Do you often feel that there is not enough time, that your life is filled with trivial matters, and that it is difficult to find your own quiet moments? Today, I will reveal to you the core ideas in the shocking book "Time Poverty", and use three pictures to help you rediscover time and make your life more calm and fulfilling.
First, let’s take a look at the first graph – the relationship between disposable time and happiness. This graph reveals a surprising fact: There is an inverted U-shaped relationship between daily available time and happiness. In other words, when you have too little (less than two hours) or too much (more than five hours) time for yourself every day, you will feel less happy. Most people tend to be on the left side of this curve, feeling like there’s never enough time.
However, this book breaks our traditional understanding of time. It tells us that time poverty is actually a subjective feeling because we feel that we do not have enough time to complete things. So, how to change this situation?
Next, let’s take a look at the second picture – the time piggy bank. This piggy bank contains big rocks (the most important things in life, such as family, friends, health, hobbies, etc.), small pebbles (other important things, such as work, entertainment, etc.), fine sand (all kinds of trivial things in life) and Water (free time).
Imagine if you poured the fine sand (trivial things) into the jar first, then the big rocks (important things) would never fit in. So we need to use the filters of purpose and happiness to filter out the fine sand and make sure we leave space for the things that matter most.
Finally, let’s look at the third picture – the weekly planning puzzle. This picture teaches us how to put together a weekly plan like a puzzle to reshape time.
First, we need to put in the most important big rocks, such as work, family, reading, etc. Interestingly, the author divides work into two types: work for pleasure and work for work's sake. We should prioritize the most important time in the morning for happy work that is helpful to our growth, and try to deal with the work that we have to do in the afternoon.
Then, we put in pebbles, such as exercise, social interaction, meditation, doing good deeds, etc. These things will make us feel more time-rich and happier.
Then, we need to combine what we have to do with what we want to do, such as combining commuting, housework and listening to podcasts to make boring things interesting.
At the same time, we need to remain present, which means banning cell phones in many social and mental activities and ensuring that we are fully present in what is happening in the moment.
Finally, we must reject short-sightedness and accept that we cannot cover everything and take care of everything every day. What can't be done in one day can be done in a week, which is enough to complete all important things. At the same time, remember to arrange unscheduled blank time for yourself, so that the purpose of time management changes from saving time to making yourself live more calmly and happily.
Through these three pictures, "Time Poverty" reveals to us a brand new concept and management method of time. When we begin to pay attention to our inner needs, arrange our time reasonably, and invest our time in worthwhile things, we will find that time can actually be controlled and increased.
Let us act together to break the shackles of time poverty and have a more fulfilling and happy life! If you find this content helpful, don't forget to like, share and follow us. Let us work together to create a better living environment for our future selves.
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