The Quote Hoarder: Man Alone Measures Time

The Quote Hoarder is a mini-series where I share some of my favorite quotes from different books, anime, manga, shows and now even lyrics.

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Being stuck inside the four walls of our homes, it’s akin to being prisoners and we all have suffered (and may still be suffering) that paralyzing fear and bouts of boredom. After the quarantine was lifted and we can finally go outside, looking back it has been quite a waste not doing something productive while being stuck inside with nothing to do.

(Except for me because I finished quite a few long ass dramas and novels. Messed up priorities, I know.)

“Which of us is not saying to himself–which of us has not been saying to himself all his life: “I shall alter that when I have a little more time”? We never shall have any more time. We have, and we have always had, all the time there is.”

― Arnold Bennett, How to Live on 24 Hours a Day

But really, how do we become productive? How do we even manage to get planning and get moving? There is no perfect method that fits all because we have different priorities, strengths, and weaknesses. Time management and productivity are the biggest enemies of procrastinators (like me). Yep, no sugar coating there because acknowledging it is the first step. Knowing thyself is the key in dealing with this tricky thing called time. Setting priorities and not falling victim to the ‘I’ll do it later’ mentality.

We often hear people say that we all have the same amount of time each and every single day and what we do with that resource is entirely up to us. This may be true for some but not all. Read: We don’t all have the same 24 hours in a day.

Time, curious time
Gave me no compasses, gave me no signs
―Taylor Swift, ​invisible string

But aside from the rigid and the stricter aspects of time, as it usually pertains to our work and or business or the whole time management shebang, there’s also the mysterious side of it.

How it usually slows down when one is having a hard time and how it flies when you’re having the time of your life. How you even wonder sometimes why do we even need to keep time?

Time, mystical time
Cutting me open, then healing me fine
―Taylor Swift, ​invisible string

Sometimes the way to catch up to time is to take a breather and actually slow down. Weird, I know. I actually learned this from RM who is the leader of BTS (it’s his birthday today too btw). Slowing down means taking the time to appreciate those things around you; taking long walks in the park and noticing everything, contemplating about life, and thinking about things you normally wouldn’t when you’re rushing from here to there. Reflection is a good way to start our walk into the path of the right habits. If you know what you’re doing wrong then you’ll know what to change. And you won’t ever have the opportunity to reflect when you are in a rush.

Also, slowing down means not doing everything all at once. Find the things you value the most and prioritizing them first is another point in slowing down. Get the big tasks completed first instead of multitasking like crazy. When you slow down, what you do becomes a lot more meaningful because of the time you invested in it.

Time, wondrous time
Gave me the blues and then purple-pink skies
―Taylor Swift, ​invisible string

Every day we wake up in the morning or even in the afternoon (because body clock is messed up), it’s another day of choices. Choosing how to spend your time every single day is a privilege and a right. It is liberating to know you have that control. Time can be our enemy but it’s an enemy we cannot escape from. Better find a way to deal with it in the long term and learn how to handle our battles against it. Take ownership of your own time.

“Man alone measures time. Man alone chimes the hour. And, because of this, man alone suffers a paralyzing fear that no other creature endures. A fear of time running out.”

― Mitch Albom, The Time Keeper

For the love of words and quotes, feel free to join me any time! I’d love to know your favorite quotes. You can post your own (but link it to me or one of my post so I’ll see it too!) or even a comment below will suffice.

Thanks for reading this quote hoarding turned discussion post!