We are constantly reminded that time is fleeting. We hear people say, “There’s never enough time in the day,” or “I just don’t know where the time went.” Most of us nod because we have said the same thing ourselves.
Maybe the real question is not whether we have enough time. Maybe the question is whether we are paying attention to how we use the time we already have.
I thought about this while watching a football game. An NFL quarterback walks to the line with only seconds before the play clock expires. He studies the defense. He barks out signals. He motions a running back to shift. He may change the play. Sometimes he taps a receiver or lineman to signal a pre-arranged adjustment. All of this happens in seconds.
Meanwhile, the rest of us are on the couch, barely able to dip a potato chip into the sour cream and onion dip before the play begins. On television, a small symphony is taking place, and most of us only see the result. A pass. A sack. A touchdown. A mistake. But before the football leaves the center’s hands, a lot has already happened. That is the value of time when it is understood and used with purpose.
As we begin each day, does the time thief take over our schedules and leave us feeling out of control and at the mercy of people and things that interrupt and distract us. We leave our jobs and head home, bone tired but wondering where the day went.
This is not just a problem for people still working full-time. I hear the same frustration from retired people. Many looked forward to retirement as a time of freedom, travel, grandchildren, hobbies, reading, church, volunteering, or simply enjoying a slower pace. Then, almost without warning, the days begin to disappear.
A morning appointment becomes the day. A trip to the store takes longer than expected. A few phone calls, a doctor visit, a household chore, and suddenly it is evening. Some retired people tell me they feel busier than they were when they worked. Others feel guilty because they finally have time but are not sure how to use it. Retirement may remove the work calendar, but it does not automatically create purpose. Without some structure, time can be even harder to manage.
The quarterback does not have the luxury of drifting through the play clock. He has a window of time, and he has to use it well. Maybe all of us can learn from that.
First, practice time blocking. Put your most important work, or your most important personal priorities, on the calendar. Give the budget, grant application, policy review, lunch with a friend, workout, or quiet reading time a real stretch of focused attention.
Second, use the two-minute rule. If a small task takes less than two minutes, do it and move on. Answer the simple email. Sign the routine form. Return the quick call. Small chores left undone can pile up and clutter the mind.
Third, audit your huddles. Before the day begins, identify your top three priorities, your touchdown goals. Is it finishing the agenda packet, calling a key property owner, reviewing a contract, visiting a friend, walking a mile, or finally starting that book? When you drift into minor tasks, ask whether that action is helping move you down the field or whether it is just shuffling papers.
The lesson is not to squeeze every second until life becomes miserable. The lesson is to be honest. Time is one of the few things we cannot earn back. Cities can replace equipment, repave streets, amend budgets, and redo plans. But no city leader, retiree, or couch quarterback can get yesterday back.
So maybe this week is a good time to look at the clock differently. Not with guilt, and not with panic, but with awareness. When we find the wasted minutes, we may also find more time for the work, people, communities, and simple pleasures that matter most.
