Are we running out of time?

[Jan 9, 2024]

Today went by in a jiffy. I barely slept last night, went into the office today, did some admin work and tried another portfolio project. It didn’t end up working. But by then, my head had a horrible ache, so I rushed home (because I thought I’d be having a verrrrrry late lunch which would somehow be detrimental), rushed my meal and went to bed. I woke up 3 hours later. Missed a workout class, and still felt tired. Then I went to my favorite grocery store and bought some essentials, since we’ll be snowed in for the next little bit. But why do we rush through things? Are we really running out of time? Isn’t time a social construct? What’s the theory of relativity in time?

SO, 3 google searches later, here it is ladies and gentlemen. Einstein coined the term “time dilation” within his special theory of time relativity. Have you ever heard of the phrase “everyone’s 24 hours are the same – it just matters how you use them?” – well debunked. Everyone’s 24 hours are not the same, it depends on a variety of factors, including your frame of reference and your view. Another concept – “time poverty” – where you feel like you have too little time to spend on things you want to do and need to do. So where could this be stemming from?

1. You’re multitasking – you already know this doesn’t work, yet we try because we always want more.
2. You’re overwhelmed – meaning you’re not taking it one step at a time
3. You’ve put too much on your plate – quality over quantity, folks.
4. You could be creating scenarios in your head about how much you can do and who you’re responsible to – time is your friend. Don’t pressure yourself, it gets you nowhere. Take it slow, let yourself take your time and you’ll find yourself being calmer and able to do more.
5. You’re not present – when you’re constantly thinking about everything you need to do, you’re not here. You’re not focused on what you should be doing.

That begs the question – what can you do?

Prioritize – If you put way too much on your list, you’ll never get that accomplished feeling you crave by the end of it. It might also leave you more burnt out when you want to continue the next day – your mind will always be at work you didn’t finish. So pick 2-3 things you NEED need to complete.

Breathe – Listen, I know how useless this might sound right now. You’ve got shiz to do and here I am, telling you to breathe. But indulge me for just a minute – when you breathe, time stops for at least a couple seconds. Realize that you’re not here to be a machine, and becoming more anxious or panicking isn’t going to help. Breathe in, Breathe out. Do it a couple. more times until you realize you need to be present to get it done.

Give yourself a break – I’ve been there, your code isn’t working, your deck isn’t done, you haven’t touched that client document, and you have a deadline for the next day. Your knee-jerk reaction is to panic. Panic very very hard. But that won’t help. Instead, step away, take a break, do something you enjoy that’ll energize you. So you can come back with fresh eyes.

Change your frame of mind – Notice the stories you tell yourself. “Omg I’m still not done debugging this, and then I have to finish that deck and then go to that meeting and then I STILL have to meet my friends…URGH why aren’t there enough hours in the day??”. What if you changed that to “Okay, I’m still working on this. It’ll work, I know it will” and when the thought of the next task comes up, you quiet it down, knowing its not a now-problem. You can only move forward when you take it one step at a time.

Do one activity that gets you present everyday – This could be a physical activity, reading, grocery shopping, driving, walking – anything that requires you to be fully present. Practicing this will help you fully engage in a task – and only when you do this, you’ll be able to give your all to a task. Being present is one of the hardest skills in today’s world, trust me, I get it. But you only get better with practice.

And most of all, remember, panic doesn’t help. If anything, it slows you down. So the next time you think “you don’t have enough hours in the day”, you do. You have time. Time is your friend. If it isn’t yet, make it. You got this, all you got to do now is focus.

“Most of all, remember, panic doesn’t help. If anything, it slows you down”