Time

The book 'Time: A User's Guide' by Stefan Klein explores something very ordinary, it talks about TIME. I never thought that there is so much to be said about time to fill a whole book.

"Our modern lives are ruled by minutes and hours. We race from one thing to the next, all of us believing on some level that a mysterious cosmic force called 'time' is ticking on. And it's always short in supply."

Even though time has been set in certain parameters by clocks and calendars, it remains something subjective and experiential. We know the feeling of time flying by or when it seems to be crawling like a snail. We use the word time a 100times a day when we say 'I'm running out of time', 'I am in a rush, I don't have time', 'finally time to relax', 'lunch time', 'time to talk', 'take your time', 'bedtime', ...

The book offers theories and facts from different disciplines including brain physiology, social psychology, philosophy, history and Einsteinian physics.

I was fascinated by the fact that time is something so self-evident in our lives, but that in fact there is so much more to it. For example the fact that we all have an inner clock which, even if we lock ourselves up in a dark space without any reference to time, still functions almost to the minute determining day and night. 

A change in perspective was spared by the fact that many of us treat time as this magic force which is ticking on without us having control over it. The truth is - we are in control of our time. We are actually not running out of time, but in fact we are mostly not using or applying our time wisely. We are the ones that can set our own priorities and divide time in a way that is suitable. Even though we are the generation with more leisure time at hand than any generation before us. However, we are more stressed and feel less in control of our time. The reality is that our choices to spend our leisure time have quadrupled - which is actually the real factor that stresses us out. There are constantly all these options what we should and could be doing. Just think back to the time before cellphones, before the Internet, before satellite/cable TV - much fewer things to consider. I am certainly not promoting a world without these inventions but this entry should just be a short reminder when we get stressed out that we have the power to prioritise and to choose. 

Enjoy your time!

De-clutter

I recently returned from a 3-week vacation and the first thing I did was de-clutter my wardrobe. I actually took each and every clothing item and decided to either keep it or throw/give it away. It seemed easier after having disconnected and have been living out of a suitcase for three weeks. When I came home I realised that my wardrobe was full even though I felt I had carried a lot of clothes around with me. It is a shocking realisation - the clothes I packed for three weeks are only a fraction of the amount of clothes I have collected over the years. 

The decision making process about each and every item is a hard mental exercise. The discipline to truly look at each item and make a decision instead of creating a new stack of 'whatever-clothes' is hard work. It is almost like pacifying the little angle and devil on your shoulders each time you hold a clothing item in your hand.

You cannot imagine how relieved and proud I was when it was over. When I was done with my clothes I took on to clean up all my paperwork. What a relief. The physical de-cluttering helped me to 'dust' and 'wipe' some memory and make space for new things and allowed room for new perspectives.  It is amazing how the physical and mental exercise work hand in hand.

If you also in the de-cluttering mood, here some tips:

• When you start, do it from a good emotional space. You will actually enjoy it if you don't see it as a burdensome task of 'cleaning up' or 'sorting out'.
• Be honest to yourself. Don't start lying to yourself why to keep certain things. If you can't let go, keep it and try again next time. If you get tired and not good in taking decisions anymore, take a break.
• You don't have to do it all in one day, but make sure you have enough time the next few days to get through the full space you want to de-clutter - if not, this space will become the best procrastination trap you set for yourself.
• Set yourself some ground rules before you start. For example, if you de-cluttering your clothes you could say 'I will throw out everything that I haven't worn for more than a year' or 'I will give away everything that I actually don't like but just keep in case it could come in handy' or 'every item that is older than 8 years can move on to a new owner' etc. The rules help when you have doubt about something but you will also be surprised how many times you will be trying to cheat your own rules.
• If you are de-cluttering your paperwork and memories, keep just one of its kinds. For example, if there was an annual festival in your hometown and you have kept the entrance slips for each and every year, choose one and throw the others away. The memories will remain the same.
• Think of other people that will benefit of your things. It will give you a feeling of satisfaction and make it easier to decide to give it away. You are not throwing it away but someone else might enjoy it and actually use it. 
• Be disciplined - do not create an extra stack or bag or box with things you 'not sure' about. Most of the times you can just throw the things away. Force yourself to find a new place or category for the item you not sure about. 
• Life is about the people you meet, the moments of joy and pain you share - not the things you collect. It will make you feel good to get rid of material things and be reminded of exactly that.

If you want some useful reading, get the book 'How to simplify your life.' After I had read it for the first time, I was able to throw two black bags full of stuff away.

Tell me about your 'de-cluttering' experience.