On managing time to pursue your hobbies.

This is a card I made last night. It took me about 15 minutes. My own design too. :) Nice? :)

Whenever I post something which I have created, I get many mails asking me how I find time to do all this. They tell me to write a post on time management. I have written one such post on simple things in running a home,  here.

When people tell me they hardly get time for their hobbies, I always wonder what is it that I do that leaves me with so much time for all my interests? (Yoga, Art, Writing, Photography, blogging, playing with my Dog and taking care of my home and kids studies and of course spending time with family)

I came up with a few things which work for me:

1. I don't have to commute to work :) That saves me sooooo much time!

2. I don't watch TV at all! I do watch movies though. (am a complete movie buff. But I read up first on IMDB and watch only if I feel its worth my time. I totally loved 'The Descendants' recently. It's a must watch' for married couples, especially married for long)

3. I do USE my time well. For example it takes about 7 -8 minutes in the morning for water to boil (I make a different kind of black coffee with pure coffee beans for which I need to boil the water first) on my stove. I spread my yoga mat on the kitchen floor and I do my Surya namaskars  :)  Or else I use the kitchen counter to support myself and do my push-ups.

4.I cook simple, easy, nutrition filled meals.(Mostly traditional tasty stuff-the kind my grandmom used to make) A lot of time can be saved if you organise stuff you need for cooking. (Example, if I am making Idli-sambar early in the morning, I boil the dal and veggies, late at night, when I am working on my book) . Then total time I spend in my kitchen will be less than 2 hours during a 24 hour period.(My house help makes rotis..I make the sabzi)

5. I don't talk on phone :P I prefer emails or BBM to keep in touch with friends. I call up only very very few people. (to be precise three!)  I think people do 'gab a lot' on the phone which can be a huge time sapper.

 That's all I do really!

If you find yourself constantly struggling for time, you might want to do a 'time audit' Write down for 3-4 days in a row, how you spent each hour of the day. Time is truly precious. It is a crime to squander it away. Once it's gone--that is it--you can never get it back. Use it well.

 Do the things that MATTER to you.
LIVE your life.

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