What Is Time? What Time Do You Follow?

How do you measure time? Do you follow a 24-hour clock, or do you have a different yardstick?

I ask this because if we follow the mathematical representation of earth’s cyclic movement, called Time, it should be the same for everyone every time. 

However, that is not the case. 

Time flies for some, sometimes, and a few others struggle to pass the time.

Time is just a mathematical representation of the earth’s cyclic movement. A day is the time it takes for the earth to complete one full rotation on its axis. The year is when it takes for the planet to make one complete orbit around the sun. 

There are many other ways of measuring time, but they all ultimately derive from these two movements. For example, a minute is 1/60th of an hour, which is 1/24th of a day. An hour is 1/24th of a day.

So, how do you measure your time? Do you feel like you have enough time or not enough?

The answer to this question may seem obvious, but it is actually quite complicated. Many people feel like they never have enough time. They are always rushed and stressed and can never seem to get everything done that they need to.

This is a common feeling, but it is essential to remember that time is an illusion. No matter what system you use to measure time, it is vital to be aware that it is an arbitrary construct. It is a way of dividing up the day and has no inherent meaning.

Bestselling author ― Eckhart Tolle, in his book “The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment,” says:

“Time is not precious at all because it is an illusion. What you perceive as precious is not time but the one point out of time: the Now. That is precious indeed. The more you focus on time—past and future—the more you miss the Now, the most precious thing there is.” 

Science Reporter Olivia Goldhill writes: 

We track our lives in hours wasted and efficient days; we obediently follow the arbitrary man-made construct of time. Time is so strictly and uniformly enforced in contemporary culture that we tend to forget it’s a human invention. 

So, time attains the meaning that we attribute to it. 

For example, wages are paid out for eight hours of work a day or X hours a week. The attribution is money in this case. In addition, within the working environment, we have created various kinds of time; some examples are:

• Run Time or Up Time
• Down Time
• Change Over Time
• Cycle Time
• Takt Time
• Lead Time
• Turnaround Time
• Productive Time/Unproductive Time
• Value Added Time
• Etc.

You can choose to measure your time however you want, but it is important to remember that time is a construct we created and does not have any real meaning.

Take some time for yourself, and relax. Time is an illusion, and it does not have to control your life.

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At Vineet Sethi Consulting, we believe that Business and People are two sides of the same coin. Our approach to transforming organizations, teams, and individuals is based on Standard Customization, stemming from the philosophy that no one size fits all.

Reach out to us at hello@vineetsethi.com or on our social media channels for more information.

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