photo by christinasnyder
Sometimes a clock just doesn’t seem like the right measure of time.
You’re busy all day, exhausted when you go to sleep, and tired when you wake up — but you still have that niggling feeling that you haven’t done enough.
Where the hell is my time going?
I’ve written about our relationships with time before in “My Time is Not Money.” I believe that semantics can really frame our thinking, so it does make a difference if you think about spending time vs. creating time. In this case, thinking about where your time is going puts you in the passenger seat. It reinforces the feeling that you have no control over your time.
But what if you ask yourself, Where am I giving my time?
I sat down this morning to ask myself this very question. As I listed the activities, ranging from cooking to reading e-mail to creative writing, I realized that my time was not going anywhere — I simply need to be more deliberate in choosing the activities that deserve my time.
Once you reframe the question, it becomes effortless to look at your list and realize where you need to rethink how much you give. Giving your time is just another word for choosing your time, and in the end it all translates into creating your time. It’s a simple, seemingly obvious question that we are sometimes too “busy” to ask ourselves.
So, where are you giving your time?
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{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
Very interesting. I suppose I think of spending time doing work but I give time when I’m working with people. I do that quite naturally.
It might be interesting to experiment with the thought that I’m not spending time on Amnar, I’m giving it.
Joely Black´s last blog post..Sweet little lies, and ugly big lies
I’ve written about this phenomena as well. I sat down and did an evaluation of my time just like I would do for a financial budget and then I budgeted my time using the same formula. It makes me look seriously at the limited time available each day and then try to uncover the best ways to utilize that time.
@ Joely – That’s an interesting distinction — working directly with people and working on your own. Given how integral to your life Amnar is, I think you could definitely work with the “giving time” idea!
@ Kathryn – It always amazes me how differently we understand things when we simply write them down.
I really like how you focus on choice because really that’s the crux of time management – choosing how we use our time.
Alex Fayle | Someday Syndrome´s last blog post..Addicted to Downloading: Procrastinating with eBooks
@ Alex – That’s something I’ve really come to realize this past year, and it changed how I think about “productivity” and time management. If Mr. Someday agrees, I must be on the right track!