Try Not to Hurry

Posted in life lessonsTagged , , , ,

“I’m late, I’m late, for a very important date.” – The White Rabbit in Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll

My sister-in-law was over the other day and told me that ever since she was out sick for a week about 6 weeks ago, she’s felt like she is always running behind. Then she listed all the things she hasn’t done and it struck me that none of them had to do with being on time, but instead were all about what she wanted to do with her time.

It struck a chord in me because I’ve been reading Alan Burdick’s book Why Time Flies (thank you for the suggestion, Dr. Stein) and he talks about all the different ways we use the word time:

Duration – the ability to determine how much time has elapsed between two specific events or to accurately estimate when the next event will occur.

Temporal order – the ability to discern the sequence in which events occurred.

Tense – the ability to discriminate between the past, present, and future, and the understanding that tomorrow lies in a different temporal direction than yesterday.

The “feeling of nowness” – the subjective sense of time passing through us “right now,” whatever that is

Why Time Flies by Alan Burdick

It’s been my goal lately to try not to hurry even when really busy which speaks to that “feeling of nowness” that Alan Burdick describes. It also resonates with an idea that we need to distinguish between what is important to us as opposed to what seems urgent that Gary Fultz wrote about in his post A Good Interruption Solution? “We are all in a different place between the urgent and the important. Let me suggest there is probably not enough time in life to do all of both.“

With all those ideas about “time,” it inspired my post for the Pointless Overthinking blog this week: The Quality versus Quantity of Time.

(featured photo from Pexels)

27 thoughts on “Try Not to Hurry”

  2. Slowing down helps us enjoy moments and events as well as notice them (we are there for baby’s first steps and piano recitals…) It also helps us sort out priorities and possibly evaluate and reset who we are and what we are to be about.

    Liked by 3 people

  3. I too have unfinished projects I don’t seem to have time for… like home office organizing. Definitely very connected to how I feel about the agent search process; feels as simple as open heart surgery on myself.

    Liked by 2 people

    1. I hear you about the home office organizing. Perhaps the “time” isn’t right for it yet – at least that’s what I’d like to think. Oh, and the agent search – I like that you tie it to the heart because it seems to have a very real feeling connection to the core of the business side of writing!

      Liked by 1 person

  4. A lot of truth here. I try to make a point of noticing all of life’s little gifts even when I’m busy … like the way the sun shines through the trees and dances across my sheets as I make the bed in the morning, the humming bird outside my kitchen window as I’m cleaning up the dinner dishes … etc. It helps to get through what needs to be done, find joy in it and to remember that there’s always something to be thankful for. Great post, Wynne.

    Liked by 3 people

  6. Lovely post.
    Yes, there is a lot to be thankful for. The chores, the must-dos, and the I can never catch-ups will always be there tomorrow. Why worry now and waste time instead of enjoying the present activity or even inactivity.
    I think we tend not to be kind to ourselves. But, I am slowly learning. Retirement has taught me not to chase the clock and enjoy “the now” and most importantly, “me time.”
    Love

    Liked by 1 person

    1. I love your phrase “enjoying the present activity or even inactivity.” Yes, I think you are right we tend not to be kind to ourselves. Or maybe even think that productivity will quiet the inner urgency instead of priorities. I love your statement that you are slowly learning. May we all!

      Liked by 1 person

  7. I had 2 big projects to work on at work this week, and as much as I wanted to complete both there simply wasn’t enough time, so the most important one took precedence. I had to mindfully slow myself down a little because when I try to work too fast I make mistakes and need to re-do my work. Slowing down a little can end up being more productive in the long run!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Oh, what a great comment, Tamara. Yes, slowing down to get it right – such a good productivity tool! Thanks for chiming in with this perfect reminder to do one thing and do it well and then move on.

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Even if we need to keep a couple of plates spinning at once, just by slowing g it down a bit we can accomplish far more in the long run.

        Liked by 1 person

  8. I love the concept that you highlighted between the quality and the quantity of time. We live in a culture that seems to thrive on filling every inch of our schedules up with activities. And it all just leads to us feeling so panicked and frenzied.

    I love the idea of prioritizing time in what really matters to you as opposed to what seems urgent. It can certainly lead to better outcomes and wellbeing too!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Leads to us feeling so panicked and frenzied – well said! Yes, I think have our orientation set to what is important helps us have a better quality of time. So I hope! 🙂 Thank you, as always, for such a thoughtful comment, Ab!

      Liked by 1 person

  9. I needed to read this today. There’s a huge to-do list on my farm and I’ve been extremely stressed out about my time and time management. This was the PERFECT read for me today 🥰

    Liked by 1 person

  10. I try to take life easy and slow. When I say so people look at me in strange ways, like if they were saying that it is not possible. Well, it’s possible of course, if you take time to ponder facts, events and things. In this way most probably you will take also better decisions. Thank you for this beautiful post, Wynne!

    Liked by 1 person

Comments are closed.