Inquiry Question: What is time, and why does its existence make us revolve around its complex concept?
Round 2 Research Question: How has society both benefited and been negatively impacted by time serving as the foundation of everything? Why are strict deadlines both motivating and bad for human mental health?
Deadlines are more often than not, an aspect of our everyday lives that hinder goal completion (1). The universal reliance on this concept is nothing new, spanning from paying bills, to completing academic assignments (1). However, deadlines have been proven to be highly efficient in terms of completing necessary tasks, or simply existing as a marketing tactic (1). An experiment showed that adding dealines to something as simple as interest free loans significantly increased its applicants (1). Thus, threats of scarcity serve as motivational first steps for many (1).
Time management on the other hand plays a crucial role in how much we are able to get done in the uncontrolled constraints we must face on the daily (3). Allocating time for reflection, critical thinking, and real-world analysis should be more commonly emphasized in hustle culture mentality (3). The importance of prioritizing always holds validity despite the constraints we must abide by for its ability to finish whats due first immediately (3). In today’s fast-paced world, time management is a crucial skill that not only serves as a tool for individuals, but organizations as well (3).
In addition, cultural differences exist within the perception, use, and measurement facets of time (4). The concept that “time is money” is not universal, rather it varies predominantly across different cultures and economies (4). Social time is a lot more critical than we may think, with time spent connecting with others one of our innate purposes in life (4). To add, time split between work and leisure often goes up for debate when observing fulfillment on the grand spectrum of life (4). In a similar light, clock and event time has its key differences with much of the mix solely dependent on culture and language (4). For example, the different methods that certain countries use to design calendars and monthly events let’s say Chinese New Year provides a slight uniqueness in comparison with much of Western culture (4). Nonetheless, one should look at this as an opportunity for educational observation rather than something to be uncomfortable about (4).
The thought that our current time system (24 hours) is said to be an unnatural concept to the supposed flow of human-kind (2). The units in which we use rarely correspond to anything apparently useful, other than the sun/moon cycle (2). An example of this would be a minute serving as way too fine a divider, with an hour being way too blunt (2). 15-minutes poses as a more digestible increment of time used much more often to match the attention-span of the human brain than the former two, with a quarter system serving plenty of advantages (2). All of this goes to show that our way of referring to time is incredibly intangible and abstract when you break down the intricacies that disassociate with the normal (2).
Further, we must delve deeper to uncover the effects that technology have on our perception of time and ways in which we pass it (5). By reducing time available for true human connection, technology limits a crucial aspect in everyone’s life (5). Excessive usage presents a domino-effect of wasted tie, often leading to feelings of loneliness and isolation (5). More often than not, online interactions foster negative social comparison, cyberbullies, and FOMO (5). Thus, it does not come as a surprise that increased rates of depression and anxiety are becoming extremely clear (5). Consequently, increased screen time before bed disrupts natural sleep patterns, leaving for less real time to spend getting some solid zz’s (5). All of these consequences come as a direct effect of our warped interpretation of time when spending it using a device; the infiltration of never-ending dopamine causing the minutes to seemingly fly by (5).
When individuals from different backgrounds come together to collaborate on projects, their varying perceptions of time, trickle into communication, negotiation, and estimates (6). Understanding and respecting said differences is primitive for effect time management when it comes to projects (6). If we embrace diversity rather than minimizing differences around such a universal topic, everyone will be able to efficiently work at a pace that best suits them (6). To conclude, despite the need for adequate time management, cultural differences, technology, and one’s ability to manage time ultimate drive the unique existence of this topic through and through (6).
References
1. The Pros and Cons of Deadlines | Psychology Today Canada. https://www.psychologytoday.com/ca/blog/nudging-ahead/202206/the-pros-and-cons-of-deadlines. Accessed 17 Dec. 2023.
2. https://worldbuilding.stackexchange.com/questions/54050/what-would-be-advantage-disadvantage-of-a-different-concept-of-time-of-day
3. https://fastercapital.com/content/Time-management–Time-is-of-the-Essence–How-Time-Management-Impacts-Decision-making.html
4. ‘Time and Culture’. Noba, https://nobaproject.com/modules/time-and-culture. Accessed 17 Dec. 2023.
5. 19 Negative Effects of Technology on Mental Health — Etactics’. Etactics | Revenue Cycle Software, 3 June 2021, https://etactics.com/blog/negative-effects-of-technology-on-mental-health.
6. https://www.pmi.org/learning/library/everything-time-monochronism-polychronism-orientation-6902