Time – a scarce item, and a status symbol

Lack of time is an endemic disease. A few years ago, a daily paper had an article about “the impossible day”, during which everything must be done even though there is not enough time for it. That resulted in the largest number of letters to the editor in the newspaper’s history. That’s not so strange.

Every day our in-tray is flooded with e-mails that have to be read. The newspaper shelves and the TV listings are crowded with an ever-changing range. Friends and family need quality time – which often means quantity time. You can’t even begin to think about time for yourself.

Lack of time is a curse. Relationships, health and quality in our work depend on us having time to give. Lack of time and time to spare have become status symbols. Scarcity creates demand, and nothing says so much about you as how you spend your time. In the old days, a corpulent body was the physical ideal. It showed that you had money and could eat more than you needed even in times of starvation. These days our bodies are supposed to be slim and well-trained – a sign that you have time to spare and put it to good use. We have moved from money status to time status.

How did we end up here?
A a few years ago, the World Wealth Report, a global study of wealth, showed that in less than 50 years, personal wealth has drastically changed character. In the 1950s, there were relatively few rich people, and most of their money was inherited. These days there are many millionaires and billionaires all over the world.

On top of that, yesterday’s luxury items are today’s everyday goods. Fashion no longer has to cost an arm and a leg. Cheap flights have made the journey to Paris cheaper than taking a taxi out to the suburbs. These days, money and gadgets no longer indicate status. It is time.

It is not just the well-trained body that is a sign of the times. Knowledge is another way of demonstrating time. That is why we don’t spend our holidays at conventional charter destinations, but prefer adventurous destinations without other tourists. We don’t serve any old thing to our guests – the wine should preferably have a good story attached, and the same with the sun-dried ham. The “did you know that…” factor should be high. Our own time falls into two categories – controlled time and “chill-out” time.

Controlled time is the time we measure and plan. Chill-out time is the time when we relax and stop worrying. Saying “I wish I had more time” means either that we want to manage controlled time better – or we wish we had more chill-out time available.

Controlled time is when we count calories, go to the gym, go half way across town to find the correct Asian sauce for the Korean Bibimbap dish we are going to prepare at home. Chill-out time is when we snack in front of the TV, or buy some quick ready-cooked food.

Controlled time is when we read the trade press or James Joyce or settle down in front of the TV programme we never miss. Chill-out time is when we zap around the TV channels randomly, or dip into the gossip magazines (preferably without being seen doing so). Tomorrow’s entrepreneurs will generate their wealth by finding products and services that enrich our time – or that save time, in the same way that the aeroplane cut the journey time across the Atlantic from eight weeks to eight hours. But within the foreseeable future, we will suffer from a lack of time. The day has 24 hours – whoever you are.

While awaiting eternal life, or time that can be slowed down, we will have to rely on the tricks, shortcuts and services that save time. Time you can use for something good. Time we can sell to others.

Or time to simply exist and enjoy life.