A Response To Influencers Claiming “We All Have The Same 24 Hours”

You’ve probably come across many influencers or solo entrepreneurs who claim they have succeeded in life by working a lot harder than others. When asked how they made it work, they reply, with a barely disguised air of superiority: “We all have the same 24 hours.” 

Do we really? 

But the idea that we all have the same 24 hours ignores the reality of busy lives, responsibilities, and different resources.

It’s hard to ignore what their 24 hours may look like. For a start, the vast majority of people implying that it takes only a little work to succeed and that the rest of us unsuccessful mortals are lazy don’t seem to have needed to develop any work or life-related skills on their path to success. 

So, when we keep hearing this tone-deaf advice to change our lives from people who have no idea what the schedule of busy, real women looks like, it can be disheartening. We do not have the same 24 hours. So what can we do with ours? 

Better Time Management

Can improving your time management habits help unlock more hours in the day? Not necessarily, but it can help highlight where the priorities are so that your hours are not wasted on projects that are not urgent or not beneficial. 

Prioritizing can be a game-changer, as it allows you to move time-demanding items down your to-do lists when they are not crucial for now. Besides, developing better time management habits should combine two questions, rather than one only: 

• What needs doing now? (this is to define priorities)
• Who needs to do it? (this will open your eyes to the possibility of outsourcing some tasks elsewhere. Perhaps not everything that needs doing, needs to be done by you)

Better time management will not magically give you the same schedule influencers claim when they say “we all have the same 24 hours.” What it can do is help you focus on what truly matters.

Scheduling Time for Yourself

No matter how tempting it is to tick every item off your to-do list before you allow yourself a break, this doesn’t work in the long run. In fact, this habit is more likely to affect your productivity negatively because you do need a break to recharge your batteries. 

What does a break look like? It entirely depends on when you take the break, and what its purpose it. A short break between tasks during the day can look like making a cup of coffee and enjoying it while talking to co-workers in the office kitchen. On the other hand, a break at the end of a long workday can mean dedicating a couple of hours to visiting your nearest Fitness 19 location and attending a class. 

Breaks vary in duration, but they are all necessary to help you build your own path to success. Success doesn’t happen when you neglect your own needs, which is why your 24 hours should also include some much-needed recharge time. 

Can You Save Time Elsewhere?

You can find solutions to free up precious hours, such as: 

• Cooking in batches during the weekend, so you only need to reheat meals during the week
• Hiring a cleaning service to keep your home pristine
• Leaving the kids in childcare when you are working from home
• Etc. 

Saving time in some areas is important for your sanity. It’s not necessarily a case of freeing up time so you can work harder. Sometimes, the time you save is just there to give you some breathing room. You don’t need to fill it with another task. 

Why “We All Have the Same 24 Hours” Is Misleading

In conclusion, it’s time to stop the narrative of the same 24 hours. Nobody has the same 24 hours, and the last thing you need is to believe anything clueless influencers preach. 

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