your Power to Choose

Ultimately, breaking free from the ‘not enough time’ mindset comes down to recognizing your power to choose. To choose what you prioritize, to choose your thoughts about time, and to choose to be present. You have the exact amount of time you need for the things that truly matter to you in your life, when you shift your perception.

You can learn more about my book at LifeCoachingwithCarisa.com/my-book. And if you’re silently struggling right now, feeling the repeating pattern of never having enough time sign up for a free clarity call on my website – let’s chat about what’s truly underneath that feeling of not enough time.

To dive deeper into this topic, I invite you to watch my latest video.

“Lack of direction, not lack of time, is the problem. We all have twenty-four hour days.“

Zig Ziglar