Finding the time to enable me to remain the boss of me is increasingly  hard, but what is left of my sanity depends on it.  I selfishly work hard to make time for myself so that I can have better quality times with others.   

Like you probably, my great time is hugely short and my bad time seems to lasts for ever. This why time is no longer a number but a quality value.   And this changes everything! 

I have not 'saved' time at the expense of what makes me who I am.  This means that cutting myself from true friends and relatives was a no-no from the start as I understand too well that it would merely change me into an empty shell. 

However, some of my friends do waste a huge amount of time.  I do not judge them for that, but why do they insist on wasting their time when they are with me?  Don't they know how busy I am? When I think this, my internal alarm always ring: are they real friends or merely people I have ended up with? 

So if I know that tomorrow they will be as they are today, a discussion is in order.  " I really enjoy being with you but, put yourself in my shoes for a minute...".   

I have found that managing time is about understanding who is important and who is not.  Is taking care of my father who has Alzheimer getting in the way of leading the life I want?  Yes.  And what about the fact he does not even remember who I am?  Does this make things worse?  Yes.  The fact is, I remember who he is, so that is all that matters.  Time with him is time well spent! 

Don't look for validation and do not wallow in guilt.  I know that this is all that matters because my teenage years have led me to get over myself and accept that life is not really about me.   Crack on... 

Time? I have loads of it.  I am just not good at managing it but I am getting better at it...  

Whether you need to read the riot act to a cumbersome friend, put your phone away 2 hours a day, reorganise your transport arrangements, move house, divorce, use tech to give you a break, these are the options really.