Chapter 3 With Decades to Go You Can’t Keep Playing Beat the Clock

You’ve been exposed to two major principles thus far. From Chapter 1, “I Know I Can Finish Most of This (If I Stay Late),” you learned that the key to winning back your time is to redevelop the habit of getting your work done within the course of a normal eight- or nine-hour workday. In Chapter 2, “Time Flies Whether You’re Having Fun or Not,” you saw that even small segments of time each day have a dramatic impact on the amount of time in your life over which you have control. The dilemma of this entire culture, however, is that everyone is feeling time-pressed—and feeling as if he or she is a poor time manager. As if somehow he or she is at fault. (Do you know the feeling?)

It may not be your fault, and you’re not alone. The problem you face is a wide-sweeping phenomenon more than a personal one. Fortunately, there are various measures you can take in your career and life to win back more of your time, and that’s what this book will examine.

Let’s see how to live longer and enjoy it more.

An Entire Society in a Hurry

Suppose that all of society was in a hurry (which at most times seems to be the case). People having to do more all the time, in less time. Sound familiar? The evidence is mounting that time has become the most valuable commodity in society. A study entitled “Time Pressure in the ’90s,” conducted by Hilton Time Value Surveys, found that folks feel just plain rushed:

• 77 percent of people surveyed selected “spending time with family and friends” as their top goal in the ’90s.

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   Time Out! Simply being born into this culture at this time all but guarantees that much of your day will be consumed if you’re not careful.

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• 66 percent said they would put more emphasis on “having free time.”
• 38 percent report cutting back on sleep to make more time.
• 33 percent said they are unlikely to be able to make time for their ideal weekend.
• 33 percent said they don’t accomplish what they set out to do each day.
• 31 percent worry that they don’t spend enough time with their families and friends.
• 29 percent constantly feel under stress.
• 21 percent said they don’t have time for fun anymore.
• 20 percent reported calling in sick to work at least once in the past year when they simply needed time to relax.

So, You Feel it Too? We All Do!

In my book Breathing Space: Living and Working at a Comfortable Pace in a Sped-Up Society, I identify five mega-realities that have an unconditional impact on everybody all the time. The factors include the following:

• An expanding volume of knowledge
• Mass-media growth and electronic addiction
• The paper-trail culture
• An overabundance of choices
• Population growth

Does it seem as if these factors are ganging up on you? If so, it’s time to divide and conquer: Examine them one by one and suggest some strategies.

Expanding Knowledge

Knowledge is power, or so it’s been said, but how many people feel powerful? Do you? Many people fear that they are underinformed. The volume of new knowledge broadcast and published in every field is enormous; it exceeds anyone’s ability to keep pace. All told, more words are published or broadcast in an hour than you could comfortably ingest in the rest of your life. By far, America leads the world in the sheer volume of information generated and disseminated.

This is why so many books designed to help readers be more effective in managing their time fall wide of the mark. They list dozens, if not hundreds, of rules. You already have more “rules for being effective” to follow in your career and life, however, than you can comfortably handle. I doubt that feels effective.

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 Chronos Says The key to winning back your time is to be more effective at being rather than doing. If this sounds like mumbo-jumbo, let me say it another way: To win back your time ultimately means havinglesstodo, not more. Doing the “less” I’m talking about means carefully identifying what’s vitally important to you, which is the subject of Chapter 6, “Supporting Your Priorities for Fun and Profit.”

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Mass-Media Growth

As you may recall from Chapter 2 (and probably from personal experience), the negative effect of the mass media on people’s lives continues unchecked. In America, more than five out of six households own VCRs. In 1972, three major television networks dominated television: ABC, NBC, and CBS. Now, there are more than 500 full-power independent television stations. Many cable TV subscribers receive up to 140 channels that offer more than 72,000 shows per month. (Bruce Springsteen understated it best: “Fifty-seven channels and nothin’ on.” It may soon be 5,700 channels. Same complaint.)

With its sensationalized trivia, the mass media overglut obscures fundamental issues that do merit concern, such as preserving the environment or feeding the starving.

