Stop. Start. Finish: A Few Thoughts on Time
October 10, 2024
I love Minor League Baseball. Some of my fondest childhood memories are of nights spent watching the Toledo Mud Hens play at Ned Skeldon Stadium in Northwest Ohio. The Hens. The Dirty Birds. They have a great history, a great following, and a great name. In fact, Minor League Baseball team names are part of the fun. The Lansing Lugnuts. The Greensboro Grasshoppers. The Biloxi Shuckers. The Amarillo Sod Poodles. The Kannapolis Cannon Ballers. Oh, and how about this one? The Montgomery Biscuits. Doesn’t that just make you want to take me out to the ball game to buy me some peanuts and Cracker Jacks?
But not all names are created equal. Consider the Lexington Counter Clocks, for example. The confusion caused by that name almost got the team’s owners run out of town on the horses they intended to pay homage to. It’s kind of like a bad joke. You know, the type that need to be explained. They’re never funny. Turns out that horse races are run counterclockwise. Lexington Counter Clocks. Get it? Speaking of bad jokes, I bet those owners wish they could turn back time. Wait. Is it me, or did Cher just enter the building?
Okay, okay. I’ll get on with it. I’ve been thinking about time lately; that precious resource we never seem to have enough of. What are you doing with yours?
I was talking to a young college student recently who I’ve known for a few years now. He’s only in his first semester, but I sensed that he was eager to get on with his dreams. “Oh, man,” I thought. What I wouldn’t give to have that sort of time. You know what I mean. Time to let things develop. Time to let my thoughts, plans, and ideas for the future take shape. Time to make life impacting decisions. Time to get it right. “Be patient,” I urged. Easier said than done.
If you’re reading this, chances are that you’re well into your career and time seems to be something that you have less and less of. You’d give anything to go back to the days when, like my young friend, you had so much that you didn’t know what to do with it all. So, what can you do now? Here are a few simple thoughts.
Stop. Stop wasting your time. Earth shattering advice, I know. But here’s the deal. If you’re like the average American, you spend approximately 2 hours and 20 minutes wallowing around in social media every day. Much of that time is spent while at work. We also spend nearly 3 hours, on average, watching TV. Good grief, Charlie Brown! That time could be spent with real people at a Montgomery Biscuits game. Yep. The average baseball game lasts about 2 hours and 30 minutes. But seriously, what could you do with that time?
Start. Well, you could start something. “Like what,” you might ask. Hmmm? How about the task you’ve got written down on that sticky note. Start that. Oh, and what about that thing your boss asked for a few weeks ago? If you think she forgot about it, she didn’t. Start that. Oh, and what about date night with your spouse. Sounded like a great idea when you first talked about it a couple years ago. Start that. Oh, and what about that blog you thought about writing? Start that. (It will be fun. Trust me.)
Finish. You could finish something, too. “Like what,” you might ask. One recent study found that there’s an average of 9 unfinished DIY projects in American households. At the risk of sounding sexist, I bet there are a lot of angry wives out there! For goodness’ sake, man! Finish one of those. Wouldn’t it feel good to get that off your mind? Oh, and what about that task you started at work? You know. The one your boss keeps asking about. “I’m working on it,” you say. No, you’re not. Get it done. Then you can start the one you’ve got written on the sticky note. Oh, and that blog you started writing a while back. Finish that.
Stop. Start. Finish. Easier said than done. I know. But you can do it! Wouldn’t it feel great to reclaim your time? You’ll be glad you did because time keeps on slipping, slipping, slipping into the future. Wait. Is it me, or did the Steve Miller Band just enter the building?
Stop. Start. Finish: A Few Thoughts on Time was originally published in Horizon Performance on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.
