An Introduction to Time
I think about Time so much!
In some senses it’s just a construct, but then there are seasons and circadian rhythms and astrology, to all of which I ascribe massive influence. It seems that often we see Time (yes, I’m going to capitalise it, like a god) as being against us - I am planning a series on all the ways Time governs how we perceive other things. I’m also a massive former productivity nerd; I doubt there are many time-use tracks or hacks that I haven’t tried or dismissed back in the years when life was all about Being by virtue of Doing.
But for now I want to introduce one way I’m using Time (as a construct) to my advantage: Magic Hour. I have just had an extended period of nothing; getting up when I like, sleeping when I like, doing what I feel like doing and making spontaneous decisions about how to use the day on the day as it occurs. This has been monumentally freeing and although I still L O V E Time and all it can allow us to do, I’ve had extended periods where Time has expanded, contracted, and tasks have slipped, certain experiences have had a timelessness to them and there’s been a fair amount of staring out the window. All of this I believe has been beneficial to my welfare at least in the short-term, although it has left me floundering a little for a sense of purpose.
Enter: Magic Hour. Simply, the practice of dedicating one whole hour to a particular task that connects to a Purpose. It might be research for a new venture, work on a connected group of technical tasks, Drawing Board time for the rejuvenation of dormant project or simply getting down and doing the nitty gritty of writing or the like. For current purposes it has to not be a “maintenance” or routine task to qualify as Magic. And thus I shall break forth from my chrysalis of daydreaming as a purposeful butterfly…
First Quarter: Complete
Ten weeks ago (so not quite the start of the year, which started bumpily) I was feeling pretty low and when I realised it was ten weeks to the start of April and the Easter break, I committed to see what I could do to turn things around in that time. At the beginning, each week seemed to go so slowly, but the last three or four have just sped by. I didn’t really have much of a process or a vision for this, but I did everything I could to follow the positive vibes when and where they appeared and this resulted in an overhaul of my eating habits, meal planning, cooking, being much more organised at home, having better elements in my daily routine to choose from, being more productive creatively, sleeping a more regular schedule, and learning to connect spiritually in new ways.
Now the spring has well and truly come and those grim winter days are long gone (I don’t know about anyone else but I felt truly lost over the winter - ultimately in a helpful way but it wasn’t particularly fun!) and it seems with each day and hour even that I’m coming back to myself, stepping into my power and being more deliberate about what I want to make in the world.
So some questions for today as we embark on the next month and the next quarter and the happy run to midsummer’s day:
Who do you see yourself becoming by the end of June (or the solstice if that’s more meaningful to you)? How do you see your life changing?
What can you take from what you’ve learnt so far this year to embed in your daily life/routine as an improvement?
What’s driving you now? If it’s different from what was driving you at the start of the year then, how? What resources does this drive need?