Episode 1: “I Never Have Enough Time”

Catch this episode on Apple, Spotify, or Android. 

Feeling caught in the whirlwind of deadlines and never-ending to-dos? In this episode, we’re digging into the belief that “I never have enough time.”

We’ll uncover how it’s often our thoughts, not the clock, that drive our stress and rushed decisions. Together, we’ll learn to recognize this sneaky belief for what it is—just a story.

You’ll see how allowing your feelings, finding evidence that contradicts the frantic “no time” tale, and using strategic “bridging thoughts” can radically shift your mindset.

Plus, I’ll share a simple, actionable step you can take right now to chip away at time anxiety and reclaim a more peaceful, productive day. Get ready to breathe easier and fit what matters most into your life!

What You'll Learn

• Why “I never have enough time” is just a belief, not an absolute fact, and how noticing this opens the door to less stressful thinking.
• How to distinguish literal circumstances (e.g., four deadlines in a week) from the anxious story your brain tells you about them (“I’ll never get it all done”).
• The importance of allowing your human experience, which includes naming and feeling emotions like anxiety, rather than ignoring or shaming yourself for them.
• Why small successes and everyday examples can poke holes in the extreme belief of having “no time,” loosening its hold on your mindset.
• How to use bridging thoughts (e.g., “I’m learning to prioritize what matters”) as a stepping-stone toward a calmer, more empowered approach to scheduling and deadlines.
• Practical, incremental steps—like rescheduling a single meeting or starting a task 15 minutes earlier—that translate your new mindset into real-world, day-to-day improvements.
• The concept of “right effort” – focusing steadily on what matters most instead of rushing or striving for perfection – and how it leads to more peaceful productivity.
• Strategies for celebrating small changes (like noticing anxious thoughts earlier) that reinforce progress and help you feel more capable of managing your time effectively.

Episode Transcript

SEGMENT 1: SETTING THE PROBLEM

Let’s jump right into a thought that pretty much everyone has wrestled with: “I never have enough time.” Does this sound familiar? Believe me, I get it. Between full-time jobs, after-school pickups, family activities, and trying to squeeze in a workout or two, it feels like you’re always rushing. And we have tons of “proof” that life is crazy busy—just take one look at our calendars! But if you often catch yourself feeling anxious, stressed, or guilty for not checking all the boxes, then that’s your brain waving a big red flag that “I never have enough time” is running the show. It’s easy to get caught up in a frantic cycle—jumping from one task to the next, barely finishing anything, then feeling even more behind.

Trust me, I’ve been there, too. Mornings used to be utter chaos: searching for missing shoes, grabbing a forgotten jacket, watching the clock, and freaking out that we’d be late for school. My inner voice was practically shouting, “We’re doomed!” (I think this stems from some perfectionist tendencies I have around respecting school authority figures, but, I digress.) In reality, we’d usually make it just in time. I now know that my stress wasn’t actually coming from the ticking clock—it was coming from me repeating “I have zero time” over and over in my head and "we're going to be late" over and over to my family. Sometimes our minds love slamming that panic button, even when we don’t need to.

The truth is, we can’t magically create more hours in the day (oh, how I wish we could!). I’m not here to claim you’re not busy—you are! But I do know there’s a way to juggle all our responsibilities with more ease, less guilt, and way less anxiety.

So in this episode, we’re going to tackle that alarmist “not enough time” mindset. I’ll share four practical strategies designed especially for ambitious, hardworking moms to finally break the guilt-ridden cycle of trying to do it all at once.

Ready to get started? Let’s do this!

SEGMENT 2: CREATE SELF-AWARENESS

Let’s talk about the first major step: realizing that “I never have enough time” is just a belief—nothing more than words running around in our heads. Once you notice that, you can give yourself a little space from the idea instead of treating it like an absolute fact.

Here’s the trick: figure out the difference between what’s literally happening (say, having four deadlines in the same week) and the story you’re adding to it (“I’ll never get all this done”). It might sound like a small tweak, but it changes everything. The stressful part isn’t really the deadlines themselves—it’s you telling yourself you don’t have enough time.

Let’s get concrete: imagine you have four deadlines this week—no drama. But the moment you tack on “I never have enough time,” a wave of overwhelm hits. And this feeling directly impacts how you show up for work. You might start subconsciously hopping between tasks or even procrastinating because you feel so behind. Either way, it’s a self-fulfilling prophecy—you end up proving to yourself that you really can’t handle it all. There is absolutely nothing wrong with you if you do this. I do it all the time. This is how the brain is wired to work. It always finds a way to be right. It creates evidence in your life to confirm whatever you're believing whether you are aware of it or not.

