“I don’t have the time”, “ I can’t seem to catch up”, “Where does the time go?”, “Not enough hours in the day” – sound familiar? And I’m just talking about our work days!
The first mechanical time device appeared in the 14 century, minute hands about 300 years later. Now we have the ability to measure by nanoseconds, picoseconds and microseconds – give me a break! Have you noticed the related buzz words that have crept into our language, like time scarcity (I especially like that one!) hyper-wired, and multi-tasking, to name a few. I think s-t-r-e-s-s fits right in there too.
Remember speed dial? The revolutionary convenience of faxing vs. “snail mail”? Email and the internet left those modern time savers in the dust. (I’m probably really dating myself here!) Office productivity tips and time management skills are fodder for many workshops and websites.
It’s funny (ironic even) how all the quick and easy social media outlets can take up so much of our precious valuable time! I guess it’s our insatiable quest to know all, to be “in the know”. I dare anyone to truthfully calculate their time spent on email, browsing through facebook, checking linkedin, website favs, texting, twitter, blogging – yikes!
I recently read of a study done in Taiwan that showed that 15 minutes of moderate exercising a day can lead to a longer life – possibly extending life by 3 years. Will that be 1095 extra days of rushed crazy busy days? Or 1095 slower paced, enjoyable “me” days…? I guess that would be up to us to choose, but I do know we have to learn to respect time and set some boundaries.
Indeed. I am reminded of a comedian–sadly, I can’t remember who–who observed that yes, we’re living much longer than we used to, but the extra years are spent old and sick. I don’t know how true that is, but it’s in the same spirit as your question: are we adding time just to waste it rushing about and checking our social media?