by LaTonya Wilkins

I was recently vacationing in Toronto and saw a thought provoking documentary. In the age of the 2012 Mayan calendar and numerous conspiracy theories, I thought “The End of Time” was a well-suited name of an apocalyptic tale. Turns out, the title was not at all descriptive of the movie. The film explored our reliance on time as a measurement for everything from speed to germination.

But, what if time did not exist? As Einstein said,

“The only reason for time is so that everything doesn’t happen at once.”

Basically, time is relative and has a distinct purpose.

Seeing the movie made me think about my own life and application of time. I use it to measure my punctuality. I use it to define when I should be in certain places. I use it to monitor progress. I use it as a success metric.

I know there is no way to escape time but there is definitely room for reconception. Some easy wins:

1) Continue to be punctual and use time as a contract when meeting or interacting with others
2) Remember that it’s all relative and, sometimes, speed is is not the exclusive goal
3) Focus on the present to minimize my reliance on time as a metric

Time is important but only one of many considerations. I will use it when I need to but I also plan to emphasize and introduce other metrics. If you have good alternatives to time, please feel free to share them in the comments.