Fear Of Not Enough Time To Accomplish Things Makes You Unproductive
How to change the way you think about time
Nutshell Nudge
Those who constantly feel not having enough time, experience less happiness, more anxiety, depression, and stress, and they experience less joy, laugh less, exercise less, and are less healthy. I want to show you the good things about time.
A wide-open landscape with a road to nowhere. One single tree somewhere out there along the seemingly endless road.
You know this funny phenomenon when a person drives his car into that one tree?
If you are the driver and think, «I don’t want to hit that tree,» you are likely to hit it. However, if you think, «I want to reach the destination safely,» you will most likely reach it safely because you attract what you think about.
The law of attraction says, «You get what you think about most of the time.» This law has been used for the longest time by many successful, happy, satisfied, positive-minded people.
What’s your thinking about time?
What is your thinking pattern? «I have time!» Or is it rather, «I don’t have time!»
Your brain believes what you tell it over and over again.
Change The Way You Think About Time
The more you say and tell yourself, «I don’t have time!», the more you won’t have any.
Change your outlook and language on time. You want to be time-saturated and time-embracing! «I have time!»
Your focus goes where your attention goes. If you focus on having enough time or the time you need, you will make it on time.
The fear of not having enough time to accomplish things that are important to you or that need to be done robs you of the peace of mind with which you could get them done in a productive, focused way.
This happens to me all the time. I drive myself crazy that I don’t have enough time for a task and my Monkey Mind keeps robbing me of the time I need to get shit done. For some time now I try to be aware of this and tell the Monkey Mind to shut up.
Time Management Creates Burnout And Depression
I remember when working at the ad agency, we were one day given an elegant-looking time management binder, a black cover, filled with a million pages with lines and boxes and 15-minute time slots, and symbols, and rules. We were asked to note down each time slot we worked on different tasks throughout the day.
We got training sessions from staff members of the time planner company on how to capture our time, how to measure it, and how to become, as a result, more efficient and accountable. It felt like some science lessons. By the time we finished our training, plus the daily time we spent on writing every move into that fancy time-managing tool, we wasted more of our time than we wanted to gain.
Allocate time, be managed by time, and give it away in small units. This. Is. Stress. Even if this is done all digitally today.
The German business educator and time researcher Karlheinz Geissler (1944-2022) considers time management as «pure nonsense». Why? Because time management «tries to turn diligent time-savers into even more diligent and efficient time-savers. The result: burnout for the winner, and depression for the loser. It's not time which is under control in time management: It is oneself».
Who is in control – you or the time?
Which Time Counts?
What about those moments in life that are valuable because precisely for the reason we don’t count them or are not even able to measure them?
Time is supposedly money. But when you can’t put a number on the precious moments with your loved ones, the times you get lost in play, enjoyment, and pleasure, or the time with friends? Isn’t that the time in your life that is most valuable? You wouldn’t count money against it, assign a number, or measure it, would you?
The pace we live in is already crazy, but equally crazy is how we want to manage time pressure and lack of time.
I Want To Show You The Good Things About Time
And not the scarcity of time, how we fight for it, kill it, measure it or curse it.
Research shows that those who constantly feel like not having enough time, experience less happiness. They feel more anxiety, depression, and stress. They feel less joy. They laugh less. They exercise less and are less healthy. Their work productivity is impaired. They are more likely to get divorced.
Let’s be aware of the wonderful moments in time and learn to recognize and appreciate the pleasant aspects of time.
The Good Stuff About Time
Time is a gift to others
What is the biggest gift you can give your kids, your partner, your elderly parents, or your good friends? It is your attention. Giving someone your attention is gifting them your time. Time together.
Time is priceless in your life
Time is priceless. Connect with your loved ones and friends and bring out the best in each other. That is precious time, the time of your life.
Make time part of your lifestyle
Where, how, and with whom you want to spend your time is a question of your desired style of life. How you deal with time is part of your lifestyle. What lifestyle do you create for yourself?
Appreciate the longer time you have on earth
We live longer, yet we seem to have less time. We work less than our ancestors did and have more leisure time, yet we complain about having so little time for ourselves. Really? You might want to appreciate your higher lifespan and access to more leisure time!
BOOK Recommendation
Do/Pause – You are not a To-do list by Robert Poynton
https://thedobook.co/products/do-pause-you-are-not-a-to-do-list
A wonderful little book (from the Do/….books series) that make you think about why and how you should pause once in a while.
Machines are designed to run constantly; people aren’t. Our coping mechanisms are meditation apps, weekend breaks, and annual holidays, but things soon revert. To prosper, we need a more sustainable approach — an ability to pause.
Do Pause looks at the importance of this subtle yet powerful idea to communication, creativity, and relationships — as well as our well-being and sanity. With practical tools to help you create new habits or make more meaningful lifestyle choices, you’ll discover ways to: Reset and regenerate, Deepen your thinking and experiences, Take back control of your time.