Who owns your time? It feels like a lot of people do. It feels like work, taxes, family, check out lanes, television studios, authors, teams, book clubs, church. Some of those people you have to give your time to. That is how you get paid, are part of a community, have a family, fulfill your civic obligation - but even though you have to give a portion of your time do they own you? I don't think so.
Everyone talks about the advent of the cell phone as the great break down in the boundaries for our time - your work could call you any time, day or night, and you were obligated to answer. Same for your husband, daughter, sister, aunt, and every other soul that you gave your number to. You no longer went to the grocery store alone and shopped. Instead, you consult with your family on what type of ice cream to buy. Your life doesn't seem like it is yours.
Now you tweet, facebook, instagram, text, check in all of your experiences too - adding another layer to the already finite time that we have.
I think there is a serious problem with all of this - yes, it may seem outrageous to those that know me and know I am just as tied to my devices as anyone, but they also know that I live with it in my own terms.
I'll never forget when my friend realized that I don't answer the phone. I let people leave a message or as prompted by my email encourage them to send me an email. I use the phone as a tool in my life. She couldn't believe it. Not answer the phone? That is unheard of. It is ringing. You answer it. Your life is disrupted in a million different ways. My motto is it is a tool and I will handle the distractions when I really can handle them. Radical.
So, what if you applied this to the rest of your life? I know a father who is struggling with his teenage daughter who is tied to Facebook like it is an umbilical cord. She judges every moment as to how she will post it. That is a reality of where we are today. His impulse is to pull the plug. My thought is that we have to teach our children and ourselves that these things are tools to be used to enhance our life - not be chained to them.
This month my practice is to watch where I am spending my time and giving myself space to respond to email, text, phone messages, etc. in a way that is thoughtful and not rushed. And when I am feeling that sense of anxiety about the 27 emails one client sent on a Sunday night at 11PM or the need to blog, photograph, tweet and facebook every ounce of my life. - to watch the feelings and to wait, respond/record when I have real time, and breathe.
Trust me. This is a practice not a perfection!
