Clocking In And Standing On Business: 3 Lessons On Time

Insight 67 | Time is a lot like rain. It's naturally occurring, can be managed in countless ways, is slightly messy at times, and if you ever try to catch it in your hands, you’ll realize you can only hold so much until it starts to slip right through your fingers.

Indeed, time is this life's most precious non-renewable resource, and whether we realize it or not, it’s running out on us. With this understanding in mind, it's ESSENTIAL for all of us to actively try to make the most of the amount we’ve been given.

I don’t mean to play into any platitudes like “life is short, make the most of it” or “we aren't promised tomorrows,” but the fact of the matter is, these sayings are colloquialisms for a reason: they hold timeless truth. That said, today I'd like to share with you a set of three more understandings that have personally reshaped how I invest, manage, and work to multiply the fruits of my time in a relentless and go-go-go world.

1. Treat Time Like A Treasure. Be Quick But Never In A Hurry. 

2. In The End, We Always Make Time For What Matters To Us.

3. Only YOU Can Waste YOUR Time; No One Else Can Do That For You.

We are finite creatures with a longing for the infinite. Still, until we are reunited in perfection with the source of all that is good, no longer bound by space nor time, it is our responsibility to be intentional in what, how, and where we plant our seeds of labor… for time is like rain and the harvest is dependent on where we make the water fall.

1. Treat Time Like A Treasure. Be Quick, But Never In A Hurry:  It seems backwards and strange, but living life fast costs us more in the long run than what it ever could save us in the short term. When we’re in a hurry, we inevitably make more mistakes, lose sight of what matters, and collect more regrets along the way. 

Napoleon Bonaparte had a great insight on this matter when he turned to his assistant who was helping with his clothing in preparation for battle and said: “Dress Me Slowly, I'm In A Hurry”.

See, there is a difference between moving fast and being a fast person. The former is a good thing; it means you are the type of person who can be relied on at a moment's notice. You deliver in a prompt manner and make the most out of things because you know how to keep a good pace. The problem, and when our downfall occurs, is when we allow that ambition to take us from people who can act decisively and quickly, to becoming quick people who act impulsively, are never present, and don’t understand the actual value of what is right before them. That is a hurry, something we must strive to eliminate ruthlessly.

In reflection on this note, a lyric from this worship song caught my attention this week: Lord, you’re never in a hurry, so why ever would I be?”.  It gave me a good laugh; the writers here couldn't be more correct. If God, the creator of the universe, the one who receives billions of prayers a day, is constantly causing the earth and heavens to spin, and is someone who knows each and every one of our names by heart, is never in a hurry? Why should we be? 

Time is a fragile treasure. And we all know we should never run when we’re holding something that valuable, or else we might fall and cause it to shatter.

2. We make time for what matters to us: Recently, I've been fascinated with the idea of priorities and non-negotiables. About how much one can actually pack into a day. Through this obsession, I have come to a painful and straightforward conclusion: we all make time for what matters… to us. This may seem basic, but it's a hard pill to swallow.

We are somewhat selfish in nature and prioritize things that bring us personal benefit or gratification, even if that means setting aside those of greater value. This is a double-edged sword, as it's an understanding that can motivate us to act in pursuit of our dreams, but it should also cause us to question what we are not creating time for. What does this knowledge say about the things we continue to avoid? 

With that in mind, we should all remember that this applies to us as well. If you consider yourself important (not in a prideful way, but in a self-respecting manner), you will find time for yourself - time to rest, recharge, breathe, pursue a passion, and live life. Don’t forget, if you continue running and never take a moment for yourself, you are indirectly saying to your own mind that you don’t matter to yourself, because we make time for what matters. 

Recall that there is a difference between “I don’t have time” and “I don’t have time for you”. (By the way, you're the YOU in this case)

3. Only YOU Can Waste YOUR Time; No One Else Can Do That For You: This is one of my favorite revelations in recent memory. It may sound simple, but consider this: the time you have is yours! I know… that's deep.

No, seriously, consider the weight of that statement. If the time we are given falls under our jurisdiction and discretion, then that means we are the ones who are accountable for how it's invested. This means that when we go back and forth in our minds, pointing fingers at others for getting in the way or distracting us, we are shifting the blame from ourselves to someone else. This leads to stunted growth and potential for resentment. When we condemn others for how we have spent our days, it hides the fact that we still have the capacity to reframe that interpretation, however we choose. What do I mean by this?

Suppose you have an urgent deadline approaching. One day, when you are intensely focused and in a flow state while working on this project, a friend or family member suddenly calls you, telling you they need to talk to someone for a bit. Obviously, being the good person you are, you say yes and spend the next thirty minutes hearing them out and proving some thoughts. By the end, they feel much better, and you hang up and get back to work. There are two ways to interpret what just happened, and your ultimate understanding depends on the kind of person you want to be.

The first way to think about this anecdote is that your friend or family member just clearly barged in on your precious focus. They didn't even think about asking you what you had been doing or whether you could talk, but you felt bad, so you went on and had the call grudgingly. This is what someone claiming others have wasted their time would think.

The second way to view this story is that the caller simply provided you with a good conversation, an excellent opportunity to be a good human being, and some time to catch up with someone you love. This is the reaction of someone who is aware that their time is theirs and that ultimately, they decide whether it has been wasted or invested.

Notice that the scenario has remained the same, but your understanding of it has shifted. This is what I mean by Only YOU Can Waste YOUR Time; No One Else Can Do That For You. It’s the kind of thinking that puts the decision-making back into our hands and provides us with much-needed accountability. However, it's also a truth that allows us the room to view the randomness of life through the filters of charity, kindness, and compassion.

Ultimately, it is we who determine what our time means.

—

I think Justin Bieber said it best, “It’s not clocking to you”, or I should say, “Us”... in this life, we should all be standing on business, not being run into the ground by all our endless checklists 

That begins by remembering:

1. Treat Time Like A Treasure. Be Quick, But Never In A Hurry. 

2. In The End, We Always Make Time For What Matters To Us.

3. Only YOU Can Waste YOUR Time; No One Else Can Do That For You.

When it's all said and done, Time is like rain, and the harvest is dependent on where we make the water fall.

- Making The Most Of Being Curious

Daniel J. Cuesta

P.S. Cheers to a bountiful life's harvest. 🥂

Sources:

Treat Time Like A Treasure. Be Quick, But Never In A Hurry: So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom. - Psalm 90:12

We Make Time For What Matters To Us: For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. - Matthew 6:21

Only YOU Can Waste YOUR Time; No One Else Can Do That For You: So then each of us will give an account of himself to God. - Romans 14:12