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Is time
management possible?
By Melissa Martin
Three long-time friends met for a reunion. In the fullness of time, the
conversation steered toward the topic of who was more important. Alas,
tempers flared and egos erupted.
“I’m more important!” Future proclaimed. “I show people how they can
be. I am made of dreams, wishes, hopes, and goals. Without me, there
would be no tomorrow.”
“I’m more important!” declared Past. “I show people how they used to
be. I am made of a lifetime of memories. Without me, there would be no
yesterday.”
“I’m more important!” Present retorted. “I show people how they are. I
am made of the here-and-now. Without me, there would no today.”
Unbeknownst to the trio, Father Time was listening and interjected,
“Before conception, a baby has no past. When a person dies, he or she
has no earthly future and the spiritual realm is not bound by time.
Thus, a person exists only in the present.”
Mother Epoch stated, “There would be no present without the past.
And the future represents hope, change, and what could be.”
The trio, Past, Present, and Future, pondered upon the discussion.
Father Time said, “There are 3 doors labeled past, present, and
future. Which door would you pick? And you cannot pick yourself.”
Past stated, “Then I would pick the future.
Present stated, “Then I would pick the past.”
Future stated, “Then I would pick the present.”
“So which is more important if you would all pick differently?”
asked Father Time.
Grandfather Wisdom joined the debate. “Ah, but past, present, and
future, are but one entity with three unique gifts to humanity. You
cannot have one without the other. People must make peace with the
past, live abundantly in the present, while planning for the future.”
“Now we understand,” said the time trio.
Reader, it’s your turn to reflect upon your own past, present,
and future. Step off the hamster wheel and reevaluate what time means
to you.
According to a 2016 article in Scientific American, “Humans, like
creatures ranging from amoebas and bees to mockingbirds and elephants,
come with built-in equipment for perceiving some aspects of time, such
as the rhythms of night and day, the waxing and waning of the moon, and
the turning of the seasons. What separates humans from other animals is
that we do not stop at merely sensing time's passage. We tackle time
head-on—or at least we try. We dice it into units, even ones that go
beyond what is perceivable, such as milliseconds, or that transcend our
life span, such as millennia…In short, humans everywhere create and
rely on time concepts—ideas about the nature of time that allow us to
make plans, follow recipes, share memories and discuss possible
futures.” www.scientificamerican.com/.
Science News, Articles, and Information - Scientific American
www.scientificamerican.com
Scientific American is the essential guide to the most awe-inspiring
advances in science and technology, explaining how they change our
understanding of the world and shape our lives.
Time management is a fallacy because we cannot manage time—we can only
manage our activities. Therefore, time management is using your ability
to plan how to spend the seconds, minutes, and hours to accomplish
goals. Everyone gets 24 hours per day and 168 hours per week. That’s
it! But humans try to cram too many activities into a day or a week or
a month or a year and stress can be the result. We schedule a vacation
and stuff so many activities into a week that we need a vacation from
our vacation. In our efforts to be more efficient, more productive, and
more industrious, we experience pressure and more pressure.
Tick-tick-tick. Unplug. Breathe. Relax. Work hard—but play hard, too.
Tick-tick-tick. Spend time with what you value. Tick-tick-tick.
“How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives.” —Annie
Dillard
Melissa Martin, Ph.D, is an author, columnist, educator, and
therapist. She resides in southern Ohio.
www.melissamartinchildrensauthor.com. Contact her at
melissamcolumnist@gmail.com.
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