Pause. Wait. Be silent. Hold it…, hold it…, wait…. Wait a little more. Don’t move. Don’t talk. But don’t hold your breath. Go ahead and breathe—in and out, slowly, slowly. Relax. Stop! You’re moving. Don’t move. Just BE.
Don’t have time to stop. You can’t relax. You can’t slow down for nothing, no one, no how. Too much to do, falling behind are ye?
What’s your pace of life like? Are you in control of your time or does time control you?
Is there a secret to managing one’s time?
Time is rhythmic. It runs in cycles. Notice the clock’s hands. They go round and round, cyclically. Notice the seasons of the year, same thing—round and round: Summer is winding down, fall is just around the corner; yet, we have no doubt that summer will come around once again.
Catch your own rhythm. Do things in small rhythmic ways—daily, weekly, monthly, seasonally. Learn to cycle your must-do activities within the larger rhythm of nature’s recurring time piece. Learn from nature’s own life-cycles.
But, time is also linear. We are born and we grow, from childhood to adulthood. We grow old. Then we die. There is a beginning and there is an ending to life, our particular life. And there is no returning. This is the linear aspect of time. Time has a trajectory.
Thus, time is both cyclical and linear. The cyclical aspect of time allows us to pace ourselves, to catch a rhythm, to hold off from doing everything at once, to wait in order to return to, and then continue where we’ve left off. The linear aspect of life requires us to set goals, establish deadlines, to measure progress and mark our advancement, to avoid going round and round in circles accomplishing very little.
We are finite creatures. When we move from space to space, we must expend time to do so. When we stay put and spend our time in one place, doing one thing, we lose the experience of being elsewhere, doing other things. A simple truth: we cannot be in two places at one time. We are limited by our bodies in space and time.
Thus, one who controls his/her time is one who learns to work within one’s space/time limitations. When he/she says “yes” to one thing, it means an automatic “no” to another. I choose to be here and not there, at this time. I choose to do this and not that with the time I have. I accept the fact that I cannot do both.
Advertisers would have us believe that we can have it all and do it all. We can’t. That’s Reality. We must make choices and accept our limitations. It’s simply a matter of being aware, being in touch, being mindful of Reality, and then being responsible, accepting the responsibility of having to make tough choices, having to prioritize, and having to plan accordingly.
First and foremost, pace yourself. How? Whether you’re estimating commuting time or the time it’ll take to complete a task, avoid underestimating the time you think you’ll need. Stop getting yourself all worked-up in a tizzy because you’ve “suddenly” run out of time by learning to be consistently realistic about actual time parameters and begin to pace yourself accordingly. Always overestimate, never underestimate the time you think it will take… to go somewhere, to do a job, to complete a task, etc.
Secondly, stop making empty promises respecting time commitments. Quit right now. Reality check: You know very well whether you really can “get there” on time, or finish a job within a requested time period, or complete a task according to the allotted minutes given for it (which you yourself most likely set). Take the stress off yourself (and others) by being straightforward about unrealistic time expectations. It is easier on your nerves, on your working relationship with others, and on your own sense of integrity and self-esteem, to say, up front, what the actual realistic time expectation will be, than to constantly be apologizing and trying to save-face with lame excuses as to why you failed to meet the supposedly agreed upon time expectations—yet again.
Thirdly, protect your significant special times (with family, spouse, kids, hobby, self, or whatever) with a simple but straightforward “no” to those who would encroach upon those precious times. You need not explain or defend or justify your “no” with little more than a simple, “Sorry, I can’t join you then, because I have another commitment at that time—a commitment I cannot break.” Note: If you do break it, know that it is because you yourself willingly chose (and therefore wanted) to do so.
Finally, positively remember that you are finite. Never will you have the time to do everything you’ve always wanted to do. An immature person, a child, may think so. A mature person knows better. Therefore, pick and choose accordingly. You cannot do everything, but you can and will choose to do certain things. You cannot go everywhere, but you can and will choose to be somewhere. That is, become conscious about your use of time. You are a finite person living within the constraints of this space/time continuum on earth. Take note and intentionally live and plan your life and time accordingly.
One more thing: don’t forget to prepare for Eternity (see Hebrews 9:27-28 and John 17:3).
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