You might have heard this somewhere before. I have, and I took it heart the first time. I’ve given the phrase more thought lately and realised it’s layered in more than one truth.

The first thought that comes to mind about time, is from a broad life perspective.

You think you have time to become the person you want to be or do the things you want to do.

But let’s filter this down to the smaller perspectives of life.

You think you have time to think

I often make it a priority to set aside time for thinking—whether during my morning drive or early in the day—to clarify my goals and tackle pressing concerns.

That’s all very well, but it’s not very helpful. It will be a game of weighing up factors, pros and cons and finally getting interrupted.

Thinking is the voice in the head that never shuts up. Ironically, it’s this voice that tries to focus on something, but it’s distracting me from focus, purpose and mindfulness.

Mindfulness, is quietening that voice – even for a few moments, so that I can listen, and be aware of what I am actually trying to say.

Being must be felt, it can’t be thought.

~ Eckhard Tolle

You think you have time over the weekend

This applies mainly to those of us holding down a five day job, for someone else.

Do you really have time over the weekend? If you’re anything like me, by the time Friday evening rolls around, I start referring to myself as brain dead. My mind is full of everything that happened at work that week, what I’ve achieved or not achieved. I’ll try to shift gears, switch off and stop thinking about work, sometimes looking for a numbing agent to help.

Come Saturday, I wake up and have those few moments of quiet in bed – still working through where I left off on Friday. I then think about all the household tasks I must do on Saturday that I didn’t have time for during the week.

By Saturday evening, my mind has started to adjust to my own priorities. My own wants, needs and dreams. Finally on Sunday, I sometimes have a few precious hours to relish in my own story and my own creativity, before it’s back to work on Monday.

Spending five days a week focused on others’ priorities, for maybe one day to focus on my own – is out of balance. I’m not saying it’s unfair, it’s what I agreed to when taking a 40 hour a week job in exchange for a reliable income. Is it 40 hours though?

The balance must shift.

You think you have time for holidays

Two weeks of annual leave a year. Three if you’re lucky.

I don’t believe I’ve met a person who hasn’t longed for more time, or is satisfied with their annual leave allocation.

Let’s be real, you spend most of your time planning and looking forward to a pending holiday and it’s such an incredible feeling of freedom when you’re sitting at the airport drinking Mimosa’s at whatever time you want, because you can, because you’re allowed to, because you’re on holiday. And once you’ve switched off from work a few days later and you’re into the holiday – you start thinking about the next holiday.

How much time, during your time off, do you just be?

You think you have time to set boundaries

How do you set a boundary anyway? I picture myself walking into work one day and going – ‘Boss, I’m setting a boundary and I’m only going to be working on these two things today. That emergency deadline that’s coming (because they’re always coming) is not going to be met within the stipulated timeline’.

I don’t know about you, but I’ve never done this and don’t see it happening, even in a better crafted scenario. Maybe I don’t know how to set boundaries. I feel like I need to zoom out, and the boundary that needs to be set, is actually asking myself “Am I going to spend my time, my days, trying to manage things that are important to other people?”

Maybe it’s not about drawing imaginary lines around your time management – maybe it’s about the space and time you occupy on this earth.

You think you have time to spend with your family

Having immigrated to another country, far away from my family, I can tell you one thing for certain. The time I spent with my family, while more plentiful when we lived in the same town – was not as precious as the time we spent when I would return home for a visit. We would say the things that aren’t usually bought up in day to day catch ups; that we loved and appreciated one another.

There’s spending time with children or aging parents, that feels like you’re fulfilling obligations. And then there’s time you spend, when you truly listen, to understand, and savour the moment. Because you recognize that there are relatively few of these moments, and so they must be as enriching and meaningful as they can be.

You think it’s time

Let’s pause for a moment and reflect on how we use our time. Are we distracted, or are we truly present in the moments we mindfully choose? You think it’s time, but it’s you. It’s your choice, as it is mine.