Does Cramming in More Make You The King Of Efficiency?

Things have never been quicker but yet we feel we never have enough time. Technological advances allow us to travel from New York to Italy in hours instead of  months. Information on any given topic is available any time of the day or night at the click of a button.  This means life should be easier and less complicated, but it is not.

For most people life has multiple things going on simultaneously.  We are taking care of people, making sure the bills get paid, rushing to an appointment/meeting, finding a place to park while at the same time thinking about what is for dinner, whether the cell phone is charged, remembering a social engagement and to change the light bulb that just went out.  Our minds are swirling and we are constantly in motion. It is a game of survival of the fittest.

Yet, even when we are able to get it all done, the victory feels hollow.  We are looking for the next bunch of tasks to complete.  A moment of idleness is painful.  The smallest hold ups aggravate us. We rush through our life by speeding through time with our family/friends, shove meals into our mouths and answer every incoming text.

It isn't like the things we try to fit in aren't important but the urgency has become intense and uncomfortable.  Essentially, the things that make life worth living, like community, family and friendship need the one thing we never have enough of, which is time.

So what are we to do?  Carl Honoré, the author of In Praise of Slowness, offers a good prescription, "Slowing down is really another way of giving your complete and sincere attention to the current moment. Focus on the now to the point that you enjoy every bit of time. Life is incredibly short, and some want to rush through it, thinking it allows them to accomplish more and more. But they have it backwards: when life is limited, take the time to slow down and enjoy what you’re doing. After all, this is all the time that you get."

Being a king isn't about how much you have.  It is about knowing what is worth keeping in your kingdom.

Stay healthy & well,
Lisa