Light moves through the world as colorless energy. When it touches objects and bounces back into our eyes we receive the information of color. When colorless light moves through a glass object, it splits into a beautiful specturm of color. It is as if all these colors were hiding in the colorless light.
Time should be understood like light.
In school and later in our adult life, we are taught that time is "colorless". It has no character other than it moves forward and can be measured. The problem with this understanding of time, is that it binary. It falls short of learning about the different perceptions of time. The important types or "colors" of time that exist within a moment, or stretch of the day. It feels as if we were given half the lesson. As if we were expected to figure it out.
I find myself recently thinking how important it is to have slow time. Time for things that are not about sprinting for work, or trying to cover everything in a day. That slow time actually helps to make things happen faster. A line i love from the US Navy Seals is "Slow is smooth, and smooth is fast". When becoming an entrepreneur and building a company you get torn between two perspectives on time. The ever hectic "i need to sprint on everything", and the harder, "i need to walk calmly in one direction". Im currently in a "Warp 9. Engage!" feel for SOMA MATER my company, and yet I come home and have to find time to wind down. Meet my family at their pace. The trick is how to fast and slow time in the same headspace.
To characterise the "colors of time" i have thought about these colors as types of time. They serve different functions and all have their own paces. There pace differs between people. So what follows is a list of "types of time". Read through them and see if you spend time like this. Think on which of these are fast or slow. I label time like this to help me get aligned and present, and ensure time of Quality.
Time to Dream
Based on our values and understanding of the things we enjoy, we imagine a life that could give us a sustained feeling of happiness. This time is where you aim for the stars. Alone, writing in a journal, or with a partner during a walk. This time is used to choose a far off distant star and imagine reaching it living it. This time is important as a spark for intention, challenge and even the impossible. I use this time sparingly, as dreaming alone will not make a life. I make for this at home, on holiday, or when looking at things that inspire me. Many people use this time, but then feel it impossible to achieve their dream, either for fear of failure, or because a voice tells them so. This is not the time for trying to justify or qualify the dream. In this time, the only real truth is what you can dream of without limits. It is not for the how or anyone else's opinion.
Time for Design
This time is to shape those dreams into something structural. Using time, energy, money and any other building blocks. This is like desiging with lego. You have a shape (your dream) and you need to find the pieces as parts of that shape. The design process is how you add parts to make the whole shape. In my own practice, when i designed my life. I was looking at how to divide my time between the company, and the family. Where i would have time with friends. How many ways i would earn my income. I also chose where and how i would do woodwork. What days or hours it would take. Did it all fit together? Could i test the design? This is the time where you design a life to travel regularly, or one that provides for your family in a sustained way. I designed my life with my business delivering an income so that i could provide for my family first. Then i realised as all my work was knowledge work, i could work remotely. Two years ago, i could actually enable travel any time of the year, so long as i could get onto the internet and work from there. Constantly revisiting my design, i open and trial more things.
Time for for building
This is where the problem solving and work comes in. It is normal to go from design, to build, back to design. You are building a life, not a lego set. Your life does not come with instructions. Life is constantly moving and evolving. These pieces are things like jobs, or other ways of making money. Investments. Partners, in life and work. You need to look for pieces that fit in your design. You also need to know which piece will take money and energy from you, and whether they can sustain them. Each piece is a problem or challenge to solve. If you have dependents or a partner, over communicating is critical. Lest they sit in fear, as you begin to change things. It was very important for me to communicate the changes to my wife, as she has helped me solve so many of these challenges.
Time for Energy
Inevitably, some things will take Energy from you. That's where you need to find time to give yourself energy back. For some people, it is socialising, for others it is sitting with a good book. Know which time gives you energy and protect it. One of the biggest lesson i have learned in the last 4 years, is i cannot be last in line for my needs. I spent a lot of time serving everyone else (my family, my company) and ignoring what i needed. Getting "ME TIME" and recharging is the start. The secret here is, can you make the building, the work, that which gives you energy? This would be an incredible virtuous feedback loop. I have been working hard at making more of these positive feedback loops happen. Knowing yourself plays a big part in figuring this out. Simple example about me, doing admin work drains my energy. So i hired someone to do admin, and it frees me up to do more sales (which i enjoy).
