The variable notion of time has been doing rounds in the social sciences for some time now. Chronologically a minute is a minute for all of us – but under circumstances the minute may seem like a long time. In fact, I did not realise how long a minute is until I started using the microwave. Waiting for the lift door to reach, the microwave to heat my coffee and my mail to open in a lousy web cafe have taught me the worth of the minute. It is under the frustration of waiting for the microwave to heat my coffee that I decided to get a few things done as it works. I made it a point to clean vessels, write a little post or do other small things that I postpone for ever – and bingo I was getting a few things done!

I have the tendency to postpone things forever. Often these are small things like sending a mail, paying a bill, finishing a paragraph or picking some loose papers. These take very little time and when they are finished give me much satisfaction. Unfortunately, I am rather short of discipline and do not get to do it as a routine. Doing things while microwave ticks has taught me how much of these tasks I could get done in a rather short time. I’ve now decided to make full use of my new time management technique to get things done and remove clutter from my life.

Vivek

Ps. well, that’s the best excuse I’ve come up with in a long time to drink more coffee.