Understand why time isn’t your problem, your relationship with time is.
How often do you say, ‘I don’t have the time?’ It becomes synonymous with us not making the decisions that feel authentic or optimal. If only I had the time to do x, y and z.
Have you ever wondered how the busiest people often accomplish the most meaningful progress in their lives? And one thing you would definitely say they are short on is time.
In this article I explain why time isn’t your problem and why time overall has no place in the natural flow vs. resistance framework. What if time isn’t the constraint, you think it is? What if you can change your relationship with time?
The Great Time Lie
I have to pick my words carefully here as I don’t want to give too much away, too soon. All I will say is that currently the world of science treats time as fundamental.
For that reason, people go about their lives thinking time is some otherworldly external force that happens to them.
This leads to all manner of paradoxes and problems in current scientific understanding. But again, without going too deep, it also causes problems for people trying to experience their lives.
It leads to statements like:
- I’ll do it when I have the time.
- I have wasted so much time.
- I want to spend time on this.
- I have spent too much time on this.
- I don’t have enough time.
Here’s the critical part, how you experience time is in your control. If you want to see it in the mechanical materialist way, then it will control you. Ultimately, how you approach time can either be resistance building or flow optimisation – it’s your choice and below I outline how you can treat time for your benefit.
The Truth About Time
Under my framework time is subjective experience. It is an experience that you have the ability to decide.
It really isn’t radical for us to make that conclusion – despite the academic protest. Your lived experience will tell you that time passing for you is different to how it passes for others.
If you have ever taken a child on a long shopping trip where you were enjoying buying things for the house, you will know time for you passed relatively quickly but for your child in tow, it dragged on for an eternity with only the promise of a sweet or a toy at the end if they behave themselves.
In fact, we all know time speeds up when we are doing something engaging and slows when we are bored. If time was some external force – this would not be possible, time would pass the same no matter the activity.
Under this framework – time isn’t something you have or don’t have. It is nothing more than something you experience.
How We Change Time Based on Our Choices
Under the framework there is both natural flow and resistance.
When you spend time in resistance patterns it drags. No matter how much time you ‘have’ it still feels like it isn’t enough. In resistance you will feel time pressures, such as feeling rushed to complete something – even if you actually ‘have’ plenty of time.
Time in resistance also destroys enjoyment experiences because the activities you want to participate in inevitably lead to ‘wasted time.’ Making the previously enjoyable experience unfulfilling.
Time in Natural Flow – Why Time Isn’t Your Problem
It goes without saying maybe that time in natural flow leads to the opposite outcomes of time in resistance.
Hours pass like minutes in flow states; you somehow accomplish far more than you expected in ‘less’ time. Things happen exactly when they need to, and it can seem like spooky magical forces are at play.
What’s more the experience of time is enhanced, in a quality over quantity way. Shorter periods seem more fulfilling and satisfying.
‘I Have No Time’ is a Resistance Pattern
Additional to how time behaves in resistance and flow, time as mentioned can become its own resistance pattern.
More often than not, because it is an excuse.
I have no time is extremely convenient to put off something you’re afraid of doing. Likewise, it’s not the right time is a perfect excuse for kicking the can down the road.
Blaming time is a common tool people use to avoid taking responsibility for shitty life choices. Like knowing your authentic self wants to start a project and then saying, I will need a few months before I start this properly.
Another really common excuse is the all or nothing mentality. If I can’t see the time to complete this fully, then I won’t even start.
Why We Trick Ourselves into the ‘No Time’ Resistance
Our lives are complex; there is no denying that. But humans tend to really overcomplicate situations, and this can trap us in horrible patterns of resistance.
The no time resistance can come from four main areas typically:
- ‘Spending’ time on resistant activities that don’t energise you. For example, doom scrolling on Instagram for hours.
- This energy depletion accumulates and when you are tired, everything FEELS like it will take longer.
- We feel like we have too many choices about how to use our time because we are drawn to resistant pattern options.
- Sometimes we simply feel obligated to say yes to everything except what matters most.
Ultimately, when we think temporally and start applying time to the things we want to do in life, it causes resistance.
Time is Abundant Once You Master It
When you’re in natural flow, you can achieve more in 15 minutes than you could in hours of resistance.
In this respect it is good to reframe how you conceptualise time, focusing on quality flow experiences over quantity of time spent in resistance.
It also helps to realise that what you are doing now is the only way to frame time correctly. Time pressure cannot exist if you are just occupied with whatever experience is aligning with you naturally in that moment.
When you are clear about what matters in your life and you have reduced resistances, flow states include time organising itself optimally. Learning to say no is also important, that can be no to others but moreover it is no to yourself. No to that resistant activity. Protecting your present moment for natural flow only.
Real Life Examples of Time Transformation
It is easy to get very abstract – especially when talking about time, natural flow and resistance patterns. Before you zone out thinking you can’t make heads or tails of what I am saying – lets look at time transformation in everyday life.
In Our Work – Why Time Isn’t Your Problem
An example that is all too common is people saying they don’t have time to look for a new job.
The truth is that when you are in a flow state as little as 15-30 minutes can open up unexpected opportunities.
The shift here is simple. Instead of I need to find time, it becomes I need to make what matters to me non-negotiable.
