Time Well Spent: How to Create Space in Your Week for What Matters

Ever feel like time is slipping through your fingers like sand? You swear it’s Monday morning, and then suddenly—BAM—it’s Sunday night, and you’re wondering where the hell the last seven days disappeared to. Did you actually get anything meaningful done? Or did you just run around like a headless chicken, putting out other people’s fires, responding to a million messages, and getting sucked into an abyss of Netflix and TikTok?

If you’ve ever collapsed onto your sofa at the end of the week, exhausted but unsure what you actually accomplished, welcome to the club. You are not alone. The truth is, most of us aren’t busy—we’re just overwhelmed. And when you’re overwhelmed, it’s easy to confuse activity with progress.

So here’s the good news: you don’t need more time. You just need to start spending it differently. Because while you might not be able to magic an extra five hours into your day, you can reclaim the ones that are already slipping through the cracks.

Here’s the cold, hard truth: no one is actually too busy. We all have the same 24 hours, but how we choose to spend them makes all the difference. Saying “I don’t have time” is often just a polite way of saying “It’s not a priority right now.” And that’s fine—as long as you’re being honest with yourself.

Let’s take a little audit of where your time actually goes. Have you ever opened Instagram for “just five minutes” and resurfaced 45 minutes later, having somehow ended up deep in a stranger’s holiday album from 2017? Or spent an entire afternoon doing “life admin” that, in hindsight, could have been wrapped up in 30 minutes if you’d just tackled it head-on instead of procrastinating between tasks? Yep. Thought so.

The real issue isn’t time—it’s how we’re using it. And most of us are guilty of spending way too much of it on things that don’t truly matter. So before you tell yourself you “don’t have time” for that creative project, that side hustle, or just an hour to breathe, take a look at where your time is actually going. You might be surprised at how much of it you’re giving away to things that don’t deserve it.

Most people, when they want to be more productive, start making to-do lists. But here’s a radical idea: instead of adding more things to your plate, what if you just cut some things out?

Meet your new best friend: the STOP-DOING list. This is where you get brutally honest about the things that are sucking up your time, draining your energy, and adding zero value to your life. Think of it like a declutter session for your schedule.

Maybe it’s saying yes to social events you don’t actually want to go to. Maybe it’s scrolling mindlessly for hours. Maybe it’s feeling obligated to reply to every single message the second it comes through. Maybe it’s taking on responsibilities that, deep down, you know aren’t actually yours to carry.

Write them down. Acknowledge them. And then? Start letting them go. Because the truth is, your time is finite. Every minute spent on something pointless is a minute you’re not spending on something meaningful. And you deserve better than that.

One of the biggest lies we tell ourselves is that we’ll “get to it later.” We’ll start that creative project when we have more time. We’ll focus on our business idea when things calm down. We’ll take that break when the to-do list is done.

Spoiler alert: that magical ‘right time’ is never coming.

Life is always going to be busy. There will always be distractions. There will never be a perfect, peaceful, responsibility-free window where everything magically aligns. The people who make things happen? They’re not waiting for the right time—they’re just starting, imperfectly, right where they are.

So whatever it is that’s been sitting on the backburner—whether it’s writing a book, launching a side hustle, or just carving out an hour for yourself each day—start now. Even if it’s messy. Even if it’s just five minutes. Because waiting for the perfect moment is just another way of saying, “I’m never going to do this.”

If the idea of taking control of your time feels overwhelming, here’s a simple but ridiculously effective solution: the One-Hour Rule.

Every day, you set aside one hour for something that actually matters to you. No excuses, no distractions, no guilt. Just one solid, intentional hour focused on the things that light you up.

What you do with that hour is entirely up to you. Maybe it’s writing that business plan. Maybe it’s finally starting that knitting project. Maybe it’s reading a book, going for a walk, or just sitting in peace with a cup of tea. The point is, it’s your time, and it’s protected.

One hour a day might not sound like much, but do the maths—that’s seven hours a week, 30 hours a month, 365 hours a year. That’s an entire part-time job worth of hours poured into something meaningful, instead of mindless scrolling or other time-drains.

Because here’s the thing: you already have the time. You just need to start using it with purpose.

Time doesn’t control you—you control it. And every excuse that says otherwise is just fear disguised as logic. It’s easy to say, “I’ll start when things settle down,” but here’s the reality: things never settle down. Life will always be busy. There will always be distractions, obligations, and reasons to delay.

But the only difference between the people who make things happen and the ones who don’t? The ones who make things happen start.

Now it’s your turn. No more reading, nodding along, and then carrying on exactly as before. Pick one thing—just one—that you’re reclaiming time for this week. Write it down. Set a reminder. Make it happen.

If you need support, if you need accountability, if you need a group of smart, motivated women cheering you on—join The Crofties Community. We’re all about making real changes, taking action, and creating lives that actually make sense.

Your time is yours. It’s time to start spending it like it matters. Because it does. And so do you.

Now—go reclaim your damn time.