Rethinking Time: Prioritisation as the Key to Mental Wellbeing

Are you making time for the things that truly support your mental health—your healing, your self-care, and a balanced life?

Or do you find yourself racing from task to task, constantly busy but never truly productive, ending your day exhausted, frustrated, and wondering why you still feel stuck?

If that sounds familiar, you’re not alone.

“I Just Don’t Have Time…”

How many times have you said that?

You’re juggling responsibilities, trying to tick off every box on your to-do list, yet at the end of the day, the things you want to do—exercise, read, rest, connect—get pushed aside. You’re left drained, with no energy or time for yourself.

And yet, here’s the truth: this cycle isn't serving you.

It might give you a temporary high—a sense of adrenaline and momentum—but once the rush fades, it often leaves behind a cocktail of emotions: guilt, self-doubt, shame, or a lingering sense that you’re not doing enough.

That inner voice? It whispers (or shouts), “You just need to try harder. Do more. Push more.”

But is that really helping you?

A New Perspective: Prioritisation Over Time Management

What if the issue isn’t about managing your time better?

What if it’s about choosing better?

It might be time to train that inner voice to speak with more kindness and clarity.
It might be time to prioritise, rather than obsess over time.
It might be time to think differently about your day to create the life you’re truly seeking.

These small shifts—mental, emotional, and practical—can be the difference between constant depletion and renewed energy.

The truth is, the hardest part is starting. Change is uncomfortable. And even if your current situation doesn’t feel good, it’s familiar—and sometimes, familiarity feels safer than the unknown.

But let’s be honest: staying stuck is its own kind of discomfort.

Real Talk: This Isn’t a Quick Fix

This mindset shift won’t magically grant you a lottery win, a new career, or a perfect body. But it will change your inner dialogue. It will help you see your day—and your energy—in a new light.

Instead of seeing time as something slipping through your fingers, you begin to see it as something you direct with intention. And that, in itself, is empowering.

Here’s how to begin.

Practical Steps to Help You Prioritise What Truly Matters

1. What Does Your Day Look Like?

Take a moment to reflect on how you’re spending your time. What’s actually getting your attention each day? What’s being consistently pushed aside?

Then ask yourself:
Am I spending time on what truly matters to me, or just what feels urgent?

2. Shift Your Language

Instead of saying, “I didn’t have time to go to the gym today,” reframe it:
“Today, I prioritised household chores over going to the gym.”

See the difference? That shift gives you agency. You’re no longer at the mercy of time—you’re in charge of where it goes.

3. Make Space for the “Want To’s”

If your day is filled only with “have to’s,” your mind and body never get a chance to recharge. Start small. Carve out just 20 minutes for something that energises or soothes you—reading, walking, meditating, or simply sitting with a cup of tea.

By making space for what you love, you reinforce the message that you matter, and your needs deserve to be met too.

Closing Thought

When you shift from trying to manage time to choosing how to use it with intention, everything changes. You create a rhythm that supports your mental health, increases your energy, and helps you move through the day feeling more in control, fulfilled, and aligned.

It starts with a simple question:
What will I prioritise today that supports the life I want to live?

And from there, you build a life that feels not just full—but meaningful.Rethinking Time: Prioritisation as the Key to Mental Wellbeing

Are you making time for the things that truly support your mental health—your healing, your self-care, and a balanced life?

Or do you find yourself racing from task to task, constantly busy but never truly productive, ending your day exhausted, frustrated, and wondering why you still feel stuck?

If that sounds familiar, you’re not alone.

“I Just Don’t Have Time…”

How many times have you said that?

You’re juggling responsibilities, trying to tick off every box on your to-do list, yet at the end of the day, the things you want to do—exercise, read, rest, connect—get pushed aside. You’re left drained, with no energy or time for yourself.

And yet, here’s the truth: this cycle isn't serving you.

It might give you a temporary high—a sense of adrenaline and momentum—but once the rush fades, it often leaves behind a cocktail of emotions: guilt, self-doubt, shame, or a lingering sense that you’re not doing enough.

That inner voice? It whispers (or shouts), “You just need to try harder. Do more. Push more.”

But is that really helping you?

A New Perspective: Prioritisation Over Time Management

What if the issue isn’t about managing your time better?

What if it’s about choosing better?

It might be time to train that inner voice to speak with more kindness and clarity.
It might be time to prioritise, rather than obsess over time.
It might be time to think differently about your day to create the life you’re truly seeking.

These small shifts—mental, emotional, and practical—can be the difference between constant depletion and renewed energy.

The truth is, the hardest part is starting. Change is uncomfortable. And even if your current situation doesn’t feel good, it’s familiar—and sometimes, familiarity feels safer than the unknown.

But let’s be honest: staying stuck is its own kind of discomfort.

Real Talk: This Isn’t a Quick Fix

This mindset shift won’t magically grant you a lottery win, a new career, or a perfect body. But it will change your inner dialogue. It will help you see your day—and your energy—in a new light.

Instead of seeing time as something slipping through your fingers, you begin to see it as something you direct with intention. And that, in itself, is empowering.

Here’s how to begin.

Practical Steps to Help You Prioritise What Truly Matters

1. What Does Your Day Look Like?

Take a moment to reflect on how you’re spending your time. What’s actually getting your attention each day? What’s being consistently pushed aside?

Then ask yourself:
Am I spending time on what truly matters to me, or just what feels urgent?

2. Shift Your Language

Instead of saying, “I didn’t have time to go to the gym today,” reframe it:
“Today, I prioritised household chores over going to the gym.”

See the difference? That shift gives you agency. You’re no longer at the mercy of time—you’re in charge of where it goes.

3. Make Space for the “Want To’s”

If your day is filled only with “have to’s,” your mind and body never get a chance to recharge. Start small. Carve out just 20 minutes for something that energises or soothes you—reading, walking, meditating, or simply sitting with a cup of tea.

By making space for what you love, you reinforce the message that you matter, and your needs deserve to be met too.

Closing Thought

When you shift from trying to manage time to choosing how to use it with intention, everything changes. You create a rhythm that supports your mental health, increases your energy, and helps you move through the day feeling more in control, fulfilled, and aligned.

It starts with a simple question:
What will I prioritise today that supports the life I want to live?

And from there, you build a life that feels not just full—but meaningful.