Paper Trails to You

It’s like being a computer overloaded with data or a detective swamped with too many eyewitness reports. Having too much paper to deal with makes you feel overwhelmed and overworked. We are consuming at least three times as much paper as 10 years ago. There are two basic reasons why American society in particular spews so much paper:

• We have nearly the lowest postal rates in the world.

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   Time Out! Here’s the impasse of this over-information era that confronts you: The time necessary to learn all the rules for effective living now exceeds your life expectancy.

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• We have the most equipment that can generate paper.

The typical executive receives more than 225 pieces of unsolicited mail each month, or about 12 pieces daily. Annually the average family receives more than 200 catalogs they did not request—on top of those they did request, with an onslaught arriving between late August and Christmas.

Way too Many Choices

Choice is the blessing of a free market economy. Like too much of everything else, however, having too many choices is, well, overwhelming. Currently, more than 1,350 varieties of shampoo are on the market. More than 2,000 skin care products are currently selling. Some 100 different types of exercise shoes are now available, each with scores of variations in style, functions, and features. Every choice demands time; increased time expenditure means mounting exhaustion.

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 Watch Words In Future Shock (1970), Alvin Toffler used the term overchoice to describe the stress that comes from too many options, especially the so-what variety. In paperback, the book itself was a classic example: You could buy it with a blue, orange, or hot-pink cover.

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Population Unchecked

Not only are you not alone, but you’re less alone all the time. From the dawn of creation to A.D. 1850, world population grew to one billion. It grew to two billion by 1930, three billion by 1960, four billion by 1979, five billion by 1987, and six billion by 1996, with seven billion en route. Every 33 months, 272 million people (the current population of America) are added to the planet.

Each day, world population (births minus deaths) increases by more than 275,000 people. Geometric growth in human population permeates and dominates every aspect of the planet: its resources, the environment, and all living things.

One could argue that having all these new people around makes the world more hectic, its people more competitive for fewer economic niches, and employers more apt to see the labor force as a cheap commodity whose personal time they can claim willy-nilly. The increasing effects of population pressure has a profound impact upon the reality of current human existence. I don’t see how you can ignore it.

The Weight of the World

In the Philippines, the Manila Hotel now provides 5-minute helicopter rides for guests between the hotel and the downtown business district. Otherwise, the rush-hour trip would take an hour and a half by car.

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 A Stitch In Time If you feel better about your own life, it’s easier to empathize and take action on behalf of those who need help. For one thing, you have a little more time to do so.

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Sixty Minutes reporter Morley Safer narrated a segment on the show, which discussed how mass tourism is “turning the world’s places of beauty into swarming ant hills and rancid junk heaps.” Among the worldwide treasures being laid to waste are these:

• Venice is sinking more rapidly than it would be otherwise because of the extreme number of pedestrian tourists.
• The Great Wall of China is crumbling under the weight of increasing numbers of tourists.
• The face of the Parthenon is slowly but surely being scratched to oblivion.

Undoubtedly, you’ve already heard about the number of endangered species throughout the globe. This is directly attributable to the increase in human population, increase in development, and clearing of rain forests.

While scientists debate whether global temperatures are irrevocably rising, the trend of the last 50 years is now becoming clear. In 1950, according to Vital Signs, the average global temperature was 58.75 degrees Fahrenheit. By 1970, this had risen to 59.07 degrees Fahrenheit—and by the mid ’90s it had risen to 59.36 degrees Fahrenheit.

More People, Less Mobility

The effect of rapid increases in population alone has a dramatic impact on the pace of society and your life. Predictably, more densely packed urban areas have resulted in a gridlock of the nation’s transportation systems.

It is taking you longer to drive merely a few blocks; it’s not the day of the week or the season, and it’s not going to subside soon. Our population and road use grow faster than government’s ability to repair highways, bridges, and vital urban arteries.

