I've been working contract jobs back in the corporate world for about 2 ½ years now after almost 20 years of being my own boss in my own consulting business. And, most of my time since leaving the Big Apple almost 22 years ago has been living in small towns (13 ½ years): Taos, NM; Santa Fe; Sedona, AZ. So now too, it is about 2 ½ years that I am back living in Gilbert - which has almost doubled in size to 250,000 souls since I last lived here.
With these two major shifts in my life, I've seemed particularly out of sorts with managing my time. I started thinking about it, to see if it was just me, or if there were external circumstances contributing to this. It was a fascinating analysis, and what became clear to me is how much the external world has shifted in the past 20 years or so, and its impact on my individual life - and time.
In the '90s, I lived in a 400 sq ft studio in a Manhattan high rise so house cleaning and maintenance was a blip on my timeline. I walked a lot (my main form of exercise) and used public transportation to get around, which permitted me time to read or nap. Monthly bills to sit down and take time to pay were for the mortgage; telephone; cable TV; water; electric; and, gas.
20+ years later, I live in a 1500 sq ft house with a garage, a lot more space to maintain, which requires landscaping of the front and backyards too. The city is spread out, so my means of transportation is a car; that means no reading or napping while driving! I also need to make sure I get some physical exercise in. Monthly bills to pay are for the house lease; water, waste, and sewer; electric; landscaping; Internet; telephone; auto insurance; and, car maintenance. Whew! And yes, I know I can do automatic payments!
Back in the '90s, when Information Technology was only just starting to reach the masses, I kept in touch with people via telephone (land line) and letters sent through U.S. Mail. Nowadays, with email, texting, Skype, and mobile phones in general, I am so reachable and absorbed in computer-related activities that it's easy to not have time alone and to be still.
Yes, the world is far more complex now, and thus is my life. I'm glad to see that there are some valid reasons why my time management seems more challenging than it used to. But I guess what has not changed over the years is that wherever I am, I can always take the time to pause and connect with Spirit. It only takes less than a minute to accomplish that, and it's something worthwhile and most doable even in this complex world of distractions. In fact, it's even more crucial now to do so - it allows me to slow down, receive guidance, and breathe in some peace to deal with the complexities of these modern times.
Reminding you too to take time to b-r-e-a-t-h-e -- and
unplug from time-to-time-
