Is time moving fast or slow? In general, we accept that time feels as though it moves slowly when we’re young, gradually speeding up as we age. But I’ve become increasingly aware of other factors that affect my sense of time. On the surface, that seems inconsequential. But on another level, it feels incredibly important to thriving.
When a vendor’s business burned years ago, I remember someone saying that from that point on, his time would be divided into before the fire and after the fire. That sounded right since we mark time in unexpected life-changing events as well as cultural milestones- birthdays, graduations, jobs, marriages, and anniversaries.
Our perception of time forms the basis for setting priorities, making decisions, establishing commitments, and meeting deadlines. It’s not uncommon for someone who faces a life-threatening event to suddenly be ready to commit to a relationship. When we feel the shortness of time, priorities change.
On a daily basis, my sense of time is affected by the presence or absence of family, deadlines I must meet, how safe I feel, the goals I’ve set and my sense of accomplishment. When I have family in the house, time seems to stretch out. It’s an odd paradox. There’s often more to do, but it feels like I have more time to do it.
For over 20 years, my work had an understandable flow. It wasn’t predictable exactly, but each job had a particular flow and collectively, there were repeating rhythms. Most of it was driven by customer or reporting deadlines. I’m an expert at creating backward timelines. All I had to do was coordinate 60ish timelines at once.
Now I have fewer established deadlines and a wider variety of tasks. Each of those utilizes different tools and has multiple moving parts. While I have more control over the schedule, I also wear more hats that require me to shift my attention. This affects how I perceive progress and the time each task takes.
I could say that your priorities are reflected in the things on which you spend your time. I think I have said it. And it’s true, but not necessarily in a one-to-one kind of way. If you spend a lot of time doing laundry, your priority could be laundry. It could also be your children. Or it could be other people’s opinion of how you take care of your family.
Becoming aware of your perception of time is important when you begin to map what thriving looks like for you. Each intention will require an investment of time. It may not be possible to achieve the maximum goal in each area and still have a calm, peaceful life. If thriving for you includes calm and peace, you may need to back off of the ideal and choose an achievable goal.
No matter how lofty your goals, how efficient your system, or how intentional your choices, time is a limiting factor that will determine what you accomplish. If you devise a life plan in which accomplishment moves fast while feeling slow and easy, you’ll have achieved the balance I like to maintain.
Sometimes, it’s just hard to know whether time will feel like it’s moving fast or slow.
