Time Poverty

Trust me, I get it. Life is busy. As business people, we are working longer hours and are under constant pressure. We try to fit more and more into every day. Many of us function in a state of near exhaustion. Despite having every labour-saving device imaginable, we remain time poor.

The 21st century is very demanding. We are on call 24/7 thanks to “anywhere, anytime” connectivity. Surrounded by technology in our homes and workplaces, we have constant information at our fingertips delivered by smartphones and other mobile devices and apps.

The rhythm of our lives is in high gear, yet we crave a less frenetic existence. Technology was meant to be a blessing but for many, it has become a curse. State of the art technology including AI, have not given us more time. Busyness has become a way of life.

Living in an iWorld means staying plugged in. Technology has become a drug which is hard to turn off. For many, checking emails before breakfast and after dinner is the norm, let alone spending time on social platforms. The electronic transformation of work has intruded into our private lives.

Time is money and it seems we don’t want to waste a second of this precious resource. Unlike other resources, time cannot be accumulated – we all use up 24 hours each day. The more demands that are made on our time, the less downtime we have.

So how do we get back time?

Time, like all commodities, is subject to the laws of supply and demand. We are each supplied with the exact same amount and it’s not possible to buy an additional supply of hours. Our focus, therefore, should be on controlling our time, but this is easier said than done.

Leisure time, once plentiful, can now seem scarce and elusive. With expanding workweeks, opportunities for rest and relaxation are diminishing. Paradoxically, we are so busy seeking the good life, we have little time to enjoy the fruits of our labour even if we can afford it.

Our calendars are crammed, but it wasn’t meant to be this way. Futurists long ago told us that 21st century technological wizardry would reduce the need for labour. Automation was supposed to usher in a fifteen hour working week causing all of us to be bored with an over-abundance of leisure time.

For some, being busy has become a status symbol. It makes us feel important and valued. It satisfies our need to be needed. We crave the adrenalin rush of being a super achiever. We thrive on the adulation of being a doer and a go-to person for problem solving.

“Time famine” is an epidemic afflicting all developed nations. Growing affluence comes at a cost. It seems that the more we have, the more we want. Rampant consumerism has caused us to confuse a good life with a goods life. We want the latest and best possessions, putting us on a hedonic treadmill.

In Australia, we definitely suffer the curse of the rat race. Contrary to our popular image, we are not a nation of laidback beach dwellers. Our work-life balance is out of kilter. Increasingly, we live to work rather than work to live. Households – particularly those with young families – are strapped for time.

It is clear that the world has become stuck in fast-forward. According to Carl Honoré, author of In Praise of Slow: How a Worldwide Movement is Challenging the Cult of Speed, we need to slow down and rebel against a hectic lifestyle.

Praise of Slow provides a useful “how to” guide for anyone who is tired of constantly living in the fast lane. Of course, you’ll have to make time in your busy schedule to go out and buy a copy and then you’ll have to find time to read it. But it will be a productive investment of time.

You never know, it may even change how you work, rest and play!

All food for thought!