Image courtesy of Stuart Miles / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
I heard or read something the other day about how much busier we are these days as opposed to say, the settlers that forged across the country to create a new life in the west. Those settlers were very good at managing their time, much better at it than we are today. They were no less busy than we are now, and they had handicaps then that we don’t have now.
They hunted animals, farmed for their food, and prepared meals, instead of running to the grocery store, dining out, or better yet, having meals delivered to our homes. Homes, churches and other buildings were built by the settlers themselves, with help from their friends, instead of hiring a construction company. They made their own clothes by hand, and also washed them by hand at the creek or river, whatever the nearest water source was, instead of using a washing machine.
Some lived close to a nearby town and some lived farther out but either way, they either walked into town or used horses or mules as their mode of transportation. Because of the distance and transportation mode, it took them much longer to make their way into town to pick up supplies, go to school, doctor visits, go to church or for any other reason. And, to mention one more limitation, most everything they did to survive depended on the light of day.
Since we just set our clocks back one hour in observance of the end of Daylight Saving Time for the year, it made me think about how much easier our lives are now with innovation and technology, yet we are busier now than ever before. And, we don’t have the limitation of daylight, for the most part. It may seem like the settlers had less to do than we do now but is that really true? They were performing the same basic activities of daily living that we do today, but it took them much longer to perform each task because of their limitations. Limitations that we don’t have today, due to the discoveries and inventions made by creative minds such as the Wright brothers, Thomas Edison, Ben Franklin, Bill Gates, etc.
The point of this rambling post boils down to how efficiently we use our time. Planning ahead is the key and really understanding your priorities is a must. Take a good look at your list of priorities. Are they getting you closer to your goals? Are they your priorities or are they for someone else?
If your priorities don’t help you reach a goal or goals, or they aren’t for you, then you are cluttering up your schedule. We should learn a lesson from our pioneer ancestors and get back to the basics. Schedule your time with tasks that have meaning to your life, so that you reach your goals. All other tasks become time clutter. And, what does clutter do to us in any form? That’s right, it creates stress in our lives. And, we certainly don’t need any more stress…
