How to Find Time for Your Goals—Even When Life Feels Crazy
Every year, we set big, exciting goals—launching that dream business, writing the book, scaling to six figures, getting healthier… And every year, we hit the same roadblock: Where the heck am I supposed to find the time to do this?
Between client calls, email overload, endless notifications, and, oh yeah, life—finding time to actually work on your own goals can feel impossible. But here’s the truth: You don’t need more hours in the day. You just need a smarter way to use the ones you already have.
Here’s how to carve out the time you need to actually make progress—without sacrificing sleep, sanity, or your social life.
1. Make Sure Your Goals Actually Fit Your Life
Let’s be real—some goals don’t fail because we’re lazy. They fail because they don’t fit into our actual, real-world lives.
If your days are already packed, setting a goal like, “I’ll work on my course three hours a day” is a setup for failure. But if you start with, “I’ll block 30 minutes a day for deep work,” that’s something you can actually do—and build on.
Try this:
🔹 Audit Your Priorities: What actually matters most to you? Family time? Business growth? Health? Get clear, and make sure your goals align with those priorities. When you align your goals with your values, you’re more likely to stick to them because they resonate on a deeper level.
🔹 Make Goals Work for You: We often set huge, lofty resolutions—”I’ll double my income this year” or “I’ll work out every day.” These are admirable, but they can quickly overwhelm you. Instead, aim for small, incremental goals that build over time. Start with something achievable that you can grow from. For example, instead of “Write a book this year,” try “Write 500 words every morning before checking email.”
🔹 Stack Your Wins: Small, consistent actions will get you further than occasional, Herculean efforts.
2. Stop Letting Distractions Steal Your Best Hours
If your phone dings, your email pings, and suddenly it’s 3 PM and you still haven’t touched your big project, you’re not alone. The modern world is designed to hijack your focus.
Every notification pulls you out of your workflow, making it harder to dive back into meaningful tasks. This constant switching doesn’t just waste time—it drains your mental energy, leaving you feeling scattered and unproductive.
The secret? Protect your deep work time like your business depends on it—because it does.
Block out distraction-free hours in your calendar and treat them as non-negotiable meetings with yourself. Silence notifications, close unnecessary tabs, and set clear boundaries with those around you. When you carve out dedicated focus time, you’ll be amazed at how much progress you can make in a fraction of the time.
By reclaiming your best hours, you’ll not only get more done but also feel more accomplished and in control of your day.
Try this:
🔹 Schedule “Untouchable” Work Blocks: Pick your peak energy hours (morning? afternoon?) and block them for your work. No meetings, no Slack, no email.
🔹 Use AI to Cut the Clutter: Let tools like ChatGPT draft emails, summarize research, or outline content so you spend less time starting from scratch.
🔹 Mute, Block, Ignore: Notifications, unnecessary Zooms, and “quick” tasks derail you. Turn them off.
3. Put Deep Work on Your Calendar—Like a Non-Negotiable Meeting
If your goal isn’t scheduled, it’s not happening. That’s why deep work—uninterrupted time to focus on your biggest priorities—needs to be on your calendar just like meetings and appointments. Treat it as sacred time dedicated to moving your most important projects forward.
Think of it this way: You wouldn’t cancel a meeting with a paying client just because “something came up,” right? So why cancel on yourself?
Prioritize your deep work sessions as non-negotiable commitments. By consistently showing up for yourself, you’ll build momentum, achieve your goals faster, and protect the time you need to grow your business.
Deep work is where the magic happens. It’s where your projects finally get the time and attention they deserve.
Try this:
🔹 Block Off Deep Work Time Daily or Weekly: Even 30–60 minutes a day adds up fast.
🔹 Treat It Like an Important Meeting: No rescheduling, no interruptions, no squeezing in “just one quick thing.”
🔹 Batch Similar Tasks: If your goal requires research, writing, or planning, batch those tasks into a single session instead of spreading them out across the week.
4. Use AI to Work Smarter, Not Harder
AI isn’t just a shiny tech trend—it’s a time-saving powerhouse. If you’re still manually handling tasks AI can streamline, you’re wasting time you could be using to crush your goals.
There are so many amazing ways AI can help you with your goals. If you’re a business owner and constantly overwhelmed by the thought of creating constant new content FAST (like me), then you can leverage tools like ChatGPT. I actually wrote an entire blog post about this you can read here: How to Unlock the Power of ChatGPT for Your Small Business. Suddenly, the goal of writing 3 blog posts a week doesn’t feel so impossible.
Try this:
🔹 Automate Repetitive Tasks: Use AI tools like Zapier or Trello to handle routine work.
🔹 Get AI to Help You Create Faster: Writing content? Drafting emails? AI can help you get a solid first draft done in minutes instead of hours.
🔹 Track Where Your Time Really Goes: Apps like RescueTime show where you’re wasting time so you can cut distractions and focus.
5. Build in Accountability and Celebrate Progress
Finally, to stay on track, it’s essential to have accountability and recognize your progress along the way. Celebrate your milestones, even the small ones! This reinforces the positive behaviors you want to continue and boosts your motivation.
Here’s the thing—momentum builds when you see progress. If you don’t track wins, you’ll always feel like you’re behind. And if no one is holding you accountable, it’s way too easy to push your goals to “someday.”
Try this:
🔹 Find an Accountability Partner: A business coach, mastermind group, or even a friend who checks in weekly can make all the difference.
🔹 Track Your Wins (Big or Small): Keep a list of what you did get done. Progress fuels motivation.
🔹 Celebrate the Small Stuff: Finished a chapter? Launched a sales page? Took an entire day off without guilt? That’s a win—recognize it!
The Bottom Line
Your big goals won’t magically fit into your schedule. You have to make the time, protect it, and use it strategically. But when you do? That’s when the magic happens.
Your Next Step:
✅ Pick one goal to focus on this month.
✅ Identify one time slot to dedicate to it every day.
✅ Use one AI tool to help you work smarter.
✅ Track your progress weekly—and celebrate your wins.
Ready to finally make progress on your big goals WHILE saving time for what matters most? Drop a comment below with your biggest goal for this year—I’d love to hear it!

Hi, I’m NJ! I help ambitious women reclaim 20+ hours a week to make real progress on their Big Plans. With a blend of smart strategies and a touch of tech like AI, I guide my clients to streamline distractions, protect their focus, and achieve more in less time. Are you ready to finally feel in control of your day? Let’s make your dreams happen—together. Learn More >>