Most of us work hard, and we mean well. But we get stuck. And we get hung up, not on the big things or the months and years, but on the small things that make up our single days and hours, in our search for quality time. You may have bigger plans for your life, but your most common struggles relate to what you’re doing today, during this small collection of moments.

You’ve got a pile of clothes to fold, a kitchen to clean, tons or mail to go through, you don’t even know how many e-mails to read, a tall stack of books you’ve been meaning to read and not one minute of free time.

Where does the time go? It’s a familiar lament. We all need to find more quality time. We’re constantly thinking: I will never get it all done. This is the harsh reality of time. There will always be more things to do than time to do them.

In fact, you don’t need more hours in the day, you just need different habits. You do have the time; you’re just not using it well. Moment by moment, we’re making decisions and taking actions that help us move through time. Sometimes we move ahead in survival mode, just barely making it, and not in a way that feels positive or successful.

In our rush to get it all done, we’re often rushing through our lives rather than really living them. The choices we make, moment to moment, are the moments that we live. And there are some small things we can all do to make our lives feel more lived, and ourselves more alive.

1.         Empty your hands. We’re constantly holding our phones, our tablets, or our computer mouse. Every “spare moment” is spent looking down at these things in our hands. And while we may think these things keep us more connected, the truth is, they leave us disconnected to the world around us. Stop looking down, and start looking around.

2.         Let go of perfection. We spend so much time making things perfect, we’re left with no time to enjoy life. Your home will never be perfectly clean, your desk will never be perfectly organized and your kids will never be perfectly dressed. Allow your world to be real, and accept realistic goals instead of unattainable ones that never let you rest. Enjoy your imperfect home, and spend more time really living in it.

3.         Be where you are. We’re always thinking ahead, and while it’s good to set goals and make plans, it’s not so good to live so much in the future and so little in the present moment. Make a point to stop thinking of what comes next, and start looking at what is now. Live in the present moment and your time will feel well spent.

4.         Be kind to yourself. Don’t be so hard on yourself for your shortcomings, failings or needs. We’re often hardest on ourselves, and the truth is, we are the most deserving of our own compassion. By accepting your own limitations and allowing yourself to let go of unrealistic expectations, you’ll find that you spend less time perfecting, and more time enjoying.

These small steps can make a big difference in the moment to moment living of your life. Instead of worrying so much about the lack of quality time to get things done, give yourself the chance to really live in the time that you have.