Time to process and reflect
This time is important and is being stolen from us. The world of attention grabbing applications, media and busy work, has taken away our time. To porcess our mental and physical states, we need time. This happens when our mind and body can meet again in the present without new stimulus. Journaling has been an incredibly powerful tool at helping me with this. To write is to hear and see your thoughts. To engage with them. Cal Newport and Dan Koe talk about the power of going for a walk. This is without the music or podcast. We have become so inundated with inputs, we dont give ourselves the chance to actually process it all. To process the ings that matter. Overstimulated and drained of energy, its no wonder we are seeing a global rise in mental and emotional challenges. It is also a critical time to check in with yourself, and take stock of "how its working". The thing that unlocked journaling for me was Cal Newports technique. He has no rules on how often or how much. Just open a page and write. I write at times as if telling a story to some reader. Other times its diagrams as i think out a problem visually. The entries can be every 2 days, other entries weeks apart. And if ever i am stressed or upset. The journal is the secret to unlocking so many things.
Time for Physical development
The body is the vessel of our life. A physical space for our soul and our emotions and thoughts. If we dont care for it, how do we hope for it to serve in the achievement of our designed life. The saddest stories, are those of people who worked so hard, only to lose the fruits of their labour to disease or a failing body. At 42, i have slowly made improvements. One important thing i learned was after a month long ayurvedic detox. We are becoming disassociated from our bodies. Always being out of body in our thoughts of the future or the past. Muting signals from our body so that we can prioritise work. Thinking of other places, other people, other crises, where we have no control. Giving time to physical development feeds the rest of your other time. I have seen this as when i ensure my body if fed clean, and trained regularly, my focus, drive and mood are all up. It helps your mind and soul grow, and it spreads to the people around you.
Time for the Self
This is literally time for being alone. Time for being with oneself. I didn’t realise how little time i had spent with myself, until i was married and Hind insisted she needed alone time. She said that I should too. The crazy thing is, there are many people who are afraid to be alone. To be with your own thoughts in the quiet. Being physically alone. It is an important part of enabling the time to process and reflect but is not the same. Can you go for a walk alone without music, audiobook, or podcast. Can you be somewhere and know no one. I remember the first time i heard of a friend travel alone. With no one, and explore by themselves a new country. It seemed so foreign to me. Im extremely extroverted and so im always connecting with people but as i age i realise the alone time matters too. This allows space for your thoughts. Writing here helps prevent you getting stuck in a whirlwind of your mind. Alone time is healthy in doses.
Time for Connection
In the opposite this is time with loved ones, friends and your community. Building connections. Its easy to keep busy, and do your bit with family and see friends. Rather what im talking about is time that nurtures trust and bond. Time, where there is vulnerability. Its no, going through the motions. Its like the friend you see after 6 months and it feels like you hung out yesterday. These relationships are an important part of belonging, and putting time into these helps in many other ways. For me, this is at the dinner table. I have spent hours and hours with my mother and brothers at the dinner table. Today i try to build this strength in my own family.
Time for Perspective
I see this as time for your faith, your belief, your relation to the great journey of life. For some, it is belief in Allah, in God, in a greater power, in nature or the universe. Or all of the above. They all serve this purpose of giving you perspective. To hold you accountable for your actions and also help you understand the world and universe is larger than yourself. You are a part of a grand and beautiful thing. This time for me, makes me feel like i am both insignificant, and the most empowered at the same time. When you think of the great universe, what do you compare, to all the stars and galaxies around us? And in your life how important is every action you take to live out your full potential, given the gift of life. With that life so many you can positivly impact. I dont have the answer as everyones is different. I just know this time should be there for you to explore it.
I hope this gives you something to ponder. Allows you to see that any time can be important and of quality. I would look at all the time in your calendar or in your day and try to find out what color those time blocks are. If you have any questions or comments i would love to hear from you and look forward to your perspective.
Unagi,
Majid
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