The roads aren’t going to clear up soon; it would cost more than $2 trillion over the next 30 years to repair and maintain the nation’s pipes, tunnels, cables, and roads. More than half of the heavily traveled roads in America that link urban and suburban areas are in fair to poor condition. Is it any wonder you lose a good chunk of your time getting to work and back?

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 Watch Words What the words gridlock, airlock, camplock, shoplock, and cyberlock tell you is that it pays to be a contrarian, a word I like that means “somebody too stubbornly individual to do what everybody else is trying to do at once.”

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Commuting snarls are increasing. City planners report there will be no clear solution to gridlock for decades, and population studies reveal that the nation’s metropolitan areas will become home to an even greater percentage of the population.

Crowding makes urban space harder to traverse, which eats up more time; hence the less space there is, the less time there is. Even suburban areas will face unending traffic dilemmas. If only the gridlock were confined to commuter arteries. Not so.

Shoppers, air travelers, vacationers, even campers—everyone in motion—is (or will be) feeling its effects. We’ll get to counteracting them in a minute; for now, consider some of these “locks” on your time.

Airlock

If you haven’t noticed, airline passenger traffic has more than tripled since 1980. Concurrently, there are fewer nonstop flights, particularly on cross-continental trips. Airport expansion trails the increased passenger loads. Worse, all airlines pad their scheduled departure and arrival times—extended more than 50 percent since 1980—to appear as if they’re not late, while actual air time remains about the same. When you’re scheduled to board at 10:10 a.m., that is simply when you’re supposed to be seated in the plane. Rollout from the gate is always later. Consequently they’re as slow and late as ever, but now they’re within the promised limits.

If you’re not already doing it, bring plenty of work (or another diversion) with you so you can remain productive (or at least calm) despite flight delays.

Camplock

On an average summer day, Yellowstone Park has more visitors than the population of Houston. Other national parks across the country are faced with swarms of visitors; campsites are in high demand. While the federal government is making good progress restoring the parks, in the meantime vacationers have to contend with traffic, lines for concessions, and waiting lists for campsites.

Hereafter it may make sense to do your camping Tuesday through Thursday—whenever the masses are not there—or find “undiscovered” parks closer to home.

Shoplock

If all 272 million Americans went shopping at the same time, each would have 20 square feet of retail space. There is more retail space in America today than ever. Despite the dramatic increase in catalog and TV shopping, shopping malls still always appear crowded. Waiting for a parking space can take 10 minutes, unless you’re willing to park in the far reaches of some lots. Once inside, you have to jostle through crowds to get to shops, movie theaters, and restaurants—and that’s on slow days. You get the worst during the holidays.

Maybe it’s time to shop by catalog with more fervor.

Cyberlock

With the increasing number of people going online—combined with the inability of major online services to meet the increased demand—cyberlock is in full swing. Several-minute waits to be connected are common (to a computer, even one minute is an eon). Cyberlock could become a recurring phenomenon as even more people go online for longer periods of time, sending and downloading ever-larger volumes of information.

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 A Stitch In Time To avoid the locks that so many others encounter, commute at different times, fly at different times, camp at other times, shop at different times, and get online at other times than the masses.

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Are you willing to log on at 3:00 a.m.? It would help (as long as you don’t make a habit of disrupting your sleep).

Avoiding Lines, or Time-Shifting 101

If you find yourself perpetually waiting in lines, practice time-shifting to avoid crowds. No, you don’t need a time machine—just your good sense. Consider these suggestions:

