Time Management

Time is finite and because of that it may be our most valuable resource. It always moves forward (at least as far as we know), and once it’s gone we can’t get it back. There are so many tools today designed to help with time management - phone apps, calendars, date books, alarms, reminders, sticky notes, habit trackers and print-outs.. if I don’t put something in my calendar then I won’t remember it! But maybe doing less is a worthwhile experiment toward cultivating inner peace.

When starting to practice yutori, my approach was to commit to less in order to savor the commitments I chose to keep. I used to run around to appointments and meet-ups every day of the week, often multiple in one day, to keep up with friends and expectations that I put on myself. As soon as I realized I could say no to things, ease up some of the pressure on myself, and instead sit outside and listen to the trees, it was like a giant weight got lifted. Now choosing how to spend my time is an active choice. Sure I still have to work to make money, and I am thankful I have a job, but even that is a choice when you think about it. People choose all kinds of ways to make a living and exist in the world.

At the end of the day we each have a finite amount of time in the current life and it’s up to us how to spend it. Sometimes we have more freedom and sometimes we have more obligations. Being aware of which it is every day and choosing to make one’s own well-being a priority is a huge act of self care and worth paying attention to!