tags: time, time management, time management skills, time management tips, time management strategies, productivity, importance of time management, what is time management
Listen to the most serious news: someone is so angry at an insignificant incident that he assaults or even kills another human. Road rage is one of the most common forms of this condition.
All that is needed are two or three people, a spark, and a participant who takes the whole thing too seriously. And it appears that these ingredients are available and come into contact with each other at a startling pace.
These are severe manifestations of what is commonly referred to as “hurry sickness.“ A state of agitation induced by the sensation that there is not enough time in the day to achieve all that is needed. Some people are so bent on achieving goals that any disturbance, even the ordinary, can send them into an unthinking rage.
We wonder how these people can lose control so easily and fully, and we are comforted to know that we are more rational, more balanced, and better adapted. We are unaffected by slight interruptions, and we are in full control of our thoughts and actions.
Are we truly, really? Though most of us, luckily, are not prepared to commit chaos when things don’t go our way, many of us have a serious problem coping with events that throw us off track and interfere with our goals. We’re a nation of over bearers, with lives stuck on fast forwards.
With little time to prepare, many of us have become adept at crisis management, rushing to shoot one after the other. We are all dependent on overnight delivery and communication through e-mail, fax and telephone. We’re constantly linked to personal digital assistants and tablets, and we keep our obligations down to the minute so we can fit them into our crowded schedules.
Riding the Adrenalin High
Here’s another easy test to detect a potential case of a rush. Only say “yes” or “no” to the following statement: “I work better under pressure.”
A lot of people continue to think that way. We say the characteristic on our resumes (along with “highly motivated self-starter”), and we brag about our ability to succeed within the strictest of timeframes.
Some of us pick this up habit at college, refusing to write the project until the day before it’s due. Pulling an all-nighter, and heading to class bleary-eyed, bedraggled, yet smugly self-satisfied with the accomplishment of another challenge. Knowing how smart, we bring the practice to other aspects of life and hopeful that others will notice our abilities too.
You, too, huh? Go back to look at the job after you’ve cooled down. Your strongest one? If you’re frank with yourself, you’re going to admit that the standard of your work suffers as you sprint through it.
And you are suffering, too. You have motion sickness—not the kind that induces queasiness when you respond to a ship’s rocking, but rather a physical and psychological dependency on motion and speed that can become almost as strong as a true addiction.
“Leisure time” is now an oxymoron. We have a long working day, interrupted but not eased by gulped food and disturbed sleep. Just the models in the apparel catalogs seem to have time to sit down.
People are taking shorter and shorter breaks, and we take our work with us, with our beepers and mobile phones, faxes and emails. Our home computers are extensions to the office, but being able to work at home ensures that we’re still at work.
Leisure isn’t as relaxed as it once was, we’re rushing through life to cross “fun” things off the to-do list.
Even our play has become purposeful with physical exercise or forced “relaxation” and competitive hobbies (who plays golf without holding scores?). Even bird-watching has become a competitive sport.
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