OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH TIME

Growing up, I always wanted to get my homework done before playtime. Not doing so would stress me out. Even if my homework took longer and made my playtime shorter, I noticed how my playtime was more enjoyable. This is one of my earliest memories about the concept and usage of time.

I wondered: Why do certain moments in time feel slow (like homework) while others (like playtime) fly by?

A lot has changed since COVID-19, but technically, not time. We still have the same months, days, and hours. Yet the days feel longer and shorter at the same time. This is the most frequent response I have with my friends when we look back at our last few months:

“It’s strange. Each day feels so long and each week feels like a month. Yet, I can’t believe we are already in August. How did time fly so fast?”

Strange but feels true?
You are not alone.

How we think about the day influences how we experience and think of time:

What can I do to make the most out of my time?

I’ve been thinking more about this as I enter August because July was incredibly busy. I was facilitating 20-30 hours for 100-200 individuals every week. Though I did feel the screen fatigue, each day I was energetic and excited about the projects and trainings I had scheduled. How was I able to do all of that without getting Zoom fatigue?

I realized my experiences have been deeply shaped by how intentional I am with my time. Each day I gave a lot of thought to where I spent my energy and time, who I spent it with, how long I spent, and for what purpose. Is this an ideation session? Is this a client call? Am I coaching or training or just participating in an event? If I am catching up with a friend, how can I be more present and not too tired or distracted to fully hear what he/she has to say?

As a result, I started to realize my frame of time was shifting. Time felt longer when I wanted it to be and shorter when I wanted it to be. Why? Because I focused on being fully present.

This month, as I enter into a time to recharge and innovate, I’m excited to continue reframing my thoughts on time.

What about you?