One thing that we all need to come to terms with is that time is a finite resource, and we will not have the time to do every opportunity that we are presented with. I often joke that as I have become more senior in rank, there are times where I need to skip Tang Soo Do to do Tang Soo Do elsewhere. In many of these cases, I will need to delegate some teaching responsibilities to attend meetings related to planning regional black belt tests, training clinics or tournaments.
There are occasions where I need to attend a late night work meeting with co-workers in different time zones, and this affects my regular weight lifting schedule. There may also be a family event taking place on a Sunday where I need to decide whether to attend Hap Ki Do class or attend the family event. In any case, there are choices to be made! These choices are never easy since they will require us to miss out on something!
In Oliver Burkeman’s Four Thousand Weeks Time Management for Mortals, he explains the origins of the word: Decide. Decide comes from the Latin word Decidere which means cutting off alternative choices (Burkeman 60). When we look at the word with that definition, we see a great deal of intentionality and conviction. In eliminating these alternatives, we need to come to the conclusion that we will indeed be missing out on some things and we will need to be comfortable in the alternatives that are not picked.
We need to make decisions based on what the current priorities are. We can define these priorities by level of meaning, consequence, and urgency. It would probably be a bad idea to miss a work meeting as there would be consequences to that! There are certain deadlines in planning martial arts events that need to be met. Therein lies urgnecy. As a Master Instructor, attending a typical adult class during the week may not carry the same meaning to me as attending a family gathering.
At the end of the day, how we decide to use our time defines who we are and the groups we associate with. In deciding to do martial arts, we select a great second family to associate with that values self betterment and positive lifestyle. When we understand our priorities we will better understand ourselves and how to spend the finite amount of time that we have in our lives! How do you make decisions on your time? If you do so with meaning and conviction, chances are that you will be happier.
Sources:
Burkeman, Oliver. Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals. Picador, 2023.
