Time Is Precious: Make The Most Of This Most Valuable Asset.
Time Is Precious: Make The Most Of This Most Valuable Asset.
with 10 tips on getting the most out of your time.
We are living faster and busier lives than ever. As technology has developed it seems expectations upon us have increased. In modern developed socio-economic societies, increasing life and work productivity expectation is the norm, notifications are endless, social media engagement, instant connectivity relentlessly vying for our attention.
Sometimes I think I’ve never been so busy. Toward the end of the day, I wonder where the time has gone? Where the day went, the week, month, another year gone. Putting off doing the stuff that really matters in order to simply fuel living, to survive, to seek and bring in an income. Round and around as the seasons change.
Many of us lead such lives.
Importantly, time is the most valuable asset we have in our mortal existence.
There are many societal and commercial expectations in ways of living put upon us all, many of these agendas do not serve us wholly and healthily. Challenging the meaning of life and how we spend our time is the truest expression of a person living autonomously and freely, finding meaning, seeking fulfilment and joy in life.
We often forget that in the hustle and bustle of contemporary living that time, our time, is precious. We trade much of it for an income, to survive and prosper, to build lifestyles we are chasing, what time is left over is sacrosanct.
Often for most of us without grand privileges, there is a requirement to trade time for income, how we spend our time is critical for a fulfilled life, often that is time outside of our jobs, time with our loved ones, friends, time for travel and to devote to passion projects. The devaluation of creative value and its industries over the last two decades, for example, has repositioned many artists into the service industries and commercial jobs lacking creativity, or plate spinning a number of roles, having to devote any closely ring-fenced spare time (if possible) to their core interests and talents in the lean stolen hours.
Time often seems to move faster the older I get.
I’m reminded this observation is not unique to me alone. Beyond general adult life responsibilities, work, taxes, bills, loading the dishwasher, answering WhatsApp messages and hoovering, often at the same time, in comparison to childhood, youth, early adulthood and those long summers - I think this is because we increasingly live in a society where we are relentlessly socially programmed to be as productive as possible.
This in part is heavily influenced by the rise of technology and its efficiencies, everything moving faster, we humans perpetuate work by treating ourselves in turn as factory machines of productivity. Expectations from bosses and many business cultures have also been known to contaminate the ‘life’ element of what has been branded ‘work life balance’. Work culture and specifically its demand on time of course varies, with the public sector example of the civil service and the private sector industries of tech and banking as an example of either end of these extremities in general terms. Increasing evidence shows society work life balance has never been so imbalanced.
I remember when I started working in the last years of the 1990’s people went home at 5pm, this is now ancient history, while in the last decade fielding emails and messages until bedtime has not been uncommon. Those screens and notifications that can be allowed to follow us at every waking moment. Boundaries must be established and respected. For me, sleep hygiene is essential to function.
This trend of working longer hours is also a result of work centred American culture that permeates into our daily lives through its incredibly dominant influence across the internet and digital communication. There is no more dominant culture globally. Put it this way, Americans certainly don’t holiday like the French.
Americans today take 11 days of paid vacation a year, with many Americans not taking all their vacation entitlement. Reports indicate one quarter of Americans are not entitled to any paid time off at all. While 33% of Americans cannot even afford to take vacation. Americans either love to work or have to work to simply survive.
Burnout is common. Mental health challenges propagate. The medical and pharmaceutical industry thrive in the U.S. In contrast to Europe, in France it is not uncommon for people to take 35 to 38 days holiday a year, with most French people taking pretty much all of August off, plus public holidays. Threaten that culture in France and town halls will burn to the ground in protest, to protect rights for the labour force. In the UK the average holiday count per year seems to be 25 days plus 8 public holidays.
Beyond a holiday, if still affordable in a cost-of-living crisis, for all of us the influence of work and life productivity has a great hold over our lives. We all work longer than any Post War generation prior. We multitask. We stretch ourselves. We then as night falls crash down into the sofa to binge watch streaming services, endless sequels, low on energy, unable to do little else but passively scroll through a shopping mall on our mobile. Working to consume.
This is far from any utopian technological vision.
Have we ever been so busy? Burnt by the close of day.
Over the last decade, alongside my peers, I have certainly spent increasing time at work earning a living, and that’s before essential life admin demands and making time for sleep.
I have certainly done longer and longer hours in employment as the years have passed by. I am not alone. Peers, friends, across industry’s have recognised this trend. Within an economic downturn, a cost-of-living crisis, job insecurities, decreasing wages relative to inflation in the private sector, and rising unemployment beyond doctored official government figures, 14 years of the worst government in British history, with these contexts some organisations are pressing for every ounce of flesh, every piece of waking hour energy from their employees from the private sector to the NHS.