So the next time you hear yourself say “I never have enough time,” call it out: “Oh hey, that’s just my brain talking again!” The moment you do that, you’re in the driver’s seat. You can choose if that belief stays in your life.

Another cool strategy is noticing the fallout from that sneaky thought. If it always makes you feel frazzled or guilty, maybe it’s time to let it go. After all, who wants to live in permanent panic mode? By noticing this and deciding consciously that you’d rather feel calm, organized, and confident—even when faced with tons of deadlines—you’re opening up a whole new path.

I challenge you now to pause and think: How often do you catch yourself saying “I’m running out of time” or “I can’t handle all these deadlines”? Pick a scenario right now that usually flips you into rush-mode. Then, how do you act when that belief takes over? If it puts you in a spin cycle of stress, five yourself an actual moment to pause and ask yourself if you truly want to hold onto it.

SEGMENT 3: ALLOW YOUR HUMAN EXPERIENCE

Alright, we’ve pinpointed “I never have enough time.” We've clarified that it's an optional sentence in your brain. Now, before you rush to squash that thought or pretend it’s not there, let’s talk about why it’s so important to let yourself feel the full range of your human experience—yes, even the stressful parts.

A lot of us, myself included, want to fix a negative thought the second it pops up. Heck, I named my coaching program "Choose Better Thoughts!" We think if we just ignore it and reframe right away, we’ll make it go away. But being human means sometimes feeling anxious, rushed, or guilty. It’s not a flaw in your character; it’s just part of life. The beauty of this approach is learning how to handle those emotions so they don’t derail you.

Here’s a helpful tip: start with your feelings in your actual, physical body. Often, we notice our emotions before we realize the thoughts behind them. I mean, some of you are learning for the first time right now on this podcast, like I learned for myself on another podcast, that your beliefs create the feelings in your body in the first place. If your heart starts racing or your stomach twists, try naming what's happening inside of you. It might sound like this: “I’m feeling anxious because my brain is telling me I have zero time!” Connect the dots for yourself. This is simple and super effective. You’d be amazed how just saying it out loud can lift some of the pressure.

Another common response to anxiety is buffering—scrolling social media, or if you're like me, pouring cup after cup of coffee, or even burying yourself in busywork—anything to avoid sitting with that uncomfortable feeling. This is all subconscious, by the way. But the thing is, while these quick fixes can be tempting, they don’t solve the real issue and can actually keep you stuck in that stressed-out mindset longer. 

Instead, give yourself permission to feel what you’re feeling. Say something like, “Okay, I’m worried. I can feel it right in my chest, and that’s normal.” It’s not about forcing yourself to be calm right away. It’s about acknowledging where you are and letting that be okay. It's actually funny that women are often labeled emotional because we are super good at putting on a smile and repressing our true feelings most of the time.

Once you allow an emotion to exist without shame, you can think more clearly and find one small action step to move forward. For instance, if a big deadline is making you tense, remind yourself it’s normal to feel nervous. It's not a weakness. It doesn't have to mean you're unprepared or that you need to work differently. It means you're a human. Then, from a calmer place, figure out a mini strategy—maybe a 30-minute work sprint followed by a short break—to tackle that project without letting your primal brain run the show. Doing work this way becomes so much more enjoyable.

When you stop judging your emotions as “bad,” you free up energy to actually deal with what’s causing them. So, the next time you feel that “I never have enough time” thought creeping in, pause. Notice the tension, call it what it is, and remind yourself that feeling anxious doesn’t mean anything’s wrong with you—it just means you’re a human with a full life, learning new ways to handle it all.

SEGMENT 4: ANALYZE YOUR HUMAN EXPERIENCE

Now that you’ve recognized and allowed those stressed-out feelings around “I never have enough time,” let’s do a little fact-checking. Is it really 100% true you never have enough time? Probably not, of course, but your subconscious brain is stuck there in some areas.

So let's get it loosened up a little bit. Look back at your day or week and see if you can spot instances when you actually got so much done—like sending out those emails, hitting the grocery store, or squeezing in a quick chat or five quick chats to support a friend. Our brains conveniently forget all of these small wins because they don't confirm the underlying belief that we don't have enough time.

Take a specific example: maybe you assumed you wouldn’t have time for your kid’s bedtime routine because of a late meeting. If your brain is buying into the belief that “I don't have enough time,” you might skip storytime altogether or snap at your kid out of frustration that has nothing to do with them. You might shame or guilt yourself for a situation when there is nothing worthy of blame. But what if you realize life is busy, sure, but not impossible? Maybe you do a five-minute read-aloud instead of the usual half-hour. Sure, it’s not the ideal routine you dream of, but you’re still showing up for your child—even on a hectic day. We often dismiss these small but meaningful successes because our brains want to confirm that “we can’t handle it all.”

