(written by John Niland)

The Gift of Time

The sun is coming up. The first rays of orange-red light reach across the bay and burst into my living room, adding strange and wonderful hues to the tapestry on the wall.

The sudden beauty of fresh light snaps me into the moment. I’ve already been at my desk for an hour, so my head is full of “work stuff”: plans, emails, budgets, preparation. It’s a new month, a new year, a new decade…. there is a lot to think about.

There’s always a lot to think about, and that’s the problem. Hours can go by during which I simply forget to give myself the gift of time. Swamped with thoughts and plans, I can miss not just a sunrise, but much of the joy of living.

Time is precious. Quite a few of the people with whom I went to school / university are no longer with us. Others have to contend with illness, or limited energy. I have a lot to be grateful for.

This morning, I’m particularly grateful to my colleague Nicole Vayssier, who has produced and launched our “Time-Management for the 21^st Century” course. This is an approach which is rooted in self-worth and in which we look at two key dimensions of time: energy and focus.

Thinking about my own focus this morning, I resolve to give myself more “gifts of time”: those little 5-10min chunks sprinkled during the day, in which I can put down whatever I’m doing and just enjoy being here. To relish sun or rain, to appreciate great colleagues, to celebrate what’s already done.

Time-management is not just about getting more stuff done. In a deeper sense, it’s about how we value ourselves and our work. It’s self-worth in action.

The Self-Worth Safari is available on Amazon.