Who Has The Time?

One of the biggest challenges we all face in today’s world is time.  Or let me rephrase.

One of the biggest challenges we all think we face in today’s world is time.

I don’t have time to do that today.

I can’t talk to you right now because I’m running late.

It is going to take all day to get these things done.

I never have enough time to get to what I want to do.

In our culture of productivity and information, we are always focused on getting to the next thing.  And most of the time, the next thing is just another part of our normal routine or somebody telling us they have found the secret to better productivity.

So we end up feeling suffocated with what we deem to be all of our obligations compounded by what we deem to be all of our inefficiencies.

Then we end up here, constantly feeling like we never have the time to make the changes in our habits or hobbies that we have always wanted to make - and we beat ourselves up for a lack of discipline while staying put.

But the truth is that is not how time works.  Time is not a scarce resource that physically exists somewhere.  You can’t physically have time in your pocket.

Or, as Gay Hendricks in The Big Leap puts it, “you are where time comes from.”

So what in the world does that mean?

When we say we “don’t have time” for something, we are lying to ourselves and whoever else we are talking to.

As Hendricks explains, what we really mean is “I don’t want to do X” or “I’d rather do X than Y.”

But we use time as an excuse, pointing to it as if it is something that has power over us.

Let’s take a look at one of his examples.  Imagine you are working in your home office trying to finish something for tomorrow morning.  Your daughter comes in from the next room and asks if you want to play outside with her.  You say “I’m sorry honey, but I don’t have the time right now” and your daughter moves on.  

Now imagine the same scenario.  You are in your home office - but this time, your daughter calls from the next room “I cut myself and there’s blood on the floor!”  Naturally, you would get up immediately and go tend to the situation.  But no new amount of time was “created” - you just chose to prioritize one thing over another.

A simple example maybe, but it presents the clear truth.

Our time comes from us.  Living is the experience of how we choose to spend our time.  The time itself is created by our choices in each moment.  And what you value is represented in what you choose to spend your time doing.

We have complete control over how we choose to spend our time - and that power comes with the responsibility to take responsibility for those choices as well.

Accepting that you have preferences and values is a great place to start.  Then you can make choices that are actually aligned to those preferences and values.  

Once you internalize that you have complete power over how you spend your time, you have all of the power you need to start achieving the things you want.

Taking ownership over your life starts with recognizing that all of the time you ever spend is the result of your own choices.

What do you value or want to value you more?

If someone saw your usual minute-by-minute schedule, what would they think you value most?

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