Why We Don’t Need More Time

Matt Corker
Jul 21, 2017 · 2 min read

86,400 seconds.

1440 minutes.

24 hours.

1 day.

We’re all given the same amount of time to live our lives the way we choose.

And that’s just it — we get to choose how we spend our time. But we experience it as giving it up to do what we need to do, or should do, or have to do.

The proposal my boss needs by tomorrow?

The spin class I scheduled in the morning for 6:00am?

The client meeting that went over by two hours?

When we read these, it’s like, “My time is taken up by all of my commitments and I need more time to do what I want.”

We spend our days based on how we prioritize what we have going on and what our energy levels are. Maybe I got home late last night because of a delayed flight and want to sleep in with my partner in the morning. Or, maybe I value family time and make sure that every Sunday night I hold a large potluck dinner.

Ask yourself: How do I prioritize? Based on what’s most important? What’s urgent? My values? My goals? My commitments?

Either way, our priorities change based on where life takes us and we’re in a constant battle of having time vs giving up time.

So, what’s the magical solution?

It’s simple, really.

We don’t need more time.

Why?

Because we’re chasing something we already have. The time is here and it’s ours — if we keep looking for more, we’ll never have enough.

We can commit to erasing “I have to…” from our vocab and replacing it with “I get to…” or “I choose to…” and notice how that shifts the level of responsibility we experience around where we spend our time.

So stop reading this article, go back to whatever you’re taking a break from, and use the time you have to do exactly what you want to do.


Matt is the man everyone wants to lead their team. He is one half of the bro-sis combo that makes up the Corker Company and co-creator of the Manager Start Line, an online training program for high-performance managers.

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Matt Corker

Written by

I love sweaty workouts, bold goals, inspiring communities + ice cream. Author + People Consultant @ The Corker Co. Co-Creator of The Manager Start Line.

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