The REAL Problem With Time (In The Long Run, We Are All DEAD!)
You Need To Read
Last year, I read 16½ books. The last one was intense and cathartic so I took my time and finished it last week.
"How to Say Babylon". A provocative book about growing up as a Rastafari woman in Jamaica and what it took to cut the ropes.
Just in case anyone is interested.
Why am I sharing this and what does it have to do with the title of this Wealthy Affiliate (WA) blog post?
Everything!
If you want to be a good . . . no great . . . Writer, you HAVE to read!
If you want to write with ease and converse better with your audience, you HAVE to read!
If you want to make the changes that are necessary for you to succeed in life, you HAVE to read!
You MUST read!
Put aside time to read this year. You will not regret it.
The Problem With Time
Let's reconnect now.
I am reading, Four Thousand Weeks, this month. In his book, Oliver Burkeman puts a different spin on our relationship with time. He takes us back to when there was no time managed by clocks, agendas and calendars.
Before we were all trained to run on the proverbial conveyor belt.
Allow me to quote:
"The REAL problem with time isn't our limited time.
The REAL problem - or so I hope to convince you - is that we've unwittingly inherited, and feel pressured to live by, a troublesome set of IDEAS about how to use our limited time, all of which are pretty much guaranteed to make things worse."
Needless to say, he has convinced me. Not that I needed much convincing.
In The Long Run . . .
Statistics tell us that the average lifespan today, all things being equal, is about 70-80 years.
That is about 3,640 - 4,160 weeks. At almost 60 years old, I have about 520 - 1,040 weeks left.
Not a lot in the scheme of things but I am hell-bent on making these legacy weeks the best of my life. And to do that, I had to change my relationship with time.
What was my most impactful change?
Burkeman writes about this in his book.
My most impactful change was my RELATIONSHIP with time.
I no longer measure time against the clock or the calendar. Rather, I measure it against my goals, objectives and priorities.
It has become fluid and buoyant.
Construct A Meaningful Life
I keep referring to when I first joined WA. My emotional and mental states were wrecked.
There was an obsession with getting everything done now and perfectly. I wrote with vengeance and self-inflicted confinement.
It was only when I aligned what I was doing with the actions I was taking to construct a meaningful life that I started to spread my wings and fly.
It was only when I found my Congruent Point that my life changed profoundly.
After 4 years of trial and error, I have been able to build a successful and growing online business. I now enjoy a lifestyle with my daughter that affords us the luxury of having time placed where we want it in our lives.
The only clock that we allow is the one that, for now, manages her academic needs and my delivery of Client projects.
Everything else is designed around what we WANT to do, when, where and with whom.
Time is no longer our enemy but rather, our friend and it is in that space of fluidity and dances that I find my creativity and my voice.
It is, indeed, a beautiful place to be.
Thank you for reading. 🙂
Cassi
Recent Comments
63
Good morning Cassi,
Now, that's a great blog post! Especially as we all struggle with time, or at least most people do.
If I speak or listen to anyone successful, they all say that you must read and educate yourself. In fact, I was listening to someone being interviewed yesterday, and he said exactly this. I really enjoy reading and at Christmas and at this time of year, I have a bit more time to sit down with a book. More often than not, I read a book on Kindle, although I have many books on the bookshelf or bookshelves rather! I also purchase audiobooks, when possible. I can work my offline business and educate myself at the same time.
Measuring time against your goals seemed like a brilliant idea and it really sounds like it has brought so much freedom, Cassi! I really admire what you have achieved in the past four years! I actually remember you joining Wealthy Affiliate. I would say that I have probably read 80% of your blog posts, so I know your story fairly well.
I guess the two things that help me to work efficiently are to get to bed in good time so that I can be at my desk at 5 AM or before. (It doesn't always work, but I do try to aim for it). Also, I am using the Pomodoro technique, which helps; I even try to use this technique when I am on Wealthy Affiliate, as time can quickly run away.
Well done to all your hard work in making it happen.
