I don’t know about you, but I am growing allergic to people constantly telling me that they are so busy, that they don’t have any time. Well, time for what? What is it that we don’t have time for?
I watched a friend making a tray of about 200 tiny baqlavas for her lunch party at 10:30 pm (the night before) telling me she didn’t know where time went.
For a few months, I was rehearsing with a group of students, newly arrived from Iran, for a dance performance. Most of them, well, almost all, arrived late on a regular basis. They excused themselves by saying that they were so busy, that they had no time, … I noticed their hair colour changes happened sometimes on a weekly basis; their nail polish even more frequently. Changing one’s colour of hair or polish takes time, doesn’t it?
People say they have no time.
I ask them: what do you do?
They say: work.
Well, that is eight hours a day, at most 10, if you commute long distances. You still have 14 hours in your day and the weekends.
I know working eight hours a day in many places in the world (not all) can be a draining experience especially if one doesn’t like what one does. But let’s face it, eight hours a day is eight hours a day.
With some exceptions (people who have huge families or have to work a few jobs to make ends meet or those taking care of the elderly …) most of us have time. It is the question of how we spend our time. I for one push myself sometimes too far. I work, write, perform, teach, learn, read, … I do a lot of things I don’t have to. But I don’t use them as excuses to show up late or not do anything. I have watched people over time, and I have come to the conclusion that everyone has a reasonable amount of time (exceptions are those with extra responsibilities); it is how everyone chooses to use his/her time.
I work with people who do not respond to emails regarding work (volunteer or otherwise) with the excuse that they are so busy. Then, I notice they put entries on just about any Youtube excerpts, share photos of their friends’ pets, or … on facebook on a daily, sometimes hourly basis (believe me).
I suppose we all want to do more, and consciously or subconsciously, we prioritize what we want/like to do. With so many possibilities, perhaps we need to select more carefully and prioritize realistically. And with so many public domains, and the temptation of reaching out fast to everyone (including those we accidentally invited to facebook, dailyblog, linkden, etc), we may want to be careful with the types of excuses we offer to people for not working, not arriving on time, not phoning, not…
Someone recently got into trouble for taking time off work (sick leave) and drinking and partying (instead of resting). How did they know? She shared her photos of drinking in a bar and partying on facebook. I didn’t follow the case, but we all know there is not much privacy left in this world. So, better to be careful with ‘innocent white’ lies, best to prioritize carefully and not lie at all.
