I Made Time, Where Did It Go?

It’s a scenario we can all relate to: you carve out time from your busy schedule, maybe you hire extra help, delegate tasks, and finally feel some relief. That time you’ve been craving to focus on your big goals has arrived. But then, weeks or even months later, you look back and ask, “Where did it all go?”

This is exactly what happened to one of my clients. She hired additional help for her business to free up her time and pursue personal growth. Initially, she felt lighter, less burdened. But by the end of the quarter, she hadn’t made the progress she anticipated. Instead of using her newly freed-up time to work on the bigger vision, she found herself stuck in the same old cycle, focusing on different tasks, but not the ones that truly mattered.

So, what happened? Let’s dive into this common pitfall and see how you can avoid the same trap.

Revisit Your Goals—Often

When you free up time, it’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking, “Great, now I can tackle everything else that’s been waiting!” But that’s exactly where the problem lies. You may end up filling that time with tasks that, while necessary, aren’t aligned with the reason you sought more time in the first place.

One of the most important lessons here is to revisit your goals frequently. As life and business evolve, it’s natural for your daily tasks to shift. But if you don’t check in regularly with your larger objectives, you risk veering off course. Take time at the beginning of each week—or even each day—to ask yourself:

What’s my biggest goal right now?
What’s one thing I can do today to move toward it?

Keeping your eye on the bigger picture will help you avoid getting swept up in the whirlwind of daily distractions.

Enjoy the Break, But Not for Too Long

After you’ve freed up your schedule, you may want to bask in the newfound time and flexibility. It’s perfectly fine to enjoy a well-deserved break—after all, that’s part of what time freedom offers. But it’s also easy to overindulge and lose sight of what you wanted to achieve in the first place.

Breaks are essential, but make sure they’re intentional. Allocate time for relaxation, but also plan for how and when you’ll get back to your goals. This helps ensure that your free time doesn’t slip through the cracks unnoticed.

Are You Focusing on the Right Tasks?

When you’ve freed up time, it’s crucial to be mindful of how you fill it. Are you using that time for tasks that genuinely align with your goals, or are you letting smaller, less important things take over? It’s easy to gravitate toward tasks that make you feel busy—emails, small administrative duties, tweaking things that don’t need tweaking—but these aren’t necessarily the tasks that move the needle forward.

Ask yourself:

What are the tasks I keep avoiding?
What have I been procrastinating on that would make a significant difference if I completed it?

Focus on those tasks first. The ones that scare you a little, that feel bigger than the small daily grind—those are the tasks that will push you toward your vision.

Delegate the Small Stuff

Another key lesson is to identify tasks that are still eating up your time, even after hiring help. Just because you have extra time doesn’t mean you should fill it with low-impact activities. Look closely at what’s consuming your energy: are these tasks things you could delegate to someone else?

By delegating the minutiae, you give yourself the mental space to focus on the big picture, the reason you sought more time in the first place.

Prepare for Delegation with SOPs

As you start hiring or delegating, make sure you’re prepared. One of the best ways to set your team up for success is by creating Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs). Think of SOPs as your business’s roadmap, laying out exactly how to handle certain tasks.

By spending time creating detailed guides, you not only free yourself up from overseeing every little detail, but you also ensure consistency across your operations. This allows you to step away without losing quality control.

Find Focused Time for What You’ve Been Avoiding

Sometimes, even with all the time in the world, it can be hard to focus on the tasks we’ve been avoiding—whether it's because they’re difficult, overwhelming, or simply not our favorite part of the job. This is where focused time blocks can be a game changer.

Set a timer for 25-30 minutes and commit to working on that one task you’ve been putting off. After the timer goes off, take a 5-minute break and evaluate your progress. This approach, also known as the Pomodoro Technique, can help you break the cycle of procrastination and make meaningful progress on tasks that actually matter.

Conclusion: Time is a Resource, Don’t Lose Track of It

At the end of the day, time is one of our most valuable resources. We all have the same 24 hours, but how we use them makes all the difference. The key is to be intentional: revisit your goals, delegate the smaller tasks, and use your time for what truly matters.

It’s easy to get caught up in the day-to-day and lose sight of the bigger picture. But by consistently aligning your tasks with your vision, you can ensure that your time is spent moving forward, rather than just staying busy.

So, the next time you find yourself asking, “I made time, where did it go?” take a step back, reassess, and make sure you’re focusing on the tasks that will lead you to your ultimate goal. The time is already there—you just need to use it wisely.