Time Does Not Fly. You Need to Simplify

A few days ago I was reliving some fond memories over a phone conversation with my friend. Soon it drifted towards how many of our childhood plans never panned out the way we expected and he was quick to respond with an overused expression

“ Time Flies ”

For the first time, this expression stuck with me, and I realized how often I had used it myself. It’s true how sometimes we feel as if time was aboard the fastest airplane, leaving us clueless of its whereabouts and intentions. Time has also been portrayed as the biggest culprit for our lack of awareness of ourselves.

‘ Time hasn’t been on my side lately ’

Are you driving or walking any faster than before ?
Do the hands of your wrist watch appear to be in mayhem ?
Is the earth rotating so fast you can’t stand still anymore ?

The answer is NO. Time is not flying but your LIFE is most certainly cruising on autopilot. Life on autopilot has earned a terrible reputation in current times, where social media influencers seem to discourage and demean this lifestyle, labeling it as boring and wasteful living. What would happen if everybody started heeding to the advice of the next Instagram ‘travel influencer’ to quit their jobs, including your airline pilot ? You wouldn’t even reach the destination you enthusiastically planned and quit your day job in blatant ignorance towards your time. If you think your favorite social media influencer is also not living on autopilot, urging the public to abandon the ‘regular life’, think again!

Personally, I do not feel a life on autopilot is a terrible way to live — it usually embodies stability where you pay your monthly bills, enjoy the weekends with your family and friends and eagerly wait for those long vacations during the year.
The bigger question, however, is
‘ Do you have complete command over your autopilot mode ? ’

The reason we often express our lack of awareness of time, is because we have no control over our lives. We usually become spectators of our own lives as opposed to taking control of the cockpit and making things happen. Time flies when you decide to occupy that dingy economy class seat, waiting for an inaudible announcement of arrival to a destination of someone else’s choosing.

The simple reason — your life is cluttered beyond control and demands simplification. When you are spending too much time engulfed by external elements and hoarding your life with distractions, you no longer have control over your autopilot mode.

There are various easy ways you can simplify your life, and here’s a few immediate steps requiring very little effort:

1. Watch less Television

Binge watch the entire season of ‘Orange is the New Black’ over the weekend or spend quality time with friends and family or work on a side hustle you enjoy ?
Prioritize !

2. Spend less time on Social Media

Haven’t you already spent enough time comparing your life to others or trying to keep up with the Joneses and feeling unfulfilled ?
Spend this time on yourself and cut the negativity.

3. Pay off your Debts

Your time and life will fly unnoticed if your mind is cluttered with debt problems. Eliminating debt from your life is the quickest way to cleanse your mind from unwanted stress and help plan your financial goals with a clear mind.

4. Automate your Payments

Declutter the monthly workload of making several payments at the end of the month and automate your bills. It works wonders when you have one less thing to remember !

5. Adopt the Minimalist Lifestyle

Stop hoarding stuff you don’t need to impress the world with what you own. Define your needs and steer clear from cluttering your home which in turn will clutter your mind with added responsibilities and stress.

While these are some basic techniques you can adopt to simplify your life, the elephant in the room waiting eagerly for your attention is —

WHY are you doing the things you do ?

Prioritizing our daily activities is something we tend to overlook when we are spectators and keep looking at the sign on the wall saying ‘ Go With The Flow ’
It is important to stop and question those activities that consume your time. If these activities are truly important and make you happy, you’re living the dream. However, if you have been aimlessly dreaming to live another person’s life, then you are certainly overlooking the importance of your time.

Cut back on things and people that do not add any value to your existence.
Have the courage to say NO and rethink those times when you said YES only to realize it was a wasted effort. Saying no can offer that additional time you desperately need to focus on what you want.
Stop yourself when you realize you are doing something for the wrong reasons and reevaluate the situation. Self reflection is the beginning of a simpler life.

Time is a priceless commodity that we wish to acquire the most. Since the beginning of time until the present and the future, it has and will be ticking away with absolute precision and consistency. However, the only caveat is it promises to never fly only if you promise to be the pilot you are intended to be !