Now, let’s be clear: you are probably legitimately juggling a ton of stuff. The point isn’t to pretend that life isn’t jam-packed. It’s to notice that “I never have enough time” might be stealing what energy you do have and need. If you can point to just one or two examples where you did make time—even in the middle of chaos—you start poking holes in that belief and rewiring your brain.

Analyzing your experience like this helps break down the old story and gives you a bit of breathing room. Maybe a more accurate thought is “Some days are crazy, but I find pockets of time for what matters most.” That tiny shift can relieve so much stress!

So try it right now: recall a moment (maybe last week) when you got something done you initially thought you couldn’t fit in. Use that as evidence that this “I never have enough time” story isn’t totally airtight. Bit by bit, you’ll loosen its grip—and you might be surprised at how much more calmly and efficiently you can tackle the busy parts of life without even having to try.

SEGMENT 5: ALIGN TO WHAT YOU WANT

Alright, let's continue. Now that you’ve allowed your feelings and noticed “I never have enough time” isn’t completely ironclad and you’ve found some evidence to poke holes in it, let’s talk about shaping a new perspective—one that actually works for you in real life.

This is where bridge thoughts come in. Instead of trying to convince yourself that you suddenly have all the time in the world, reach for something more believable, like “I’m learning to focus on what matters most” or “I can figure out how to make room for my top priorities.” These statements feel more natural for your brain to get on board with. If you don't actually subconsciously believe a thought a little bit, it won't fuel your actions effortlessly. But if you do, as you practice a new belief that you DO believe a little bit, notice how your energy shifts naturally. Maybe you’ll feel a bit calmer or a little more hopeful—and that’s exactly what we want. We want relief.

From that less stressed headspace, you’ll be more inclined to do small, purposeful things to support your new mindset. Remember, your brain likes to be correct. It's looking for opportunities to confirm what you believe. For example, if you’re telling yourself, “I’m learning to focus on what matters,” you’ll feel better about choosing a few core tasks instead of trying to tackle all 20 items on your to-do list at once. In time, these choices reinforce your new thought: you really can do what’s essential without burning out.

Now I'll be honest: moving from overwhelm to greater ease is a big shift, especially if you’re used to living in go-go-go mode. But you don’t have to force yourself to love every moment or pretend you’re never busy. It’s more about guiding your thoughts so you can make conscious decisions bit by bit.

So, what bridge thought can you adopt this week? Something like “I’m figuring out how to prioritize what really counts” or “I have enough time for what matters the most.” Write it down or repeat it to yourself whenever that old story starts to creep back in. Trust me, even a tiny mental shift can go a long way in freeing up your time and energy.

SEGMENT 6: TAKE AN INCREMENTAL ACTION STEP

Alright, you’ve done a lot of inner work here—spotting the old belief, letting yourself feel the stress, analyzing how true it really is, and finding a bridge thought that feels better. Now it’s time to lock it in with a small action step.

What’s one real-world situation that you can experiment with this week? Maybe a nagging task at work, a chore you keep putting off, or that meal-planning project you keep procrastinating on. Whatever it is, choose a tangible tweak that lines up with your new perspective—like setting aside just 20 minutes of quiet time for that task, or reorganizing a meeting to a time that suits you better.

This is where your new belief leaves your head and shows up in your life. Instead of saying, “I’ll never get the kids to bed by 8,” try starting bedtime 15 minutes earlier for a short-and-sweet tuck-in. If you think you can’t fit in a workout, schedule a quick 10-minute walk and see how it feels. Each small success proves to your brain that you do have time for what matters most.

Ok wow. Seriously, look at all the ground you’ve covered in just one episode! You identified your belief (“I never have enough time”), explored how it affects your emotions and actions, poked holes in its “truth,” replaced it with something more helpful, and now you’re taking an action that cements it into your day-to-day routine. That’s huge progress—celebrate it!

Take a second to notice any shifts that have popped up already. Maybe you’re catching yourself mid-panic, or easing up on the guilt trips, or actively blocking off a little time for that chore you’ve been avoiding. Even the smallest step is proof that you’re in the driver’s seat, not that old stress spiral.

And if you want to go deeper, I’ve got you covered. In my coaching program, we take these exact tools—self-awareness, emotional allowance, fresh perspectives, and aligned action—and tailor them to your unique life. It’s so much more than time management; it’s about designing a life that aligns with your priorities and leaves room for what really fulfills you.

Right now, I’d love for you to pause and remember: “What’s the next tiny thing I can do to keep this progress rolling?” Maybe it’s locking in that 10-minute walk, or actually writing down tomorrow’s bedtime plan so you remember to stick to it. Whatever it is, go for it. You’ve got this!