This is the 4th in this series. In the first article, we discussed chance, in the second, the Body, and in the third, the Environment . In this one, we will discuss Time and how it can hijack our goals and leave our outcomes to chance, circumstance, and fate.

3. Are You Betting on Time?

Is time your friend or does it cause you stress? Does time dictate what you do, or do your goals and mission dictate your daily schedule?

• Are your actions controlled by the time of day or do you listen to your mind, heart, and soul?
• Do you eat because it’s a certain time or because you are hungry?
• Do you sleep because your body is tired or when the clock tells you to?
• Do watch television at a certain time because broadcasters have decided that works for them, or do you watch when it is best for you?
• Do you work according to your natural rhythm or circadian clock or do you adapt to the society’s man-made divisions of time?

Dan Pink in his new book, When, states that our emotions and cognitive abilities change throughout the day. He says that we each have a Peak, Trough, and Recovery period and we should plan our work according to those times and not the clock. It is more important to listen to our own clocks and do specific kinds of work during the day when we are most prepared.

“…the evidence shows that we’re better off doing certain kinds of work at certain stages of the day. We do better on heads-down analytic problems during the peak (which for most of us is the morning) and on more iterative, insight problems during the recovery (which for most of us is the late afternoon and early evening.) Dan Pink

Each day we wake up with a brand new fresh day that hasn’t been lived yet in which we get to create. Each night, we go to sleep taking a bet on life that we will wake up in the morning and have the bounty of seeing another sunrise and living another day. While some dread tomorrow, some are excited by it, grateful for another tomorrow, and bounce out of bed renewed. However, many are not!

I know that many people live on autopilot and do not think or act this way. But, we do have the power to create our new day, even if only in our mind. And, quantum physics suggests that the mind is the best and most important place to start.

We must realize that time, just as the environment and the body, are all just input that create our perceptions of reality and help us maneuver through this maze of life on this side of the sod.

Time is just a tool, and a man-made one at that. The concept of the second, minute, and hour are all man-made. Only the concept of the day is a scientific reality based on the revolution around the sun. These other divisions are tools to break up our day, measure our performance within a specific span, and coordinate action. They are useful, but should not be allowed to rule us, cause us undue stress, and control our productivity and creativity.

As you can see, all are important, the body, environment, and time and all can influence how our days turns out, if we don’t take control.

In another article, I will share some ideas about better ways to start our day.

Thanks for viewing. Please leave your feedback and share with friends who would find this information valuable.

Barbara Talley
Educator, Facilitator, Keynote Speaker
Appreciative Inquiry Interventions
Strengths-based Leadership
Generative Leadership
Heartmath Certified Instructor
Brain-based Conversations Coach