• Go get your movie tickets early, take a walk, and then return three minutes before the picture starts (after everyone has already filed into the theater). There are always available seats, even for twosomes; theater management knows exactly how many tickets they’re selling for each showing.
• A different approach to movies: Go to the theater early for the first showing, buy your tickets, go in and take a seat, and for the next 20 minutes or so listen to your favorite music with a Walkman headset.
• If you commute, rather than going earlier or later, explore not going in at all—by telecommuting. (I’ll discuss this in detail in Chapter 6, “Supporting Your Priorities for Fun and Profit.”)
• To avoid airlock, fly in the day before and fly out after everyone else has. Schedule vacation travel time, particularly around Thanksgiving and Christmas, as much as six months in advance. You might stay home during those times and travel when everyone else isn’t—namely, the week after the holidays.
• To avoid camplock, patronize some of the less-traveled national and state parks. There are more than 200 national parks and thousands of state parks; most do not experience hordes of visitors.
• To avoid cyberlock, consider getting online later (say, after 10:00 p.m.) if you’re on the West Coast; most East Coast users will have gone to bed. If you’re on the East Coast, get online early (say, 6:00 or 7:00 a.m.); most West Coast users will still be asleep.
• To avoid shoplock, make more purchases by catalog—but be careful of how and when you give out your name. Otherwise you’ll be inundated by dozens of other catalog vendors. You probably have a fax machine at work, and you may even have one at home. Shopping by fax has never been easier. It’s actually a great time-saver because your name, address, phone, and fax number are accurately submitted to vendors, along with your order, order number, and the price.

Saving Shopping Time

“Shop ’til you drop” is often too true for too many people. Why do it? The list in this section contains a host of tips you can use to budget your time more effectively and feel less stressed when shopping (in general, and during the holidays):

• First, don’t wait until the last days or hours before picking up a crucial item.
• Avoid going to huge shopping malls, if you can. Use the 800-numbers found in catalogs, or go online. Ask that your name be kept off the vendors’ direct-mail lists. Receiving dozens of unwanted catalogs throughout the year diminishes your breathing space and contributes to landfills.
• Spend a few minutes at home or work contemplating what you are going to buy and for whom. Then draw up a list and bring it with you—this will help keep you focused and less prone to becoming overwhelmed once you’re inside the stores.
• If you have to go to a super regional mall because of the choice or selections available, arrive near the opening or closing. Don’t compete with the mad rush of shoppers during peak hours.
• Find a mall entrance that is less popular than the others. You’re likely to find a parking space more easily.
• Reduce the strain of carrying large bundles by choosing smaller-sized gifts, such as jewelry, compact discs, cassettes, gloves, sunglasses, and so forth.
• Shop on Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday evenings. Avoid weekend shopping!
• Give yourself frequent breaks while shopping. It’s not a marathon event. There is no reason to make shopping for friends and loved ones anything but a joyful experience. Lighten up!

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   Time Out! Don’t patronize stores that have one line for purchases and another line for pickup. You’ll easily double your time in line. Such an arrangement is highly beneficial for the store, but not for you.

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• Patronize establishments that have one long line, now used in banks or airports, where the person at the front of the line goes to the next available service attendant. Avoid stores that have parallel lines that prompt shoppers to guess which line will be the fastest.
• If you find a gift that would please many of those on your gift list, such as chocolates or a book, buy multiple quantities in one transaction to reduce overall shopping time.
• When buying holiday gifts and cards, make your shopping count three and four times. Think: Is there someone having a wedding, birthday, or baby shower soon? It may mean doing a little more shopping now, but you’ll avoid many more trips in the throes of January, February, and March.
• If you anticipate a long line, bring something that will help to make the time pass by more easily. This could be a bit of reading material, something to eat, a hand-gripper, or even a hand-held game.
• Vote with your feet. If a store consistently causes you to wait and has not figured out how to handle varying streams of customers throughout the day and week (because they’ve never plotted their own internal rush hours), decide to take your business elsewhere.
• Once you get the packages home, take them to your table, desk or wherever you’re going to complete the shopping trip—you still have to remove tags and stickers, file the invoices, wrap items, mail some of them, and store others.
• Designate one evening for greeting cards—if you send out cards, send them all out the same evening; then they’re out of the way and en route.

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 Chronos Says From now on, you’re likely to experience other forms of “lock” in whatever career or personal endeavors you undertake. Engaging in activities at times when the masses are not has never been a more useful option. Become a contrarian!

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The simple reality of today and of your life (not to mention everyone else’s) is that society will grow more complex every day for the rest of your life. (Wow, what an existence.) Who gets the blame? As we’ll see in the next chapter, nobody.