Don’t Try: The Matter of Wasting Time
Written by Siris Hill
Questioning time has been present in philosophy for thousands of years but modern ideas on time management have become devoid of substance, replacing philosophical teachings with capitalist inspired slogans like “time is money” devaluing time leading us to focus on labour and accumulation of wealth. This idea of ‘success’ keeps us from finding meaning within our lives and instead has us chasing things that mean to waste our life rather than fulfil it. If we bring our attention back to the teachings found in philosophy it becomes clearer on how to structure our lives and manage our time for a more meaningful existence.
Seneca says "learning how to live takes a lifetime", however, Confucius says "We have two lives, and the second begins when we realise we only have one.”
“Portrait 3” by Siris Hill
For effective time management we should first remind ourselves of the non-renewability of our time. Roman philosopher, Seneca, a politician and philosopher who was a champion of Stoicism, focused primarily on ethics offering advice for human life. He wrote a moral essay titled ‘the shortness of life’ in which he urges us to regain control of our most important asset time.
“In guarding their fortune men are often closefisted, yet, when it comes to the matter of wasting time, in the case of the one thing in which it is right to be miserly, they show themselves most extravagant.” Seneca On the shortness of life.
The most important lesson within the essay is to value our time and avoid wasting it at all costs. It is a pungent reminder of what we so deeply intuit yet so easily forget and so chronically fail to put into practice. Seneca discusses the importance of making room for leisure but warns a life of pure leisure is meaningless. Creating a balance between working towards goals and finding meaningful enjoyment in leisure creates a purpose you own and control. We must guard against things that mean to take away our time meaninglessly by practising to say ‘No’ to many of the time-wasting things. Consider if your potential actions are noble, and whether they are sufficient choices to make up your only existence. If not, pledge to turn it down, even if it could cause you to disappoint others. We all have things that we want in life but the majority of us end up being busy doing things we don’t like which we then use as an excuse to convince ourselves there is no time due to our responsibilities. There is always time to be found to work towards these higher ambitions. The best way you can invest your time is by creating a life you love living.
If we think of time management more as self-management it becomes about self-development. To begin using time more effectively, firstly, create a schedule that fits around the things that are most important to you. It’s easy to be carried away by obligations or things other people impose on you, putting you into a routine and life schedule that doesn’t fit you. Establish your core values and allow these to influence you in decisions of spending your time.
If you want to find more time start by taking away things you don’t need or that don’t serve your purpose. There is nothing wrong with doing things that relax you, in fact it is important to make time for leisure, but if you consciously choose when and how long you do these things for you will be more in control of your decisions. I have found it just as important to cut out unhelpful behaviours such as watching TV or browsing social media as I have introducing new habits. Begin by creating a focus, and eliminating distractions.
My own structure and core values are: to have time for others, to care for those around me and be considered responsible and reliable in a time of crisis. I need time to think, create, travel and read. My career goals are to make a difference in this world and to assure the work I do benefits society in some way. My personal goals are to continue to pursue my dedication to the arts and further my thinking through philosophy. I don’t have a set daily routine that isn’t anything you haven’t already heard or read before, we all know how to better spend our time, what I think people don’t know is how to make that a normality. In the words of Charles Bukowski:
‘Everything works best not because you chose it but because it chose you. When you’re mad with it’.
Bukowski alludes to the idea that if you have to try to care or try to make yourself do something or be something then perhaps you do not care enough or want it after all. We perform our best when we are ourselves, natural and honest attending to who we really are and what we really want to say or do without ulterior motives. There is no shortcut or trick to time management the greatest skill you can learn is to value your time and invest it in yourself. It is simply a lack of intentionality that causes us to waste our time. I could write you lists or tell you how I spend my day but this wouldn’t change how you choose to spend yours. Instead try to identify your core values and you’ll find by using your time intentionally and deliberately, you neither long for nor fear tomorrow.
“Life is long enough, and it has been given in sufficiently generous measure to allow the accomplishment of the very greatest things if the whole of it is well invested. But when it is squandered in luxury and carelessness, when it is devoted to no good end, forced at last by the ultimate necessity we perceive that it has passed away before we were aware that it was passing.” Seneca On the shortness of life.
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Siris Hill is a self-taught artist using his art as a tool for his own therapy. His work tackles concepts and challenges of mental health head-on, retaining substance and purpose, not an easy feat to accomplish.
@sirishill
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