The Clock Keeps On Ticking
- Sep 26, 2024
- 4 min read
Updated: Oct 21, 2024
Written by Wallace Shane Giron Dharmasena, Author
Wallace Shane Giron Dharmasena is an individual with an undying passion for the art of literature and filmmaking. He is the creator of Reflections, a page that focuses on forging thought provoking, heartfelt, and hopeful works of poetry. An author of multiple books, his most notable work being "You, The Beauty & The Madness In Between."
In the words of the late great poet Geoffrey Chaucer, “Time and tide wait for no man.” More often than not, we find ourselves in a race against the clock. We are so caught up with our own routines that we pay no attention to the seconds and hours that have gone by. From the break of dawn when we open our eyes to nightfall when we rest our heads. Wasting away our days in places we don’t belong. Remaining stagnant towards our lives, our relationships, and our pursuits. It is a finite asset that we, at times, take for granted.
The whirlwind
A multitude of endeavors, errands, pursuits, priorities, and responsibilities are what plague our lives on this earth in its totality. Day by day, we try our best to attend to all of these things that carry a great importance in our lives, given the little amount of time we have. It is overwhelming, to say the least, lacking the time to even catch your breath or take a break to get some well-needed rest. This, in turn, has subtle yet grave consequences. Unable to meet the demands of our daily schedule, sacrificing the aspect of quality in order to shave time and make room for an abundance of quantity.
The sacrifice play
Quantity or quality? Which one would you choose and which one would you sacrifice? Would you rather spend a short amount of time doing a multitude of things or devote long hours to one agenda? Would you rather spend a short amount of time having quick chats with many individuals or a long and deep conversation with one individual? Would you rather devote your efforts to short bursts of progress in a multitude of tasks to do on your plate or take those essential hours to fully hone and complete one task? It is yet again a dilemma that we are faced with, time and time again. Yet, it is definitely a question worth pondering on. In reality, no matter how hard we try, we can never have the best of both worlds.
Justifying our priorities
Now that you’ve made the effort to reflect on what you should prioritize in your day-to-day routines, here are some questions to think about:
Is it really that important?: Contemplating the importance of a certain responsibility or agenda on your schedule will determine whether you should prioritize accomplishing it or not. At times, we try to jumble up all sorts of plans on our schedules, desperately trying to tick all of them off our daily checklist. When in reality, one, if not many, of those things, could have been one that we could’ve just saved for later instead of stressing and overworking ourselves to the bone to accomplish it. Ultimately leading us to feel absolutely exhausted and burnt out by the end of the day.
Is it worth rushing?: There are certain things in life that do require more time than others. Be it a project that you’re working on or a problematic situation that you find yourself in, be it financially, emotionally, physically, or even spiritually. I do understand that we do not have all the time in the world, but despite that fact, rushing it isn’t really going to solve the issue either. These aspects, more often, require your utmost attention, effort, and time, in order for you to obtain the desired end goal. You simply can’t rush certain things and expect to have great or even decent results.
Is it worth your time?: More often, we take on a set of plans or responsibilities that are not really beneficial for us in any way. Be it at work, doing overtime for no apparent reason, or trying to complete tasks that are not really necessary. Or trying to take on the problems of other people and adding them on top of your already stacked schedule when you don’t really have to. This question, in particular, does not only relate to these two scenarios, which I have mentioned but to a multitude of situations that we encounter in our day-to-day lives. When it comes down to it, it all depends on you whether or not the situation or plan in front of you is truly worth your time.
A little bit more time on the clock
Each one of us has twenty-four hours in a day. Some might say that is just not enough, and some might say it suffices. It all depends on how you prioritize and manage the time you have. Time itself is not going to wait around for us to do what we have to do at our own pace. The hands of time are going to keep ticking, no matter how much we want it to come to a stop, even if it’s just for a moment. As they say, “Life goes by in the blink of an eye.” Therefore, instead of being frustrated over the lack of time that we have, I believe it’s best for all of us to stop and take a step back. Reflect upon what truly matters to us, what is essential to be done in our lives on a daily basis, the importance of these agendas and plans that we partake in, the breaks and time off that we give ourselves, and organize them accordingly in a way that works for us. That way, even after such a tiresome and eventful day, we’ll eventually see that we still have a little bit more time to spare.
Read more from Wallace Shane Giron Dharmasena
Wallace Shane Giron Dharmasena, Author
Wallace Shane Giron Dharmasena is an ecstatic, spontaneous, and hopeful mind. Born with a condition known as Hydrocephalus, which has endowed him with difficulty in walking, coordination, balance, and ridicule in terms of his appearance. He aims to spread a message of hope and redemption in a reality plagued with endless amounts downfalls, dread, and misery. A message that encourages people to look inwards and realize the beauty and goodness that lies within every individual.
