Time Management (Episode 3 - Archive)Time Management (Episode 3 - Archive)
Relational Recovery
Wes Thompson and Austin Hill talk about time management in recovery, focusing on saying no, prioritising free time, and building a productive, meaningful life. Their conversation highlights how intentional planning can reduce frustration and help men in The Refuge make better use of their days.
8:04•27 Oct 2026
Time Management, Saying No, and Making Recovery Count
Episode Overview
- Learn to say no to activities that don’t match the kind of life you want, especially when saying yes comes from fear of not being liked.
- Treat limited free time as valuable by listing what matters most and choosing only a few key activities each week.
- Estimate how long tasks actually take and match them to realistic time slots to avoid constant frustration.
- Use programme coordinators and existing schedules as tools rather than obstacles, asking where your genuine free time sits.
- Shift the goal from chasing free time to filling your day with meaningful, productive work so your potential is not wasted.
“We end up saying yes to a lot of things that we actually don't want to do just because we don't want other people not to like us.”
Wes points out how many of us agree to things we don’t actually want to do just because, as he puts it, "we end up saying yes to a lot of things that we actually don't want to do just because we don't want other people not to like us." From there, they talk about how learning to say no is part of becoming an adult who chooses "yes to good things and no to things that are less good." Austin brings it down to earth for men in The Refuge programme, where schedules are already packed with work, recovery, relationships and responsibilities.
Curious about how others manage their time while rebuilding life in recovery? This archived conversation from Relational Recovery brings together host Wes Thompson and co-host Austin Hill as they chat honestly about how time management ties directly into healing from unwanted behaviours. The episode circles around two big struggles: people who say yes to everything and end up exhausted, and those who chase free time as the ultimate goal.
He suggests a simple approach: list what you want to do in your limited free time, notice how long each thing takes, and then plug it into your week on purpose. "It takes time and intentionality," he says, but it also reduces frustration because you're no longer trying to squeeze an hour’s task into a 30-minute window. Wes also challenges a common mindset: the idea that more free time is the dream.
He argues that "the goal isn't to have a lot of free time" but to fill your days with productive, meaningful work so that you're "tired by the time you go to bed at night" and not just "sit around and play video games" while your potential goes to waste.
If you're working through addiction or other unwanted habits and feel like time is always slipping away, this conversation might prompt you to ask: what do you actually want your life to look like, and are your yeses lining up with that?
Do you want to link to this podcast?
Get the buttons here!
More From This Show
The latest episodes from the same podcast.