In our attempt to optimise for speed, we sacrifice the most important things in life: good health, relationships, meaningful experiences, and self-learning.
Whilst we are busy doing more work, checking things off our list, reacting to urgent but unimportant things, we miss out on life-changing experiences that can bring out the best in us and make us better humans.
“The desire to focus on multiple things at once is often driven by anxiety — by the worry that we might not have enough time to do all the things we’re convinced we need to do in order to justify our existence on the planet,” says Oliver Burkeman in his book, the author of Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals.
Work should not be the only thing that defines how we use time.
Busy is not always better.
When you are ahead of your self, you lose a part of you that makes you human. You create a disconnection that leaves you empty.
The unfortunate reality is that many people have less choice to be more conscious of how they use time. But it doesn’t mean you are trapped. You can do something with that bit of time you control.
The real measure of any productivity tool is whether it saves us time to focus on the right things in life.
If you are in desperate need to control time, you will end up in a time trap where you quickly cross things off only to wake up the next morning with more things to do.
“It’s an irony of our modern lives that while technology is continually invented that saves us time, we use that time to do more and more things, and so our lives are more fast-paced and hectic than ever,” writes Leo Babauta.
Are you chronically short of time?
Plato once said, “Never discourage anyone who continually makes progress, no matter how slow.”
The universal truth in life is that how you spend time is how you are spending your life. There’s never enough time to do everything.
Time urgency (when you are chronically short of time) can impede meaningful relationships and cause stress, which can negatively impact your health.
Slowing down doesn’t necessarily mean you are being unproductive — it means being more aware of what you do and doing the essential things right without getting overwhelmed.
If you are caught in a busyness trap, it pays to measure how you spend your limited time or why you feel you need to rush.
The trouble with modern life is that we spend a lot of time trying to keep up only to miss out on the things we really need to enjoy life.
You can make progress and still enjoy life. It’s a balancing act that takes deliberate planning.
If you find yourself consistently rushing from one thing to the other, learning to be more present and conscious of your activities may be exactly what you need to take back control.
Nothing is as pressing as your health. “Men talk of killing time, while time quietly kills them.” Dion Boucicault said.
Life can quickly become an infinite chain of things to do every day.
Unless you actively break the chain and choose different experiences or a new way to spend your time, stepping outside the trap will be incredibly difficult.
To slow down, get real things done and still make time to enjoy life,disrupt your current routine, try something different today (even if it’s just for 30 minutes).
Accept a more present challenge, learn new timeless skills (empathy, active listening, resilience, making better connections, being more present and appreciating nature).
Learn to break the busyness chain — create a deliberate white space on your calendar and tune in to the silence.
Review your schedule and replace commitments that bring out the worst in you with activities that bring out the best in you.
Change your need to fill every hour of your day with work. You need an untouchable hour every day.
How would you spend today if you knew it was your last? Ponder over what means a lot to you and make time for them.
Life can be so much more if you learn to slow down and start every new day intentionally slower but better.
“Time and health are two precious assets that we don’t recognize and appreciate until they have been depleted.” Denis Waitley once said.
Turn off the noise of the modern world and make time for you.
Start paying more attention to where you are, what you do and what’s happening around you. In an insanely busy world, slowing down is the antidote to burnout.
—
Previously Published on Medium
—
Shutterstock image