Time management is an abhorrent phrase to me. No one manages time. It runs along smartly with or without our cooperation. No one manages time using time. In this sense, there is a biological clock that ticks within us all. Each of us has a different setting of which we are unaware. Nonetheless, we all are aware that in the earth plane of existence, time is a limited and perhaps precious commodity for each and every one of us.
Time is one of the three things that each of us may offer to the world. Whether we proffer our offerings to our employer, our spouse, our children, our school or our hobball we may give is :-
- Time;
- Talent and;
- Treasures
Of the three, time is arguably the dearest.
Treasures can be inherited, received or earned. We may use our treasures on a number of things — from mundane items such as food, shelter, and clothing — to investments we view as legacies to our issue. Treasures lost may be replaced, and treasure can be decreased, increased or otherwise sought.
Talents include those things to which we seem to have a natural affinity and those to which we learn as a skill. Within reason, and our own limitations, we may add to our talents, hone them further, and even brush them up if we feel through lack of use that rust has accumulated.
Time is different. We speak of spending time much as we might spend or other treasures. But once spent, time cannot be re-earned. Once done, we cannot retrieve this day, this hour or this moment ever again. Yet, although we put forth much effort to acquire new or polish old talents, and can carefully manage our portfolios, do we view time in the same light?
Last weekend, my granddaughter Shaylynn had a sleepover at my house. As my husband chauffeured the three of us home — I rode in the back seat next to Shaylynn per her request — my husband noticed my usual habit of checking my smart phone for e-mails, texts and social media notifications that are pushed to my home screen. He jokingly told my four-year-old granddaughter that she should admonish me for looking at my phone, and that instead I should be paying attention to her. Sure enough, throughout the rest of her visit, every time I picked up my phone, she waggled a finger at me and told her grandma to pay attention to her.
This got me thinking about my time usage. That four-year-old voice was the voice of wisdom. There was nothing on my phone that was urgent or an emergency. But my little granddaughter would never be sitting next to me in the backseat of the car on that particular day again. Yet the preciousness of the moment was one I was prepared to ignore.
How we use our time is most often driven by our core values. What foundational beliefs do we have, ones that are truly ours and not imposed by some outside institution, family members, or peer group, and how do those beliefs impact our daily lives? If we find that we use our time in a manner most congruent with our foundational beliefs, we will find our days on earth to be more satisfactory. If on the other hand, we multitask inappropriately, ignore moments we shouldn’t, or our time goes towards activities that are anathema to those philosophies which make up our core, we risk cognitive dissonance. Our minds are thinking and our bodies are acting in a manner that is inconsistent with who we truly are.
When you examine how you use time, you’ll find that much of it is your choice. This is an area where you can set goals around how you use time. Making your expression of this precious resource a clear reflection of who you really are — putting the “I” back into your time usage — can be a key element in relieving much dissatisfaction with daily life.
“The unexamined life is not worth living.” Socrates
Reprinted courtesy Ann Babiarz of Annbabiarz.com