Time is the most valuable thing a person can spend. Theophrastus
If you want work well done, select a busy man ( or woman), the other kind has no time. Elbert Hubbard
Though technology can make life easier in many ways, it also makes it more complicated. With the advancement of technology there is an increase in the number of choices we must make. Through the Internet, the amount of information literally at our fingertips or in our pockets is unlimited and incredible. How to manage and limit information intake has become critical to time and life management skills.
In the past, our relationships were divided and defined by our season of life: friends from youth, friends from high school, friends from college, friends before and after marriage, etc. It has dawned on me that now, with the advent of Facebook and other forms of social media, we are able to be in contact with virtually all past and present relationships at a singular point in time—the present. While technology is morally neutral, it can be used in productive and non-productive, positive and negative ways. Facebook can be a valuable tool personally and professionally or it can become an unproductive distraction. Only half jokingly do I wonder if psychologists will one day specialize in helping people overcome social media addictions. Now more than ever, it is critical and more difficult to manage our time, thereby managing our lives.
Next month, we will further explore the issue of time management and what we can do about it.
Mike Mason