Never Underestimate Quality Time: Debunking the Time Management Myth of “If Only I Had More Time…”
How often have you said, “If only I had more time…” yet still failed to accomplish whatever you thought you needed extra time for, even once your schedule opened up?
Will there really be enough time in a day, week, or even a year to pursue the things that ignite your passion?
How are creatives supposed to maintain work and life balance while surviving a packed schedule, and still have the time to sift through their towers of delayed dreams or shelved passion projects?
What about the friends you wish you could catch up with over coffee or dinner, if only your calendars would somehow magically align?
When so many obstacles and distractions demand our attention throughout the day, is it really possible to effectively spend time attending to our top priorities?
“If I Only Had More Time…”
During the first four years after I graduated college, I worked at a major theme park while also running my own photography business, despite graduating from college with hopes of becoming an author. Whenever I wasn’t booked with work or photoshoots, I spent most of my spare time trying to unwind by exploring the theme parks, riding rollercoasters, and hanging out with friends. If I ever tried to write, it was usually after getting home from a full day of exhausting my creative resources.
The blank page screams louder when you have nothing to offer it.
When I realized I couldn’t balance work and writing, I began to convince myself, If only I could take a vacation, maybe a whole week off, I could knock out enough writing to refill my portfolio.
But vacations came and went—still no writing progress. The dream stayed just outside my reach, but I made no effort to chase it. I began to lazily assume that I would get around to writing eventually.
“If only I had a long month or two without worrying about returning to work, then I’d be able to focus on writing and launch my dream career.”
But, boy, did 2020 prove me wrong. During the year that felt like a decade, I had all the time in the world on my hands, yet no book came out of it, nor even a collection of short stories.
The Cost of Time Management Excuses
When we fixate despairingly on the scarcity of time, wishing for more, it negatively impacts our productivity and the fulfillment we get from living in the moments we have.
In the early days of brainstorming, before the creation of The Wanderer’s Waiting Room, wishing for more time was one of the first ideas I wanted to write. So I’ve had plenty of time to think about it and write it in advance, but here I am, writing this post on the day I planned to upload it. And I will have to post it tomorrow, the day after I originally planned to upload it. (And likely posting it just before midnight when no one is checking.)
But surely that’s because I had so much writing to cram into this topic, right?
Nope. No valid excuses here. Because before I sat down to write this blog post, I spent an hour stress-cleaning my room, washing the bathroom sink, unloading the dishwasher, taking out the trash, loading laundry, and folding towels.
So what’s the deal?
When it comes to Time Management, I believe the issues many of us face boil down to two distinctions we often fail to discern:
1. Underestimating or Overestimating: How Much Time Do You Need…Really?
Most commonly, we Underestimate the amount of time required to finish what we’ve set out to accomplish.
In many cases, this is where procrastination occurs. We leave the task until the last minute and then stress to cram in all the work before the countdown clock runs down. Some people thrive here. They’ll claim the pressure and adrenaline they experience under the looming threat of a deadline is where they come alive and do their best work.
Sometimes, however, Underestimating our time may lead us to use up the entire time we’ve given ourselves, but it still isn’t enough. The work bleeds into other time blocks in our schedule, creating a cascading effect that leads to falling further behind, which increases the longing for more time.
Overestimating occurs less often, but sometimes we find that Work will still find a way to fill the time we allow. So even a simple half-hour task can stretch to fit an entire hour.
I can’t count how often I’ve put off specific tasks because I suspected they would take an hour but only took five to ten minutes, once I actually set to accomplish the task.
2. Quality vs. Quantity: Is the Amount of Time Really the Problem?
If you’re familiar with Gary Chapman’s The Five Love Languages, there’s a reason there’s a Love Language called “Quality Time” and not “Quantity Time.”
What feels more meaningful?
Seeing a friend, romantic partner, or family member once a day, but only in passing, with just enough time to greet each other?
Seeing a friend, romantic partner, or family member once a week while you spend several hours together sharing in an activity you both enjoy?
We’re often concerned with how long a task will take, but what if we shifted into thinking about how best to spend the time we do have?
How Can I Value the Quality of My Time Over the Quantity of My Time?
“Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.” - Ephesians 5:15-16
When I consider decisions on how to value my time, I’m working on asking myself these three questions:
Is this a wise use of my time or foolish?
Am I making the most of this opportunity, hoping there will be more opportunities later, or allowing myself to crumble under the despair of passing time?
Am I deciding to leverage my time for my pleasure or to encourage other people?
Changing Patterns and Transforming Minds
For me, when I consider that I only have a limited amount of time in life, to spend it wisely, I want to understand what God’s Will is for my life because in and out of my seasons of uncertainty, I’m putting my faith and trust in the one who created me, who knows what’s best for me, even if it’s contrary to what I may think is best or what I want to do.
If you’re also someone who believes in Jesus Christ, but may be unsure where to start with understanding what the Lord’s Will is, a significant first step I’ve been working through is Romans 12:2:
“Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing, and perfect will.”
1. What is the Pattern of the World That is Causing My Poor Time Management?
Are there distractions I need to get rid of?
Habits to break?
Places I need to stop going?
People I should spend less time with?
2. How Can I Renew My Mind to Use My Time Wisely?
What boundaries can I put into place to protect my time?
What resources will help me know how to manage my time well?
This blog post is heavier on asking questions rather than giving straightforward, practical tips and tricks to manage your time better. But let’s be honest; you can get the same copied, pasted, and reworded step-by-step processes on any other blog.
As I’ve stated on this blog before, I’m not here to offer the ticket out of the Wilderness. I want to help you consider how to navigate it. And the best way to navigate time management issues is to start by getting to the root of what’s holding you back and then discovering the reasons for moving forward.
One Final Note: No Amount of Rigid Scheduling Can Control When Life Happens.
Sometimes, Life happens.
Sometimes, Life happens hard.
It’s easy to feel like your entire existence is crumbling all around you when the schedule you so meticulously crafted derails due to unanticipated interruptions, inconveniences, and challenges.
When you create your own world that revolves around you and your time, life’s unexpected events and tragedies don’t just knock your world off its axis. The world you created gets ripped right out of your orbit.
These are the moments I’m reminded that I’m not the owner of my time. I’m just a borrower.
There are things I have the courage to change, and there are things I have the strength to accept.
It takes wisdom to know the difference between them. That’s why I look to the one who created Time, In The Beginning, to discern how to stop asking for more time and start asking how I will spend it today.
“All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.” - Gandalf the Gray