Transform Your Relationship With Time
“God, infinitely perfect and blessed in himself, in a plan of sheer goodness freely created man to make him share in his own blessed life. For this reason, at every time and in every place, God draws close to man. He calls man to seek him, to know him, to love him with all his strength” (Catechism of the Catholic Church 1).
“Where did all my time go?” has become a common question. Our professional and personal lives are filled with to-dos and commitments that often leave us stressed and overwhelmed. We have an anxiety-filled relationship with time instead of looking for small moments that give us brief glimpses into eternity with the Father.
Melissa Ambrosini and Nick Broadhurst’s new book, Time Magic: Reclaim Your Time, Reclaim Your Life, aims to transform our relationship with time from anxiety to purposefulness. Broken into five sections, Time Magic explores how we got here and where we can go in changing our relationship with time. It takes a holistic approach to show the small, everyday actions that we can adapt for a less stressed and more purposeful life.
Time Magic Mindset
The Time Magic Mindset is not about perfecting time management skills to save time on tasks and add more to your never-ending to-do lists. Rather, it is about adopting a growth-oriented mindset based on believing in “your ability to invest your time in ways that are productive, nourishing, and meaningful.”
This mindset takes a big-picture view of your personal life, work, finance, and health to help you take small steps to improve your overall life. It acknowledges that there is no one big action that will instantly change everything; small everyday steps have the most impact.
First, identify your priorities by reflecting on the important things you do regularly and where you never have enough time. Next, take that first list, and add those tasks to your calendar (ideally in a weekly view) to see how you are spending your time. Then, choose three items from the second list, and add them to your calendar. Finally, look at the calendar and ask yourself how you feel, how you want to feel, and what needs to change.
As Christians, we can bring our calendars to the Father in surrender and open ourselves to His will. Some of the small, everyday actions that I want implement in my own life are:
Saying “No”: As a people-pleasing person, “yes” is my default answer. I am slowly learning that my “no” opens the door for another person to say “yes.”
Creating an Environment to Focus: To hyperfocus on specific tasks, I’m scheduling “Ignition Interval” sessions (a concept from the book) for a few hours each work day when I will not check my phone, check my email, or take calls.
One Screen Rule: I’m no longer scrolling on my phone or laptop while watching TV, and I’m keeping my phone off my desk at work.
Rest and Leisure
The pandemic showed us that we do not rest well, particularly here in the United States. Our culture has become one of constant work and productivity. But in the aftermath of COVID, our culture is saying “yes” to rest, recognizing its inherent goodness.
Ambronisi and Broadhurst reinforce this renewed interest in rest and leisure by creating a “restifesto,” or rest manifesto. A “restifesto” is a statement that uses your own beliefs about rest and leisure to transform your relationship with time. Giving ourselves the space to daydream and sit with the discomfort of doing nothing reminds us of the goodness and beauty of life.
G.K. Chesterton wrote, “The true object of all human life is play. Earth is a task garden; heaven is a playground.” We need rest and play not only for our physical and mental well-being but, more importantly, for our soul. Rest and play help us see the Father’s joy and love for us.
Cultivating Purpose
The intention of Time Magic is to help us live a more meaningful and purposeful life. Through transforming our relationship with time and taking small, everyday steps to change our behavior, we can find what brings us meaning and purpose.
Our time is precious, because this life is fleeting. We will reach the end and stand before the Lord, and He will ask us how we used the time He gave us to bring Him glory. The Father created us to know and share in His blessed life. He is calling us always to draw close to His heart—our meaning and purpose for life.
Alexandra (Alex) Harrel resides in Irving, Texas. She is a new student affairs professional within the world of higher education. In her spare time, she loves reading, listening to podcasts, and spending time outdoors. Her favorite prayer is Hail, Holy Queen. You can follow her on Instagram at @2012alexandra.