April 3, 2008

• A Wayback Post: Taking Time

  Taking Time versus Making Time (A WayBack Post from 11/15/05)

  An essay by Michael F. Nyiri 11/15/05: When first presented, this essay received 26 comments. It took about an hour and a half to write and edit.

  "I just don't have the time."

  How many "times" do we hear this "excuse"? I hear it all the "time". At work. On the internet.Through the course of my life, almost every other person "doesn't have time". They are overtaxed, overworked, and overwhelmed. As the "age of information" piles more and more "things to do" onto our daily plate; news stories to read, blogs to peruse, entertainment not to be missed (and now even downloadable onto your ipod or cellphone!), we have to balance this with friends and family time, worktime, and some of us even need to reserve a few hours for sleep every night. Is is any wonder that people feel so pressed for "time" that they just don't have any more "time" to spend?

  Frankly, I hate the phrase, and I attempt not to use it. Time is the first religion. You might not know this, but before Christianity or Islam, before "time" as we know it, ancient man noticed the cyclical nature of sun and moon paths, and how when crops were planted and harvested at certain "times" of the year, they were able to prosper as a race of humans. Eventually, these cycles became "revered" and the sun and the moon attained celestial godlike powers for the humans who "worshipped" them. Even today, we "worship" the concept of time, even as we curse it.

  I would like to tell you that I have completely freed myself of the bonds of time, but when I look in the mirror of course I know this isn't true. Time may only exist in the mind of man. Minutes, hours, and days are just "conventions" man has invented in order to help him "count" these minutes hours and days. Time itself is "timeless". In the Universal, all time is relative. (Einstien said that too, and attempted to "prove" it with his "theory of relativity.") In the Universal, the past and the present coexist with the future at the same "time". A little too difficult a concept to grasp, I know, especially when we know that we only live a certain amount of "time" and then we perish.

  Indigenous peoples of the Earth, like the Lakota tribe of "Indians" in America, knew that the "rocks and the mountains" "lived" a lot longer than man. Man's "cycle" of life was much shorter. Hence, the "rocks and mountains" (which exist in geological time) were imbued with great spiritual powers. The "nature" of geology and the cosmos demanded respect, and worship. Rocks and mountains didn't "seem" to "age".

  Of course any trip to the Grand Canyon proves this "belief" wrong, in a way, but only from the Lakota's perception. Through a long course of "geologic" time, the Colorado River cut through the canyon, creating the magnificence we see when visiting today. Since it takes many "generations" for man to realize that there are changes in geologic time, early man didn't know that the earth was "taking it's time" as well.

  I know I only have a set period of "time" to do anything. That "time" can expire, like I can, "any time." Each moment is one in which I savor my existence, and I "attempt" or "try" to perform tasks, make plans, and interact with humanity with as much brio as possible. I don't like to tell anyone I "don't have the time". I tell them I will attempt to "make time."

  Time management is a skill I have studied, and I put it to work in my everyday life. I have found that I can deal with as many customers as call, I can handle as many projects as scheduled, and I can answer as many questions as asked, and I seem to be able to do this no matter what the quantity of customers, projects or questions exist.  In fact, in my position at work, if it is a "slow day" and they don't exist, I get bored very quickly, and I will find other tasks to perform, and sometimes find that I can "run out of time" because I always want to do more.

