The Time Paradox

Every one of us has a problem in managing time effectively; we are spending too much time on things that add no value on what we are doing and what we want to achieve. We have to be aware that time is our most valuable and irreplaceable possession. Once time has passed it is gone forever and nothing will allow us regain the time misspent. As Franklin would say “time is money”, but I strongly believe that time is much more than money. However too strange it is that we somehow are able to spend our money more wisely than our time, maybe because we are able to save money and not time as it passes by whether we choose to wisely spend it or not. According to Zimbardo & Boyd, who have been working on the psychology of time for thirty years, each of us has a time perspective that is largely unconscious and subjective. Indeed the time perspective plays a fundamental role in the way people live. Obviously our lives start naturally by a focus in the present, but some people continue to focus to the present by responding only to events happening in their immediate physical and social environment. Others base their decisions and actions on memories of the past rather than on current experience. Some other people base their decisions on their expectations for the future. The authors categorize people into three groups according to this philosophy; Past-oriented, Present-oriented, and Future-oriented. Future-oriented people tend to be more successful professionally and academically. Individuals who live in fast-paced communities are likely to be future-oriented. Meanwhile Present-oriented people are more likely to engage in activities that don’t promise something for the future, just desires of the moment. The situation is somehow more complex when people are Past-oriented. For them the past is filled with positive memories, successes, and pleasures. For others of the same category the past is filled with negative memories, failures, and regrets. These attitudes toward the past play a dramatic role in daily decisions or in how we perceive our present life and the future. One thing is for sure that we cannot change what happened in the past but we can change the attitude towards it. Having analyzed the three categories the most likely to be successful in life are the Future-oriented people because if you focus in the future, you will have an excellent present too.