time debt

I have seen debt, and reflecting on the struggle to escape it, I have been able to draw some parallels with the way I treated the time I have in my life.

To begin, we must think about time from the same frame we view money in. That would put into perspective the way I situate this understanding.

Time debt – not enough time in the present to make up for current obligations. This can lead to further mismanagement of time in order to make up for lost opportunities or missed progress stemming from initial misuse of time, ultimately never being fully present and active in every lived moment.

Through the highs and lows of life, I passively felt as if time was endless, though it was finite in the grand scheme of things. Whether it be the hands of a health scare or the moments before my car getting totalled, it was solemnly I felt that my next moments might be the last of it all.

Therefore, I often found myself in a position where procrastination manages to best the things I have set up for me, or priorities take attention away from the things that truly deserved it.

Through it all, I had this nearly unfailing sense that everything I do would work out for me, any path I choose will bear fruit and so I should not worry.

That being said, I did find myself being adept enough to take on many different positions, and personal challenges, whether it was a brand new job or a skill I wanted to improve in.

Many different paths I could go down at any moment led me to a personal perspective where I’m better off doing what brought me the most joy, rather than income, influence or any other measure.

And in that, I found myself spending time as if it was infinite, justifying my actions saying: “I’ll do it later”, “I’ll miss this class cause it’s probably not this important”, “I’ll go to church Wednesday at least”, etc.

Moments I felt most indebted were the days leading up to an exam where I could not possibly learn all the required material in time, in class where I couldn’t participate to the level I hope to since I was not too familiar with the topic, moments during conversations where I did not quite know what next to say because I barely ever spent my time truly socializing with different people from diverse backgrounds.

Being a student, and in the moment, these are simply examples I came up with on the fly and one’s moments may not directly reflect mine as life is subjective but there is an underlying sentiment where there is a feeling that if time in the past was better used I wouldn’t be facing these troubles in the moment.

That same thinking pattern that led me into debt beyond my ability to pay off affected my life in ways I had not realised. I mentally distanced myself from my finances to be able to live a semi-normal life and simply continued on living the same way that led me to that position.

I have caught on now, I am aware that every commitment I find myself making is not only a privilege but an opportunity to make more out of life than what was available to me in time past.

Just as money inflates, time does as well, it yields returns on wherever you invest it and once it’s spent, the only thing left might only be a memory. Regardless of what one chooses to do with their time, I hope there is an understanding that one must do their part to ensure they are not in debt to themselves when it comes to time.

In the present, I work to perceive every moment as if I have won the lottery and that my efforts in the past are slowly but evidently paying off, I’m nearly done with school, in control of my finances, skilled in many rights. My time spent in the past has a visible impact on my present circumstances, in both positive and negative ways. Through truly embracing that, I see every moment as more valuable and I personally feel avoidant to let my time be wasted on fruitless endeavours. Some days it’s easier done than said, and others I must remind myself to be present and refocus, I am only human.

Avoiding time debt is no easy task as life can be random and unexpected at times and greater trends in the world might not align with the path that someone lined up for themselves but minimising time debt when it comes to life is still possible.

Through insightful conversation with others and active self-observation, priorities can be first accounted and weighed, then in every moment after that, contemplate actions on a scale and based on which side the scale tips (in support of priorities or against) one can minimise time wasted away.

Therefore, in doing this, you allow yourself to be present in every moment because you will willingly choose where to spend your time.