It now has an official name: time poverty

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One of the most obvious symptoms that we are suffering from time poverty is when we say things like, "Sorry, I'm busy" or "Maybe I'll have time in the future."

 

BBC's Science Focus digs right into it with this article.

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Only nipping away at the edges

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This article gives some tips to provide some measure of relief. However, it makes no mention of the fundamental source of why people experience time poverty.

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Here are a few excepts from the article:

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5 simple, science-backed ways to get more time in your day and beat burnout

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Feeling time poor isn’t an inescapable part of today’s world. It’s possible to reclaim lost hours and finally feel in control of your day.

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Ever get that feeling there aren’t enough hours in a day? That no matter what you do, and how hard you work, it’s impossible to fit everything in? You may well be suffering from time poverty. And you certainly won’t be alone.

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Time poverty – defined by psychologists as a chronic feeling that you don’t have enough time for the things that you need to do – is worryingly common. Research shows that the majority of us are battling with it, with one US study suggesting 80 per cent of people feel they don’t have enough time in their day. That’s a jump of 10 per cent from a decade ago. Could these rates grow further?

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5 ways to take control of your time

1. Just say no

2. Do a time audit

3. Outsource your chores

4. Write an ‘I did’ list

5. Block your time

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Learning how to make things better in the midst of war instead of not getting into the war to start with

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The BBC Science Focus' article is about how to make things a little after you're already at war. That is what all time management advice and books are about. I don't mean to dismiss their suggestions. In the context of "being in a war," they are often helpful, even though they may distract us from looking for ways to not start the war in the first place.

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All these attempted fixes to the time poverty issue either don't see or don't address the underlying cause of the problem: the prioritization of results ahead of creating enjoyable processes and life journeys.

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The time poverty issue is rooted in the Now-Next Integrity problem which exists because we have lionized taking care of the future and villainized taking care of now (when it occurs as in conflict with taking care of the future). The reason that time poverty exists to start with is because we have not recognized the fact that, even in our need and desire to take care of the future, we must prioritize the everyday flow and process of our life over the attainment of any particular result or set of results. 

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See also:

Process first

Getting paid twice

What's the full idea of process first?

Lifestyle first, results second

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