Lifelong Learning: Time as a resource

I couldn’t sleep the other night so I got up and watched some late night TV.

As I was flipping through the channels, I actually came across a gentleman talking about time management.

I can’t recall his name right now nor the channel the show was on or even the title of the program, but I do recall one key point this gentleman brought up. He said time waits for no one, nor their problems.

He followed that comment up with a rhetorical question. He said, “Why is there never enough time to do it right, but always enough time to do it over?”

This is so true, in work and at home.

We are all “so busy” doing 100 different things and going 100 different directions. I think we sometimes lose track of effective time management and more than that, we forget to take a breath, slow down, and think through things before we dive right in. However, if things don’t go well, or at least as planned, we DO make the time to throw excuses out and lay blame for why things went wrong. Then we usually have to re-do or fix things which takes MORE time. (Grandpa, used to say , “Measure twice, cut once.”

Rachael Bermingham said, “It’s not about having enough time, it’s about making enough time.” This is so true. I can’t remember where I heard it, but the following has stuck with me for many years: “We all have 24 hours in our day. And, we have exactly as much time in our days as Mother Teresa and Martin Luther King, Jr. did.” Look what those two were able to accomplish. It’s really what we do with our time that makes all the difference in the world.”

I know I can certainly make better use of my own time in many situations. I realize I can’t multi-task with everything that I do, but I can fold laundry while I watch television with my family. I am also going to start listening to self-help or lifelong learning podcasts while I drive. I can also spend a few extra minutes reviewing my plan or project before beginning it, and try to anticipate anything that might come up as a barrier or hardship ahead of time. It certainly won’t eliminate all of the problems that could occur, but I might eliminate some and be better prepared to handle those that do arise.

Something else worth mentioning: There are so many awesome songs that have been written about the concept of “time”, because time is limited in the sense that we do have 24 hours in a day and a finite time on this earth. Some include: “Time in a Bottle” by Jim Croce, “Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?” by Chicago, “Time” by Pink Floyd, “Feels Like the First Time” by Foreigner, “Time Has Come Today” by The Chamber Brothers, “Clocks” by Coldplay, “Rock Around the Clock” by Bill Hayley and “Times Like These” by Foo Fighters.

One of my favorites though, is a song by The Steve Miller Band called, “Fly Like and Eagle” where some of the lyrics go, “… time keeps on ticking, ticking, ticking, into the future.” This one sticks with me in particular because whether we want it to or not, time keeps on moving. It doesn’t stand still. And, as I have come to find out by watching how fast my children have grown, “time flies when you’re having fun”, or even if you aren’t. So we really should be careful not to waste a moment of it!

I hate when I can’t sleep at night, but instead of restlessly trying to fall back asleep or pass the time by just sitting there, I am glad I was able to find this TV program and do some self-reflection. I hope my thoughts may help you with your own thoughts about time as well.