Time is a dimension that has basically eluded our understanding, well, from time immemorial. It is very hard to describe or quantify time, other than the fact that it goes forward and we also age as time passes. But is it possible to travel forward and backward in time or is time only the here and now? We are yet to find answers to these puzzling questions, though science fiction writers have long speculated on the possibilities of travelling through time, even to the very beginning of time itself – the Big Bang.
Mankind took a lot of time until they could find a way to measure time. Now we have a 365 day calendar, 30 or 31-day months and 24-hour days with each hour consisting of 60 minutes. A minute, in turn, has 60 seconds. There are smaller units of measuring time, but these are only of academic or scientific interest. And due to a quirk in the way our planet orbits the Sun, we get a so-called Leap Year once in four years, with an extra day in February, which in normal years has only 28 days. Such an year has 366 days.
We have all heard people exclaiming that “time flies”. This indeed seems to be so, judging by the fact that five months of this year are already gone. It seems only like yesterday that we were children. In fact, in many households even adult children are called “Baba” or some other childhood name as parents are unable to come to grips with the rapid passage of time. Time goes by swiftly, as expressed in the saying “Time and tide wait for no man” (Geoffrey Chaucer). But if we make a conscious effort, we can all keep track of time, down to the second.
Time is money
Indeed, we have also heard that “time is precious” or even that “time is money”. It is therefore, vital that we do not waste this precious commodity. After all, you cannot get lost time back by any means currently available. The best approach is to manage the time we have as efficiently as possible. It is when one cannot do this properly that we hear the complaint “I have no time” or “even 24 hours are not enough for me”. It is therefore advisable to make a To-Do List before your day begins and if you are a student, work according to a time table.
Like almost everything else in life, time too can be wasted both wittingly and unwittingly. It costs no money to waste time per se, but it will cost you eventually in more ways than one. While it is entirely possible to waste time deliberately by doing nothing at all, what generally happens is that we waste time without thinking. Sometimes we watch useless programs on TV without giving much thought about it. Sometimes we read useless gossip on the Net that benefits no one. Sometimes we talk for hours on the phone with someone, whereas texting or email would have been a better use of that time.
True, sometimes we are forced to waste time due to circumstances beyond our control. Who has not spent one or more hours stuck in traffic? Some people also have very long commutes and they probably can do little more than scroll through their Facebook feed, which is perhaps the biggest waste of time of them all. An alternative in such a case would be reading a good book, either in physical or electronic form. Good times can be had even under such forced circumstances.
Life cannot be “all work and no play”, so people need a bit of recreation and enjoyment in their sometimes mundane and monotonous lives. Watching movies is one of the best ways of passing the time, so to speak. A good movie, even the kind which urges you to leave your brain at the door, can be time well spent. However, some movies are so trashy they do not really deserve your time. If a movie probably has a title like “Zombie Attack on River Valley High” it is better to avoid it, for you cannot get that 90 minutes back by any means.
Then there is the debate over sleeping. Some people consider sleeping one or two hours extra as a form of time wasting, perhaps because some productive work could have been done using that time. But the fact is that we need sleep and the period depends on the individual. For some, it could be six hours, for others nine hours. Each person has to identify the required hours of sleep by a process of trial and error.
But in general, sleeping cannot be called a waste of time because it is a physical requirement that the body needs for rest and repair. However, some people are known to catch 40 winks in office, calling it a power nap, though most are inclined to call it a waste of time.
Work according to a timetable
Time management is the key to not wasting time, either deliberately or without thinking. As mentioned earlier, it is best to work according to a timetable regardless of one’s calling in life. That will help compartmentalise the day into work, rest and sleep, without the need for wasting time in any manner. And given the difficult economic conditions and fuel/goods shortages that exist at the moment, it is essential that we do not go on unnecessary journeys and other unnecessary errands, wasting time, money and energy.
We also talk often of “saving time”, though I am not very certain whether time is a commodity that can be saved as such. But yes, time can be saved for important things in our lives such as special occasions. It is important to remember that every second counts in our lives and it is up to us to make use of time positively for the benefit of all.
Time flies over us, but leaves its shadow behind – Nathaniel Hawthorne