With Fitness – Why Time Isn’t Your Problem
I don’t have spare time to exercise.
In natural flow 10 minutes of movement you feel drawn to make will always trump an hour long gym session you’re dreading.
The shift here is going from ‘the perfect’ workout plan that can get put off if you feel it will take too much time, to consistent, natural and enjoyable small actions.
In Our Relationships – Why Time Isn’t Your Problem
I don’t have time for deep conversations.
With natural flow in a relationship conversations become moments of quality connection rather than scheduled blocks of discussion.
You are essentially shifting from a time quantity mindset to one of being present in the moment and enjoying the quality of each other’s company.
On the Journey to Personal Growth
I am too busy; there is no time to work on myself.
Self-awareness develops from moment to moment in small steps in natural flow rather than full-blown growth overhauls.
Personal growth then becomes small navigations towards your authentic self rather than massive mountains to climb.
False Myths of Time That Keep You Stuck
Here are some common misconceptions about time that trap most people into believing ‘time is not on my side.’
Successful People are Too Busy
While successful people often appear busy, if you ask anyone in a position of success, they will tell you how discerning they are with their time. They are selective about what engagements or activities they commit to, instead focusing on using their time effectively toward building further success.
A successful person will always have time for something if they feel it will promote further success.
More Time Spent on Something Equals Better Results
This is completely false in application, you can spend 3 hours trying to write something meaningful in a resistant state and still not achieve much by the end, whereas if you are in a flow state, it could take you 15 minutes to get work output of a far higher quality.
I’ll Make the Time Later
Have you ever considered that later rarely feels any different to now? It seems absurd that putting something off until later will in some way make the problem/activity any simpler.
Time is Money
In a materialist world it is easy to commodify time in the same way we do money. But all time really is, is our experiences from one moment to the next that we perceive as sequential time passing. When people try to commodify time, they are actually creating a very strict resistance pattern, trying to put a value on something they have no idea how to value – and then exchange it.
It’s like someone walking into a pawnshop with a coin, not knowing its value, but demanding a high value irrespective of the worth of the coin – and I hate to break it to you, but most coins just have face value. In this analogy, assume your time has face value, which is not a penny more than how you personally use it from one moment to the next.
Break Free from the Time Prison
Time can and does enslave us. We have been conditioned to believe we are running out of time and that time has some intrinsic substance – which it does not.
Instead of focusing on the time spent – a small pivot away in mindset to focusing on how you feel while doing something will completely transform the time experience.
You can even find out very easily if your activity is not naturally aligned because time spent in resistance drags. Whereas time spent in natural flow activities, passes quickly.
Question the voice in your head when it says, ‘I have no time’ and ask it, ‘do I have no time, or do I have no priority?’
Get Playful with Time – Why Time Isn’t Your Problem
Once you understand that your choices about what you are experiencing in a moment can impact how you perceive time, you can really start to play around with your own time perception.
Days in natural flow are extremely productive and abundant and pass wonderfully without any time concern.
You can mix up how you view time slots as well, doing the same activity at different times will highlight how much control you have over your experience of time, because it will feel different at different times – because time is nothing more than experience.
Natural Flow and Time Abundance
Time abundance is your ability to choose activities that align more with a flow state and energise you rather than drain you.
It is also an understanding that what you are doing now is the priority, not thinking ahead and rushing to the next thing. When you plan to do something by x time so you can move onto the next task – guess what happens, the first task either takes longer or doesn’t go as expected and your next task is delayed or suffers as a result.
Practice saying no to resistant activities that drain you and intuitively say yes to flow activities that matter. Work with natural timing rather than setting deadlines – most people set deadlines and still miss them, because deadlines are artificial resistance.
Time Becomes an Ally – Why Time Isn’t Your Problem
When you are operating in alignment with natural flow, time becomes an ally. Supporting you rather than constraining you.
The right activity at the right time creates results that will surprise you. To the point you won’t give a second though about the time it took, instead marvelling at how it all just clicked.
Time pressures create intense stress in our daily lives, liberating yourself from timing pressure dissolves that stress. It is self-perpetuating as well, as you relinquish time incrementally, it becomes easier to further release time contamination from your life and align better with your authentic natural flow.
Finally, the quality of your life experience is worth infinitely more than any value you can put on the quantity of time. It is absolutely pointless having endless amounts of time spent in misery.
Developing a Better Understanding and Relationship with Time
I have not mentioned it too much in this article, but your sovereignty and individuality will be a big factor about how you reshape your relationship with time. Everyone has a different relationship with time.
Some people are always focusing on being punctual, while others consistently run late. Some people are morning people, while others prefer to work in the evening.
You will know your personal time preferences and developing an understanding around your natural rhythms will enable you to honour them. You have much more control over your experience of time than you realise so I invite you to give it a try if you want – or if you don’t then don’t – your individual choice is what matters ultimately.
Incorporating the Navigation Codex into Your Life
Hopefully now you understand why time isn’t your problem.
If you would like to discover more about how time creates resistances in our life and take deeper dives into time contamination, I will be posting many articles in the future. Make sure you subscribe to the free newsletter to get updates or bookmark this page.
In the meantime, if you want to do something practical, notice when time feels abundant vs. scarce in your life. It will begin to reveal where some of your resistances are and teach you how to align more with natural flow.