We live in strange and challenging times.
I cannot remember the last time I’ve daydreamed for more than a few seconds in the working week. I might have been in my twenties – a long time ago. Niksen as the Dutch call it. Time to do nothing. To recharge. Distracted, drifting, in sweet bliss on a memory, a view, staring out into the world in fascination. The constant rigour of productivity is not healthy for the mind, body, and soul. But all to often. Ping. A notification and back to the reality of constant productivity. In work, in life, in all aspects of our contemporary routine.
We could all benefit from more down time, to relax, to tend to often neglected self-care. This does not mean scrolling through social media – quite the opposite, detachment from screens, notifications, calendar reminders, work messages and their persistent and relentless demands.
This time and how it’s used depends on the person of course; yoga and meditation, a walk in the park, gardening, cycling, whatever.
I would benefit myself from more time to switch off. Whether that’s sitting in the garden listening to birdsong while I sip a cup of tea and admire plants coming back to life in late Spring, meditating, cycling, more time to read books, idly sketching freehand without a care, playing guitar or a synth, listening to a record, walking in the South Downs through countryside, or sat on the pebble beach listening to the waves roll in and out. This is important on multiple levels. To recharge, to reconnect to myself, to aid creativity and free thought. This is when inspiration strikes, the greatest thoughts occur, when I see clearly without distraction, or maybe simply just… relax.
I need to always draw a boundary around what is most precious to me. My own time and time with those people important in my life. Time to write and create, that boundary must be protected.
How do I achieve this? Well for anyone, money’s greatest forte is that it gives people freedom, and if you have enough of it, freedom in life to pursue the lifestyle you desire. Whether that’s as an artist, writer, musician, film maker, photographer or traveller, sadly most talented people do not have such luxury and freedom. The arts are sadly shifting toward the preserve of the most privileged in society, we live in a far less socio-economic inclusive society. Culture suffers. Society is increasingly less represented across all mediums of the arts.
For me, I’m without the luxury of such freedom and choice, like most, I must create a living to pay the likes of the ever-increasing grocery bill, energy bill, council tax bill, etc.
The best tool I have for now is time management and being confident and comfortable about being assertive with my boundaries. Affording energy into all necessary areas of life. Ring fencing what is most important to me is essential, ironically, I can then be productive with my creative projects, but equally this is about connection to myself, others and maintaining self-preservation and enhancing my sense of self, my identity, living the moment, being present, living life to the full. Noticing the little things that bring colour to life’s palate.
Beyond having a grasp over time management via whatever method works for you, like many I use a calendar. Some use a list.
Here are key tools and tips to make more from your time:
· Make time for singular focus on what are clearly the most important tasks.
· Stop multitasking so much! Prioritise. Drop what is not a priority or key task. Delegate when possible. If not, use what is commonly prescribed as the ‘fuck it’ methodology. But do continue to do the important stuff!
· Avoid distractions. Remember why you picked up your mobile in the first place by repeating the reason if you have to (in your head not to look weird…), before those neurologically hooked algorithms suck your time away.
· Take breaks. Go for a walk. Don’t look at your phone when you do. Observe what is around you.
· Avoid unnecessary meetings. Evaluate the purpose of the meeting and the value of attendance (see delegation). Say no, politely.
· Consciously cut back on social media in your life. Remember, IRL is better and more rewarding.
· Cut down mobile phone notifications to only the important stuff. Cancel social media notifications!!!! Get a daily summary of the rest if required.
· Set expectations with work. No meetings after 7pm. Not contactable (unless a strict emergency) after 7pm.
· Plan time away from your usual weekly routine. Perhaps a lazy Sunday. A trip to the seaside. A day trip, a weekend break, a holiday. Something to look forward to. Make experiences to cherish.
· Avoid using your mobile phone and its bright shiny light and algorithms an hour before bed. Softer light helps produce melatonin to help you sleep well.
I’ve come back to embrace and spend more time on creative projects in more recent years after a considerable time of neglect, because my demanding work orientated lifestyle dictated that. This was an expectation put upon me to serve agendas not of my own. But there is another way – it is simply getting the balance right. Looking after your own interests, with self-respect define the limits for what you give away of yourself to others and companies you work for. The value exchange must balance. The respect for your time must balance too. With balance respected both ways, when you do deliver for others, you can do the best job possible.
Protect what is yours and what you deserve, make more time for the lifestyle you desire. I think this is key to quality of life. Work to live and live fully. That’s what I’ve been telling myself in more recent years. I’ve benefited from this practise, and I’d recommend it.
Time is precious. Acknowledge and respect it, tend to it accordingly, and let the right balance blossom its benefits into life.
