The older I get, the more I believe that time is an illusion.
As most of you are aware (due to my constant bitching), I am sporting 2+ jobs. I work 40 hours/week at my day job, 16+ at my night job, and occasionally, I put in 10+ here and there on my freelance proofreading. In addition, I don't feel that I lack for friends or fun activities. I also have two blogs, and I read a fair amount. People are constantly asking me how I do everything that I do, and I become more and more convinced that I simply have more time than other people.
Now, a friend pointed out that I don't sleep much, which is true. I usually sport six or less hours compared to most people's eight (or nine), but I think it's more than that.
Either I am using time off the end of my life, or I got some of your time. Pratchett has some interesting theories about time involving time monks who take time from creatures who don't need it and use it to make sure that the "right" things happen by either taking the time themselves or donating it to other people. (I believe the example he uses is something about a sea creature [possibly a mollusk] not really needing much time.)
I'm fairly convinced that this is what happened in my case. Only once in my life have I ever run out of time. Those of you who know me will remember my extra semester from hell. For those of you who don't, I was taking 16 credits, four of which were devoted to a 15 hour a week internship. The rest were all writing classes. I was working 20 hours a week. I was doing project work for a college department and for the faculty secretary at 20 hrs./semester and 20 to 40 hrs./semester, respectively. I was also the lit mag editor. Finally, I was trying to stay in my two writing groups, and I had a boyfriend at the time. Suffice it to say that I ran out of time that semester (also energy, patience, sanity, and several other desirable faculties).
But otherwise, I have always been able to say, "It'll all get done," and it all miraculously does. Why is this? All I can come up with is that I got your time. Apparently you weren't using it wisely. Sucks to be you. ;) Anyone with any time/relativity theories/knowledge should feel free to explain this phenomenon in scientific terms. (Anyone else should feel free to come up with their own theories.)
Posted by LoWriter at May 16, 2005 11:18 AMI too have an uncanny knack for time management.
I have 2 jobs, school, a husband who likes to eat and wear clean clothes (how annoying!), teaching (horseback riding), my own horseback riding, and writing.
I very recently had this conversation, actually, with a friend of mine who couldn't figure out why I wasn't more pressed for time. I came up with 3 things:
1) I am a viciously rational prioritizer. Ex: Yes, I have to feed my husband, but he will not die of starvation in one night. My paper, however, is DUE tomorrow night. Sorry, baby! Life's a bitch; visit McDonald's.
Children may complicate this aspect, but until then...
2) I never spend a minute more on anything than I absolutely have to. Ex: Teachers like to press some ridiculous formula for credit hours vs. homework hours. I write the paper 'til it's done, read the book 'til I can pass for having read it, and study 'til I know the stuff. No more, no less. Takes me half the time it's supposed to, and I still get better than respectable grades.
3) I don't do pointlessly time consuming girly-type things. This, I think, is what gets alot of women in trouble... beauty appointments, at-home facials, primp, preen... all those complicated beauty routines that mean they "have to" get up 3 hours before they have to be anywhere... and "have to" go to 3-5 extra "appointments" per month. Baloney. They're blow-drying... I'm still sleeping. No one will notice who's who by the end of the day. This sort of falls under the prioritizing category, though... I don't do them, because to me, they're completely unnecessary.
Here's the question though... was I born with this innate capacity to discover free time? I've never made a conscious effort of doing any of these things... it wasn't until this conversation that I realized I did...
On the other hand, I realized very early in life that I detested -- loathed, even -- being rushed, so maybe I unconsciously started devising shortcuts to avoid it.
Nature vs. Nurture... Debate!
I spend some time primping and preening, but I confess that it does not take up as much of my life as it probably should. Lately, it just seems that if time is at a premium and I have to choose between another chapter of Sherlock Holmes or eyeshadow, then that decisions is "elementary, my dear Watson." I'm going to pick Sherlock Holmes everytime.
I like your points about prioritizing. You're right, of course. I don't have anyone to take care of, but I do know how to give up things that seem neccessary in order to do something else that has an earlier deadline. (Learned that one the hard way.)
I think you are also right about the "formula" for getting "A"s. There isn't one.
As to whether or not this is nature or nurture, I think it's a combination of both. Some of it is training, some of it is natural perception and ability. I've always been a reader, so reading is more important to me than makeup, etc. My little sister has always been ultra concerned with her clothes, so she devotes a lot of time to that. On the other hand, homework was never a put in your time activity at my house. It was always a do the absolute best possible job activity.
Posted by: Lo at May 17, 2005 09:52 AMhmm... this question of time always gets me to thinking... my time is usually taken up by my social life. my priorities are Family & Friends First, Y Time, Me Time and Cleaning. Almost all of the above can be co-mingled. i occasionally like to go to the Y with friends, and a lot of the time, the Y is my Me Time, Me Time can also consist of me calling my Mommy for an hour and cleaning is always done in as little time as possible.
the only times i feel pressed are when i have to choose between activities and/or friend groups. Usually it's as simple as rearranging a bit; today, i went to the Y in the AM so i can watch my TV with my bff all night long. But there come some times when i am forced to choose between my hubby & my friends, my Mom and my Dad (they are divorced) and i fret. i dont want anyone to feel slighted or that they are not important to me. the balance is hard to reconcile.
so, its really not about Time, per se, it's about priorities, like Mardou said. and then there are the people who are eternally late, and that is definitely a Time issue. :o)
Posted by: Dr. Gonzo at May 17, 2005 10:54 AMAh time, I have to say that time is most important, especially when you have nothing at all to do. It is amazing how much time you can spend watching TV and how cooking a quiche doesn't seem to take very long because you have nothing else to do.
Although my apartment is very clean because who likes to live in a dirty apartment? I probably vaccuum twice a week right now, which is a huge change from when I didn't vaccuum for weeks in MN because I was always too busy with other things.
Posted by: 10lees at May 17, 2005 11:09 AMWe could get into the Stephen Hawking stuff... that time and space are the exact same thing, since the only thing driving our calendar is the movement of celestial objects across distances.
In his theory (if I remember correctly) it is possible to go BACK in time, but not forward, much in the same way that it is possible to retrace your steps, but not magically teleport forward to you destination... something like that.
Given this, those who feel that they are chronically out of time can take heart: Time is NOT, in fact, moving faster for you. It is possible, though, that it IS moving slower for others. Or something... I don't know...
I'm just talking, really... been a long time (long ways?) since I read _A Brief History of Time_. I do usually put it on all my book recommendation lists, though. It should be read for the fun of having your mind completely blown, if nothing else.
I checked that book out once. I didn't have time to finish it before someone else checked it out. This was also during my Harry Potter research phase, so I wasn't really in the right mindset for it.
I believe that most people feel moving forward in time is possible because we are already doing it. It's moving backward that gives most people trouble. Additionally, there are a lot of theories about space travel that indicate that if you went light years away and came back, you'd be the same age, but everyone who stayed on the planet would be older or dead. I've never read all of Hawking's book, though, so I have no idea what he says.
Posted by: Lo at May 23, 2005 07:48 AM