I’m running late –but have I wasted time?

I woke up this morning to a fine spring day. The early morning sun was just beginning to bring some warmth into the day, and a very faint breeze was stirring the leaves on the weeping acacia.

It was inevitable that I took my first cup of coffee and went to sit out in the garden to savour the moment. As I sat quietly, the tiny finches darted in and out of the cascading branches eying me warily as they dashed off to somewhere new. A shiny black crow perched on the edge of the bird bath, and gave me a long considered stare before nodding to  me, then rose on large and powerful wings to pursue his day.

I sat surrounded by the mystery and magic that is a garden and then, refreshed, I came inside to consider the day ahead.

“You’ve been a long time” said the husband “It’s not like you to waste the day!” – but, I wonder have I really wasted my time?

Each of us arise to the same amount of time – in fact we have a daily balance of 86,400 seconds; and we have no option but to spend them. We cannot put some aside for future use and no one has more than anyone else. Rich or poor; we have the same basic allowance issued for our use, and how we spend it is up to us.

There are ‘success gurus’ who tell us that every second of our day should be spent in working towards achievement.

I do not want to waste any time. And if you are not working on important things, you are wasting time. ~ Dean Kamen

And then of course there is the mantra that I used to have on my office wall during my army days – Time is what we want most, but… what we use worst. ~William Penn. I was a busy little bee in my army days!

And just to be sure, I opened a book of quotations about time and found this gem –

Time is equal to life; therefore, waste your time and waste of your life, or master your time and master your life. ~ Alan Lakein

As I read on I began to feel a little guilty about my self-indulgent hour in the garden. Until, that is, I asked myself a simple question – “What is important to me?” And when you ask yourself that question then Dean’s quotation takes on a new meaning.

When we at Trischel discuss time management with our clients, we stress the importance of allocating your time wisely. And what is wise usage of time for one may constitute a waste of time for another. Each person in this world is unique; their options, opportunities and sense of worth differ greatly.

So we suggest that to ensure that our time fulfills what we wish for in our lives, we really need to prioritise our tasks in order of importance to us. Not to some ‘success guru’ – but what is meaningful and necessary for us in this day.

When I came back into the house this morning, to the husband surprised exclamation; I should have said that I do not consider that I had wasted my time. I cannot spend my 86,400 seconds of my life in a way that is dictated to me by those whose definition of success differs from mine. To do so would be a real waste!

On this special spring morning I am reminded of that poem by W.H. Davies which starts

Davies knew that sometimes it is the hurry scurry lot that end up with the heart attacks and the ulcers. Sometimes we just need to be reminded of the beauty that surrounds us and which we so often take for granted; – sometimes we need to refresh the soul at the true waters of life.

So if, as we are told, that Time is equal to Life – perhaps we could spend some quality time considering what we truly want to achieve in this life.

So one final quotation :

“Time is the coin of your life. It is the only coin you have, and only you can determine how it will be spent. Be careful lest you let other people spend it for you.” –Carl Sandburg

Michele @ Trischel
refreshed and renewed by a hour definitely not wasted in the garden