We Always Think We Have Time...Until We Don't

by Skip Cohen

Normally  on Sunday, I slow down after posting Sunday Morning Reflections, but I've got a day full of projects to complete, including a final review of my upcoming Hair of the Dog Summit presentation. (Apologies for the little infomercial, but it's a great program, and at $17 or $117, it's a no-brainer for photographers to attend.) At 5:15 AM I started thinking about today's post and it hit me how the older I get, the faster time seems to fly right by.

​I went off in search of some quotes about time and I stumbled on this one:

Those who make the worst use of their time are the first to complain of its brevity. 
​Jean De La Bruyere

ed​I'm complaining about time's brevity but never considered whether I'm part of the cause. That led me to think through how I've been using my time. I did an inventory of my actions recently and realized I waste too much time on things that don't matter.

For example, I can't win a fight with Comcast, but I'll waste time I can never get back, waiting on hold for Tech Support to fix something that might not even be that relevant at the time. Then there are times in social media answering an I.M. from somebody I don't know who wants to pitch me on something I don't want. Instead of deleting or blocking them, I respond with a sentence or two. What is it that makes me feel like they deserve a response and more of my time? 

It's not that I intentionally waste time, just that I've become A.D.D. over things that don't matter. I get easily distracted and waste time and energy. Like weeds in a garden - you can pull all the weeds you want, but it won't make a difference if you don't water and fertilize the flowers!

And there's my point - Too many of us spend time focused on the wrong things. We chase issues that don't matter. We spend time, our most valuable commodity, on things with little or no return value. We're investing time in things with no R.O.I.

Thinking through how I wanted to spend today, I made a list of what I want to accomplish. It's given me an almost tack-sharp focus on the day ahead - starting with getting this post up early. 

Wishing everybody a day with time to spend on truly important things. They don't have to be earth-shaking, just those things that have an impact. I define things with "impact" as whatever makes me smile and feel a sense of accomplishment. From an eleven-second therapeutic hug with Sheila to various projects around the house and even a touch on some business things to make the week ahead a little smoother - if it makes me smile, it's on the list for today.

Happy Sunday...or Monday on the other side of the world.

Yesterday’s the past, tomorrow’s the future, but today is a gift.
That’s why it’s called the present. 
Bil Keane