Time Keeping and Honouring Commitments — Kate Greenslade

This is the perfect time to bring awareness to this topic as the new year invites us to re-commit to our relationship with timekeeping.

There is so much more to this subject that simply being late.

How you are with commitments shows the world how you value yourself, how true you are to yourself and how you prioritise yourself.

Maybe this is something you want to improve? If so, here’s how you can explore your relationship with timekeeping and commitment. Embrace it, own it and feel empowered by it rather than hurried along or inconvenienced by it.

Actions Speak Louder Than Words

Another layer to this topic is how we’re been seen by others. And I don’t mean that we decide what to do based on how we think or want other people to see us, it’s about showing the world who you are. This creates a ripple effect – your actions create reactions.

What is it that you want to say with the way you keep or don’t keep commitments to yourself and other people? What energy is this putting out there? What might you be inviting in to your life with how you are in this area? Maybe there’s a pattern you notice in your life where this is the underlying sticking point?

Keeping Business Commitments

How do you relate with time in your business? We live in patterns so if you find yourself regularly cancelling on your friends, it will be useful to take a closer look at how this might be showing up in your business too.

Not only with scheduling meetings but what about the commitments you make with yourself about what you’re going to do in your business? Emails you’re going to send? Plans you’re going to create and stick to?

Broken promises are felt in the body. When you keep missing your own deadlines or breaking your own commitments to yourself you’re subconsciously telling yourself you’re not worth it. This might seem overly dramatic, but when we spend a moment to connect with how this really feels when we do this, notice what the effect is.

Turning this around and doing something different, has a beneficial effect on your overall wellbeing. It says “I’m here for me.” I’m worth doing this thing I’ve said I’ll do. It’s a way of showing up for yourself and caring about yourself. People will recognise this too and will act differently towards you.

Have you ever noticed when you are clear and direct with your boundaries for example, that people also respect them? It’s the same with honouring commitments.

Own It

Being more aware of your relationship with timekeeping and keeping commitments means you now have new choices. Now that you’re aware of how you show up in the world, you can choose if this feels ok to you. Perhaps you’re happy with this and don’t feel the need to change anything. You might want to celebrate the effort and thought you put into your relationship with time. Maybe you want to adjust how you are in this area. If so, here are a couple of ways to start building an impeccable relationship with timekeeping and honouring commitments.

Research Your Life

First things first. A little research on your own life. When I was introduced to this concept it was so obvious, yet I’d never done it.

How long does it take to do recurring tasks? For example, having a shower, making breakfast, taking the train into town, doing the food shop, writing an email, creating a reel for instagram… ?

Even things like choosing what you’re wearing and getting dressed. Do you know how long it takes you on average?

This is a really interesting experiment. I invite you to spend a week noticing how long things take and write them down. You’ll end up with a list of regular things you do, with how long they took you.

Honestly, it’s fascinating. Some of these might really surprise you.

So now you have your research, what to do with it? It’s up to you to take charge of how long you WANT to give to each of these things.

What if you gave yourself an extra 10 minutes in the morning to get ready so you don’t feel rushed? You can take your time. You can change your mind about what you want to wear, and use your intuition to guide you and not feel like you’re now running late.

Slowing down life a bit has enormous rewards. And it’s ironic because when we DO take more time for things, we’ll often find that we’re actually getting more done in less time and without stress or anxiety.