The Secret To More Time and Energy :: February 2007

By Andrew Burnham - February 07, 2007

Product Resouces

The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment

We have more time and energy when we are in the moment. The secret to managing time is managing the way we process people and events. We don’t need to add anything to our calendar, we simply subtract some unhelpful thinking.

Can you afford the Time?

If you can afford the time and energy consumed in unconstructive reactive states such as worry, stress or allowing others to push your buttons, then you have time to be in the moment.

Being in the Moment is not a Doing

Being in the moment is not another thing to do. It is not something to add to our calendar or worry about. You don’t need to get certified in it or earn a PhD. Being in the moment is a state of being. And all of the powerful benefits or doings of this state are included in the action part of the being.

Time Management

When we speak of managing our time we are looking to put our attention on what matters (the priorities) and take attention away from what doesn’t matter or is unhelpful. It is the most powerful time management tool we have.

The Secret to Time Management

The secret to time management is managing our thinking. Through awareness we see directly what we have always known intellectually: there is less time to meet our deadlines and commitments when we are busy worrying, engaged in uncontrolled and often negative self chatter, projecting ourselves into a dark and gloomy future, or dwelling on what should have happened.

Then there is the attention (a.k.a. time and energy) we must now spend mopping up after the sour encounter, dealing with the change effort gone awry, repairing the damage with the customer. We invest time handling the mistake we created by not being present in the first place.

More time is spent not being Present

It takes more time and effort to not be in the moment than it does to be aware of our automatic reactions and other unwanted patterns. We are like the fish in the ocean that stops to ask where the ocean is. We are already in the moment but don’t know it. Being in the moment takes no time at all.

Now is the only time there is

The moment is the only time there is and the only place action ever takes place. When we plan for something we are doing that now. When we worry about something we do that now. The time is always now. What action can I take now? If I cannot take action now then what else can I now focus on? What better way is there to manage time? Being in the moment happens in and through our activities, not beside or between them.