“The bad news is time flies. The good news is you’re the pilot”
Michael Altshuler
Do you know what is the most precious resource in this world? It is not money or gold.
Is it platinum or rhodium then? No, it is not one of these either. It is time.
Even if you want to dig out precious metals and make some extra money, you need time for doing that.
You need time for doing anything and everything. It is the final resource. And it is in short supply, especially in this fast-paced world, where you have everything but your spare time.
Can we find ways to STOP time? (at least metaphorically)
Lets us find out.
Our time weighs on three factors
1) How we spend it
2) How much energy do we have
3) How mindful we are
Let us for a moment imagine that we can stop time. Imagine for a moment that we can able to stop time with just a wave of our hand. Our time will stand still and we will have all the time at our disposal to do what we want, right from going on an excursion to finishing our dream project.
But what if we get too distracted by checking on our social media posts on our laptops or our mobiles? What if we are so distracted in our minds that we cannot focus on anything in our minds? Well, in that case, the entire time at our disposal will go waste.
So we cannot stop time but we can make the best use of whatever time we have. And we can put a stop to losing time as well.
1)So the first call to action is to safeguard your time, energy, and attention.
Manage your three resources i.e. time, energy, and attention in the right proportion in every activity of your life, be it home or office front, to achieve what you want in your life. Do not give too much attention to one resource and neglect the others while performing various tasks at hand. And keep in mind since these three resources i.e. time, energy and attention are limited you have to plan and limit your activities to do justice to each of them.
Be prudent to avoid all unimportant activities lest you end up wasting your three precious resources. Be wise in investing time in any new or old activity. You should invest your time (your most valuable resource) only if your Return On Investment (ROI) is good on the targeted activity.
But you may as well ask, do I have a choice when I perform so many mundane tasks even in my so call free time such as picking up groceries, holding meetings, calling up clients, etc? But the point is you have to think and decide if these activities can be termed as rewarding commitments, while some activities such as having a long discussion with an old-time friend or going on an invite to a party can be termed as unrewarding commitments. If we put a gradual stop to all those activities that result in unrewarding commitments, we end up saving a couple of hours every week.
Even scaling down or reducing on time spent on some of the unrewarding activities may result in saving time.
You also need to stop wasting your time on technological distractions.
Hence it is important to note that we do have a lot of discretionary freedom at our disposal to decide how we spend our time.
The key takeaway here is: You have a lot more freedom over how you spend your time than you think.
Even when you need to do something, you still have a lot of freedom in how you do it. For instance when your traveling from home to the office, it takes an hour of your time, and you do not have any alternative to this, you may have a choice on the mode of travel i.e. on foot, by public transport, or by your vehicle. Some choices can be healthier for your body as well as for the environment.
Even if you have no choice but to travel by car, you can still choose to go by your car or join a carpool. Even when you are driving solo in your car, you still have a choice of listening to some refreshing music, audiobook, or simple simply staring outside your vehicle and whining about the traffic.
As small things may seem at first, these quality driving hours are capable of changing the way you drive to your office. You have a choice to turn your commute time into a relaxing time if you so decide it.
2)Mindfulness can help you get more enjoyment out of the present moment.
If you’re familiar with mindfulness, you’ll know that one of the goals is to snap your mind out of this distracted state and bring it back into the present now. But how do you go about doing that?
Assume you’re walking through an unfamiliar neighborhood. You’ll simply stop, look around, and think to yourself, “This could be the last time I’m ever here.”
Take note of how your perspective abruptly transforms.
You’re becoming more aware of everything. You’re noticing the allure of it all. In other words, you’re fully absorbed in the present moment rather than racing through it. That is the point. We should try to enjoy our times as if they were our last since they very well could be.
Mindfulness can slow down your perception of time, allowing you to extend or even freeze it.
Another mindfulness exercise: the next time you’re eating, stop doing anything else and focus your entire attention on what you’re experiencing. Enjoy the flavors, aromas, and textures of your cuisine. Allow each mouthful its due. Before you proceed, chew and swallow it entirely.
There’s a lot to consider! All you have to do is pay attention. Examine the muscular feelings that arise as a result of the process.
And if you execute this activity, it will not just enhance your eating experience and make these minutes stick with you. It will also lengthen the period, allowing you to feel more of it.
When you’re completely immersed in the current moment, it can feel everlasting. Sink into it, savor it, and let the seconds pass inexorably.
3)You need to devote more time to yourself.
Take some time out for yourself. Perhaps there are more effective methods to unwind and rejuvenate yourself. You may get a massage once a week or stretch every morning. Alternatively, you may have a nice bath a couple of times per week, interspersed with shorter, more environmentally friendly showers.
Because only you know what your body requires, this is another awareness exercise. You must listen to yourself and determine what works best for you. It’s also another time management exercise. You must plan your “me time” into your days and weeks. The same is true for everything else that energizes you and makes you feel like you’re making the most of your time.
Working out at the gym, going on walks with a buddy, spending time with your family — none of these things will happen until you create time for them. So, what are you holding out for? You own the key to your own life!
To accomplish this, you must set aside time to practice mindfulness and engage in activities that provide you with energy.
That necessitates time management. And, as you become more conscious and energetic, you will be able to better manage your time, making it more productive, enjoyable, and meaningful.
The end outcome is something that can be described as time prosperity, in which your limited time on Earth serves you as well as it possibly can.
