“I have no time!” I said to my friend Terry when he encouraged me to become a “celebrity” dancer for Seattle Dances with the Stars. It was December 2022 and while I appreciated the encouragement, I was just so darn busy. How would I fit in all of those hours of practice and the fundraising? Oh the fundraising. The prospect of raising over $40,000 seemed a bit daunting. I hadn’t raised that much before for a single event and, well, I had no idea how I would do it. And today, in March 2023, with one week to go until the big gala event, I have raised over $45,000 and feel equipped to get on a stage and showcase my new skills in Bollywood and Bhangra. When it matters, we find the time.

If you have never tracked your time for a week or two, I would encourage you to do so (I use the free version of the Harvest app). It can be a little disheartening on one level and very encouraging on another. You will probably see how much empty space you have in your day and wonder how you fill it. That, “I’m so busy” orientation is a bit of a story when you really analyze it. As I have reflected on my commitment for Seattle Dances, here are the key ingredients on finding and making the time for what otherwise feels like an “I’m too busy” kind of life:

Find a Purpose:

What inspired me to “go for it” with Seattle Dances was the reason it exists in the first place: to raise awareness and funds for Plymouth Housing, an organization in Seattle providing permanent housing for those facing chronic homelessness. We all know homelessness is a major problem. Plymouth’s approach is making a big difference. I was under investing in my civic responsibilities. I could get behind this and advocate with purpose. That got me out of bed!

Put Doomscrolling on Pause:

Yes, doomscrolling. How often do you find yourself in a vortex of scrolling on news or social media and then get wrapped up in some drama of the day or the moment. It’s a little bit here and a little bit there. It just fills in a pocket or two of time. But you add all that up and it’s probably an hour or two a day maybe. In a 16 hour waking day, that’s 10+%. Wow!

Schedule It:

I am sure that your calendar is jam packed with all kinds of important business meetings. But what about scheduling dance practice or journaling or meditation or running or even sex (yes, that’s true)! Yes, calendar the things that are important to you and you’ll reserve the space to get them done. I was a 6am dance practice guy. You can make it happen.

Get a Coach:

The great thing about Seattle Dances and Plymouth Housing is that they provide you with professional coaching to learn your dance. Coaches are awesome. They hold you accountable. They help you see what is possible. They have the permission to call you out if you’re off track.

Treat it Like a Game:

Seattle Dances supports a very important cause. But it’s also a competition. I am competing against seven other dancers and I’d like to win both for my dancing -and- for my fundraising. The intensity of a competition or a game certainly upped my motivation. It got me thinking about how I could apply game mechanics to other areas of my life where I want to make something happen. Atomic Habits by James Clear can help here.

We all have the same 24 hours

I found the time to make it happen for Seattle Dances. Despite believing that I’m really busy, I found the time. We all have the same 24 hours in the day. It’s our choice how we want to use it. But unless we really know how we are using it today, we tell ourselves a story that we simply can’t add another thing in there. But look at some of the people you admire most. They manage to accomplish quite a bit in the same period of time. And it’s not about doing more per se. It’s about being intentional about the time that you do spend on what is important to you! I’m excited to give back to my community in a big way. I learned a lot through this process. Namely, I can find the time! And so can you!