How To Actually Make Time For What You Love?

3 actionable strategies for you to implement today!

May 30, 2025

You're productive, ambitious and thoughtful. You're giving your 100% at work, while also being fully present for your loved ones. But that the novel you want to write, the instrument you want to master, the half marathon you want to run? It constantly get pushed to the back burner. The frustration of "not enough time" is real.

But what if the key isn't finding more time, but making the most of the time you have? Let’s see how to intentionally schedule and commit to the inputs for your paths, turning aspiration into consistent action.

Cultivate Your Work Path

It’s easy for us to get into a monotonous rut at work – the same old meetings, deliverables and deadlines. We lose that spark or the interest that led us to that job or role in the first place, and end up normalizing TGIF memes!

But you are in your job because you liked something about your role. Maybe you are in tech because you loved CS or programming in undergrad! You may be in product because you really like the intersection of tech and business. You may be in finance because you like the analytical challenge of the modeling problems.

Find that initial spark, the activities around your work topics that energize you, and make sure you schedule time for it – It could be a dedicated coding block or a brainstorming session or simply a slot to read relevant articles.

For example, I love to keep myself up to date on how cryptography can solve data privacy problems and I have a block every Thursday afternoon to read relevant papers. Whenever I find something relevant while browsing or on a topical group chat, I make a note of it and then deep dive into it in my Thursday slot.

This slot directly impacts my work and makes me a more valuable employee. I think of new ideas and approaches that I can directly apply to my projects at work.

You might be thinking that your interests are not that directly applicable to your current role, but there is often a non zero overlap of what interests you and what your manager or company cares about. The key is to approach it creatively from a place of maximum value generation.

For example, if you are a developer looking to pivot to product management, maybe you can directly connect how understanding the product roadmap will help you create better engineering OKRs. Or if you are a lawyer interested in building an ML application, you can take the opportunity to study platforms such as Harvey, understand the ML behind that and perhaps create a proposal of how you can use that at work.

Nourish Your “Side” Path

You probably know that I strongly dislike the word hobby, but what I am referring to is that personal pursuit that you are drawn to and that energizes you. It could be learning the piano, could be a weekly hip hop class, or a pottery class, or the triathlon that you signed up for.

Commit to the inputs – We may not immediately have an ambition to be the best musician or tennis player (and realistically we cannot), but if it is something we enjoy doing, we should absolutely have the ambition to make it a non-negotiable part of our life. This means making sure we schedule time for the input activities – showing up for the actual class and the practice sessions.

The hack for this is external accountability. If you want to learn the piano, you could try to learn through online tutorials. But the best way is to get an instructor who not only can customize lessons for you, but most basically make you show up for the class consistently. This compounds over time and without you realizing, you are farther than you would have imagined sooner than you would have thought!

“People overestimate what they can do in the short term, but underestimate what they can do in the long term!” – Bill Gates

If there are monetary or other constraints to hire instructors, get an accountability buddy or join a community. One of my friends wanted to get better at tennis and did not want to hire a coach as of now (he felt he would be wasting the coach’s time :D), so he joined a local league. They play matches every weekend competitively and just through that, he has improved so much. And he absolutely enjoys being among like-minded tennis enthusiasts and is organically getting coaching through that..😀

Strengthen Your Connection Path

There is power in real face time connection, especially in our increasingly digital and often disconnected world. Remember that coffee chat with your friend that left you feeling energized, or the epic game night you still recall with a smile? Did you schedule it again?

While magical moments in relationships often happen unexpectedly, we can absolutely create the right atmosphere to increase the likelihood of those connections getting stronger and deeper. This intentionality is even more crucial for your closest relationships, as they are often the most taken for granted, yet they require consistent nourishment to thrive.

For example, I have a coffee scheduled with my son every Saturday afternoon where we talk about his ideas for new toys and play some games (note that he has milk, I have coffee :D). I also have lunch on Fridays with my husband where we strictly don’t talk about kids and the house. These intentional settings are chosen to nurture my most important bonds.

When you intentionally create space for meaningful interaction, you're not just strengthening a bond; you're also recharging your own emotional and mental batteries, making you more resilient and vibrant across every facet of your life.

Homework for You!

Identify one aspect of your work that sparks your curiosity, and actively schedule dedicated time to explore it. How can this interest connect to your current role or future growth, making you a more vibrant contributor?
Choose one 'side pursuit' – that thing that truly lights you up – and commit to its inputs. Whether it's finding external accountability or simply blocking consistent practice time, make it a non-negotiable part of your week. Remember, consistent effort compounds into incredible long-term growth!
Intentionally schedule meaningful engagement with one of your closest relationships. This isn't just about 'being there,' but about creating space for genuine connection and shared joy, recognizing these bonds as vital facets of your multidimensional identity.