If we could save time, where could we keep it?
If we could keep time, when could we use it?
If we waste time, will it waste us?
are we too much like time impossible to define?
(Kate Miller-Heidke)
Do you ever feel like time is running away from you? Feel like there are not enough hours in they day? Days in the week? Weeks in a month? Etc?
I’m sure we are all guilty of time crimes… wasting time, hurrying time, passing time, saving time, making up time, wishing away time, calculating time, beating time and many other time crimes. Why is it that time seems to be such an elusive character? Why do we constantly look at our watches, shake our heads and monitor ourselves? Do we really understand the time enigma? Are we really sure that time even exists?
“If I only had more time”, is a phrase that I have uttered many times. “We don’t have time”, is something I have said to my husband many a time. My husband, being originally from Chile is such an amazing person in the sense that he seems to be one of those few people that do not succumb to the abominable accomplice in crime: Time… Over the years that we have been together I have learnt why his lifestyle is so much healthier than my own.
Time is a mathematical concept of sorts. It can be broken down like fractions into smaller segments. Just like you can divide a cake into pieces and then smaller pieces, so you can break down time into minutes and seconds, but at some point, after many divisions there will be no cake left… and time is the same.
Despite this, we continually try to beat time, or stretch it – or somehow fit in more than we can possibly do in any given fraction or segment of time. Why do we do this to ourselves? Obviously it can’t be done. The things we set out to do that cannot really be fit into the time we allocated are then obviously left unfinished or not done at all and then the stress starts.
I do this to myself all the time. I’ll be driving the car, knuckles turning white on the steering will under my tightening grip as I stare at the clock wishing and willing it to go backwards, knowing that minutes have already passed the time I was supposed to be there and… I’m still in the car! Its not that I don’t have enough time, or that time got away from me –No. I simply didn’t allow myself enough time.
Certainly there are always going to be times when being late is going to be unavoidable: but these times should not be the norm. If they are, then it is likely that you are constantly under unnecessary stress.
How can we ensure that we are under less stress? The answers are simple:
1. Don’t make appointments back to back – we are all guilty of this. Even if the appointment is at the same place, give yourself a little time to breathe and recover.
2. Always allow extra time for travel – one thing is for sure, Brisbane travel is a nightmare, so make sure you allow sufficient travel time and also a little more in case there is traffic – remember if you are early, there is always time to chill and have a coffee, but if you are late, there is only stress.
3. Make sure you have a maximum number of things to do in any one day and stick to your rule. Generally speaking, the more places you have to be in one day, the more stressful your life. Of course you can’t compromise on the things you must do, so work is the priority. If you are a parent, you most likely have commitments after work involving your children. The important thing to remember is not to over-commit and not to feel bad if you have to say “no”. If you become stressed to the point of not being able to function then NO commitments will be being met – so it’s better to have a plan and try not to deviate from it. I have a rule that I do not have to be at more than 2 places in any day. Work is one of those places, which means I can do one more thing after work, and that is all. So if I am asked to be somewhere else in any one day, I politely apologise and decline stating that I cannot make it due to other commitments and I try to re-schedule.
4. If you generally have a busy and hectic schedule, taking 5 minutes in the morning to make a plan at the beginning of each day a good way to make sure you are on schedule and less stressed throughout the day – so its worth waking an extra five minutes earlier and giving yourself peace of mind that you are on top of everything.
Well that’s probably enough for one day, good luck with time management! Remember, we cannot save, cheat or beat time, but we can always try to make the most of it. Make sure you enjoy your time!