  This isn't to say that I don't get burned out. Usually, the Holiday Season is a slow "time" for our company, and there is more than enough "time" to create and ship the control panels ordered. One season, however, there was a large backlog, partially due to the fact that everyone seems to order generators and computer backup systems in "times" of disasters. And there were many hurricanes that season in the Gulf and in Florida, where we have lots of customers. (The Y2K scare in 1999 generated more sales for our company than at any other "time" in my 16 year employment, since everyone thought they would need generators "when the lights went out" which of course didn't happen.) I am apt to field two dozen phone calls from customers. Vendors, who have been operating on a "stock as ordered" business model since the economy nosedived in 2001, are not ready to handle the business. Each project we build needs a lot of "engineering" which I do on my trusty computer. As more "labor saving devices" are built, more "labor" seems to be needed. I have three columns on the white board in my office. 1. "Orders", which need to be entered, and processed, which means I need to make sure all the components are correct, so something doesn't get purchased that isn't needed, or worse, something doesn't get purchased that is needed. 2. Master Documents, which need to be prepared, so the technicians can build the product, and 3. Quotes, which need to be researched, quoted, and sent to customers, usually on a deadline, so that we can secure more business. Items are continually being added to each column as quick as older items are being crossed off. Rarely can I proclaim I have "completed' any list on any column, especially when it's "busy". I also test every panel we build, so sometimes it would seem as if I don't "have enough time" to complete everything. The "trick" to time management, is to realize that the cycles will continue, and to keep the "to do list" at a manageable length. I will "ask for help" if I feel I cannot "handle the load".

  Each email, fax, or phone call is logged. I peruse my "inbasket" (both the physical and the digital) many times a day. If I don't "lay eyes" on something, then I don't know it exists. But if I "look" at something two or three times without action, I know I'm not giving that item it's allotted "time". After looking at a dozen tasks or so that need to be performed, I usually perform the easiest first. I always attempt to handle the "older" work first, but I am learning to appreciate that I am not Superman, and cannot do the impossible. That is another clue to excellent time management.

  "I'll try to make time." is the "excuse" you will hear the most from me. Never "I don't have time." I have all the "time" that anyone else does. I might not have the use of geologic time at my disposal, since I will only live an ordinate amount of years, but with the "time" I have, I will try to use it wisely. I follow what I call the "squeaky wheel engineering model." The one who lets me know something is important. (Usually only because his customer is bugging him for delivery or a project) is the one who is usually at the top of my to do list. (Unless he's just ordered something, in which case he can wait. We adjust our lead times for delivery during the quoting process based on work backlog.) I don't "lie" to anyone, and I get lots of customers, so this means I'm doing something "right" and not "wrong" no matter how many customers with which I am dealing. If someone tells me his project is "not important at this time", he tells me the "wrong thing" and his project goes to the "bottom of the pile."

  Time management is almost zenlike in nature, based as much on intuition and chance as on actual learned skills. I will always "make time", but I will never claim I don't have any. It takes moments to process information. In the information age, we have lots of computer generated "shortcuts". When I look around the desks of the offices around me, no matter to whom they belong, chances are they are filled with folders, papers, manuals, and the detritus of the business at hand. My desktop is clear however. I have neat little "piles" of "things to do". My computer "desktop" is relatively clear as well. I try not to keep anything in "tickler" files. Each item needs attention of a certain sort, and each item is dealt with. I take great pride in "concentrating" on those items with which I feel I will never be able to deal, and because of this concentration, I am usually able to satisfy most every one that wants or needs something.

  Time is really nonexistent, and we should always live in the moment, as if it were our last, because we never know how much "time" we have left. But that "clock" on my office wall keeps ticking. It keeps telling me that I have unfinished work to do. And what am I doing right now? I am preparing this blog entry about time management skills. I have the "time" to do this, because I know pretty much what to expect today, and my "day" is already planned, as it was when I left work yesterday afternoon. If I find myself getting overwhelmed, I take a break, and figure out what is the best way to tackle what needs to be done. Processing information, developing a game plan, and acting upon it, are the steps to be taken. I find I can usually "make time" for anything.

  So please don't ever tell me you don't have time.

  ---

  I've included the clock from the main page of my website, AllThingsMike.  The little clock icon should be on the right in the header to this article, and should be keeping "your" time no matter where in the world you are located. The gif of me "keeping time" in the upper left was created with the big sunglasses I got when I had my cataract surgery. Made me feel like Ray Charles. MFN/ppf

  • 9:32 pm
  • 19 Comments