AMDG
We are making the most of the beautiful long mid-summer evening light here in Edinburgh. Yesterday at the end of our days duties I went for a spot of evening fishing with one of the other priests – we were fishing till 11pm and pulled in 13 mackerel. It was a wonderful evening and will live long in the memory. With so many of us leading busy lives it is important to use free time well. The psychologist Claudia Hammond has written a fascinating book, ‘Time Warped’, about how we perceive time . What I was struck about was her observations about the ‘Holiday Paradox’. The phenomenon seems to be that you go on holiday for two weeks, packed full of new experiences, new places, the days rush by. However when you get back it feels as though you have been away for ages. This has an interesting impact on how we use our spare time wisely. If you want your weekend to go slowly, pack it with new events and different activities but you will sacrifice rest. If you use the weekend to rest then paradoxically it will feel as though it has gone fast. How we spend our weekend is important for many of us – particularly if we feel stretched by our jobs….
We often forget that time is man made, what Kant referred to as ‘Epistemological Spectacles’. Time is the way we measure change, but instead of managing time, we often let time rule us. Reading Claudia Hammonds book is helped me to reflect on time perception. There is a very interesting passage about whether or not anxiety makes time pass more slowly or an incredible experiment by a young French man who chose to maroon himself in total darkness in an ice cave for two months. Telescoping is another interesting phenomenon in her book, referring to the curious way that we often think that significant historical events happened more recently that they did. For example – if I ask when did Princess Diana die? Most of us would give the wrong answer – because we would say a more recent year………. (it was 1997). This phenomenon is because of the illusion that the more clear a memory is then we think that it happened more recently.
As a result of this I hope to use my free time more wisely!
Jesuit Priest from Liverpool, UK. Enthusiastic about too many things, Wilderness Seeker, Amateur Astronomer, LFC supporter and a bit lob-sided as you can see in my photo .
Schola Affectus 
Very Interesting blog. It was an eye opener to me. Thank you Tim
Only started me asking even more questions about using time. At a time when bi-location would be very handy!
Must get my Epistemological Spectacles checked I think:) Thank you
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Great to hear of your fishing Tim! Reminded me of South Uist and my ONE small mackeral.
Where were you fishing? How were the midges?
I think your small mackerel has now matured into a monster size and is waiting for you in Loch Skiport! We were in Eyemouth – just south of Edinburgh – casting into the north sea, of a prominotory called ‘Hairy Ness’. We had to use a ladder to get there… when we meet ask me to tell you the ladder story, I dont want to write about it on a public forum.
We are all so busy concentrating on ‘time management’ at work that we often forget the other half of the equation in the work/life balance. I’m as guilty of this as anyone!
Thanks for your comments Simon as always – much appreciated. I think that time management and using it wisely – resting properly on the Sabbath etc is a real life skill!
I think that time management and using it wisely – resting properly on the Sabbath etc is a real life skill!
Time management I am getting better at with experience. Unfortunately, I am not very good at resting on the Sabbath. I’m a nurse and have to work during the weekends. I try to make up for it on my days off in the week, though.