Have a great day.
Roy
"Early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise."
That makes most people think that "wealthy" refers to money but in my opinion, it refers to the wealth of time that befalls you when you rise early.
I do more between 4-5 AM and 9 AM than most people do in a day.
You are unbothered and focused.
It is always an easy flow after that.
Thank you, Roy, for your years of support.
You are a dear friend.
Enjoy your week.
Cassi
Good morning Cassi,
"Early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise."
Now that's a great saying, Cassi and something that I agree with 100%! I really think this is the way to be ahead of our game. As you mention, you can do more in the early morning, without any disturbances!
I think the phrase could almost mean both, Cassi. If we rise early, it enables us to achieve a lot more, which in turn can bring wealth. But I also hear 100% what you are saying and I believe it also means that.
It leaves a good feeling when many people haven't even started work and yet we have achieved a lot. I mean that in a good way!
Thank you for your kind words, Cassi; it's good to support people and encourage others in their walk, etc. It's also so nice when people like yourself are trying to push forward and make life better and we see the results! Fantastic!
Have a wonderful day.
Roy are
I like the early start to the day.
Today, I was at my desk until about 12:30 om and then I went into town for a couple of hours to run some errands.
It was fun being able to stroll and watch others hurry along.
Carefree is nice, sometimes. 😉
Cassi
Great minds think alike, Cassi!
This is the great thing about starting early, Cassi, we have finished our work before a lot of people have barely started! It's nice that you had time to do things in the afternoon.
It sounds like you are in a great place, well done for making it happen.
Have a great day.
Roy
Thanks for sharing Cassi!
A very impactful book for me which I have just starting rereading for the third time is Living Untethered: Beyond the Human Predicament by Michael A. Singer.
I continue to work, but its far from a priority in my life as I focus on family first and foremost.
Happy FriSatSu Cassi!
Mel
I saw "Living Untethered" recently but did not purchase it.
Now that you have recommended it so highly, I will.
Thank you for sharing.
Cassi
Thank you, Cassi
You have brought to our attention how reading is important to be a great writer. I read every day and wish I had more time to read even more.
Time is an interesting topic to write about, everyone complains including me we don't have enough time to do all the things we want and need to do.
It's awesome now for you time is your own and not dictated by what you need to do to earn a living online.
I am very happy for your success and life
Enjoy your weekend
Jeff
Hey, Jeff!
The initial investments of:
- hard work,
- persistence,
- focus,
- determination,
- sleepless nights,
- sacrifices, etc.
pay off in the end.
I believe that and I approach what I do with that belief close to my heart.
Life takes what we put out there, refurbishes it and throws it back to us with more vigour.
It is all up to us.
Thank you for your kind words.
Cassi
It amazes me the amount of insight and information you'll find by reading a list of books on just about any topic you choose, versus spending thousands of dollars for 1 hour of somebody's time. There is a time and place for everything.
Think about it and let that sink in.
Cassi knows what she's talking about!
Hey, Oriana!
I agree with you on that.
For me, reading gives me much more and feeds my imagination and creativity.
Home is lying in a hammock surrounded by all my favourites. 😊
Thank you for sharing.
Cassi
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Love this piece Cassi! I have wrestled with this phenomena all my life and it is only recently that, like you, I'm doing what I want, when, where and with whom. For me, a focus on the present moment seemingly almost eliminates my old (and conventional) view of time...there was never enough...that is no longer an issue...Nice piece and I couldn't agree more ...you must read!
Grant
I appreciate your kind words and your feedback, Grant.
It is liberating, to be cliché, and feels that it is how things should be.
Gibran's words On Work have always echoed in my mind -
"Work is love made visible.
And if you cannot work with love but only with distaste, it is better that you should leave your work and sit at the gate of the temple and take alms of those who work with joy."
I am a passionate person but through this recent discovery, I realised that my passion was misplaced.
It was not invested in the "work" that I love.
BIG difference!
Thank you.
Cassi