“It's not about having time. It's about making time.”

Let's face it: There are only so many hours in a day, and so many things we want to achieve. How can we manage it all ... WITHOUT exhausting all of our creative energy and sanity?

To help you out, I've teamed up with BERG+BETTS to share six simple ways to be more mindful with your time. But that's not all... To celebrate the launch of their new Mindful Collection, BERG+BETTS is offering MOTIFIED readers 20% OFF any order with 'MOTIFIED' so that you can be more intentional about how you spend your time.

In case you aren't familiar with BERG+BETTS yet, here's a quick rundown...

BERG+BETTS is a sustainable watch company that transforms waste into watches. Each timepiece is handcrafted from surplus leather off cuts, giving new life to scrap material ... and keeping it out of landfills. Rather than producing more textile waste, BERG+BETTS reinvents what's already available — and in their case, that means creating stunning, fashion-forward timepieces. Each timepiece is designed and assembled in Victoria, BC, and the watch parts are ethically manufactured and crafted by Sedex member suppliers in Dongguan. 

Now... who's ready to be more mindful with their precious time?

1| MEDITATE

Meditation is the true essence of mindfulness — of being aware of one's physical and inner self. One of my new favorite morning rituals is my yoga and meditation practice, which consists of a 15-minute yoga flow to wake up my body, followed by a brief meditation to energize my mind and restore clarity, preparing me mentally for the (usually busy) day ahead. The best part? Anyone can reap the benefits of this mindfulness exercise.

2 | WRITE IT DOWN

One of the best ways to be mindful about how you spend your time is by writing it down. Whether you prefer that trusty planner, bullet journaling, Google calendars, or even project management programs like Trello, documenting how you'd like to organize your daily activities not only ensures that you won't forget an important to-do; it also helps you prioritize and feel accomplished at the end of the day ... even if your plans blow up.

3 | MAKE TIME FOR "DOWN TIME"

There's a widespread misconception (especially in the U.S.) that the busier we are, the more productive we are, but that's simply not the case. In fact, psychological studies have found that slowing down actually boosts productivity, creativity, and overall happiness. Instead of filling your calendar to the brim with "productive" activities, swap out some of those precious time slots with "white space" activities that relax and rejuvenate you — things like reading, listening to music, writing, doodling, self care, taking a walk ... or even a little Netflix and chill sesh.

4 | USE SOCIAL MEDIA WITH INTENTION

As much as I love staying connected, social media can be quite addictive, sucking up valuable time that could be better spent doing something else. In fact, the average American adult spends more than 74 hours a month on their smartphone. Be intentional about how you use social media — instead of mindlessly scrolling through your feed for hours on end, figure out what elements of social media really bring you joy and dedicate your time to focusing on those.

5 | Get a good night’s sleep

Sleep is good for the soul... literally! The average adult should get 7-9 hours of sleep every night to maintain health and productivity levels. I've never been one for all nighters (even in college) — I like my sleep WAY too much. But that's probably because when I don't get enough sleep, I feel miserable the next day and my creative energy plummets. Get a good night's sleep by setting a "bedtime" for yourself and sticking to it as much as you can. Your body ... and your brain will thank you.

6 | WEAR A WATCH

Watches exist for a reason — to keep track of the time. Whether you're old school like me and prefer wearing an analog watch, or you can't live without your high-tech Apple watch, having something other than your phone to rely on will help you avoid getting sucked into mindless scrolling whenever you simply need to check the time.

BERG+BETTS IS OFFERING MOTIFIED READERS 20% OFF ANY ORDER WITH 'MOTIFIED'

Big thanks to BERG+BETTS for partnering on this post and for gifting me this stunning timepiece! As always, all opinions are my own and I selectively work with brands that share the same values when it comes to ethical and environmental responsibility.