A quarter of the year is gone. It seemed to fly by. That got me thinking about Time, how we relate to it, and how that can either create more stress, or more flow and ease.
We tend to accept that Time is regimented, split up into defined units of hours, minutes and seconds. And while this can be practical for planning and scheduling, it can also help to realize that we made these Time rules up. While useful, these structures can also be limiting, and even stress-inducing.
Einstein’s theory of relativity showed that time is flexible; that space and time can be the same thing (the space-time continuum). And while explanations of this can be fascinating as well as headache provoking, it can be empowering to consider time outside of our usual structured box.
You know from your own experience that time can vary. You know what it’s like to lose yourself in an activity, in the flow of a conversation, or in making love, when time can become fluid, or even seem to stand still. And you’ve probably known the feeling of time moving achingly slowly, especially when you’re waiting for that phone call or text, or for that person to arrive, or for the dentist to stop the drill.
It can be empowering and more fun to choose to view time as more flexible. This can be more natural for many of us during a weekend or if we’re on vacation, when time’s fluidity can be more obvious. But when we’re in project mode, when there is work to be done, it can be useful to shift our perspective and invite time to expand.
There are simple ways to play with this. Here’s one:
Set a structured hour or 90 minutes for a task. Then try allowing yourself to get as absorbed as possible, and assume there is enough time to get what’s needed done. Allow time to flex for you within that frame. You may find yourself more productive within less “time.”
I’ve experienced this myself, and have coached many others in playing with time in this way for more ease and less negative stress. Allowing time to expand, even within a structured box, can allow for greater creativity, as well as productivity.
If we made it up anyway, we might as well make it work for us.
