Time Anxiety – TPW436

What is time anxiety, how does it affect us, and how can we manage it? Time anxiety can be managed and its effects mitigated I’ve been a productivity nerd since I was in middle school and have read or listened to countless books and articles, blog posts, and podcast episodes, about productivity, time management, and organization. But for some reason I never heard--or at least I don’t recall having heard--the term “time anxiety” until recently when I read a book called In Good Time, by Jen Pollock Michel. (As a side note, I recommend this book highly, especially for those who appreciate a faith-based perspective. Subtitled “8 Habits for Reimagining Productivity, Resisting Hurry, and Practicing Peace,” this book offers enough inspiration and food for thought that as soon as I finished reading it I started reading it again with a highlighter in hand. This episode is not about that book, but the book did inspire this episode.)  The first section of the book is called “On Time Anxiety,” and it’s there I first read this term. At one point she says, “Whatever our religious persuasion, today busyness is pushed upon all of us: as expectation, as duty. It’s life’s de facto characteristic. The days run swift and swollen like a river after rain, and time anxiety is one of humanity’s most chronic pains.”  This introduction to the concept of time anxiety piqued my curiosity, so I started digging in to read more about it. I thought I’d share with you some of what I learned. What is time anxiety? Since I hadn't heard the term before, I was surprised to find that there's a lot written about time anxiety. For example, following are some definitions and descriptions I found of time anxiety: “Time anxiety is an ongoing feeling of fear and stress about the passing of time. These anxious feelings can range from being occasionally uncomfortable during busy weeks, to completely debilitating for someone who is overwhelmingly stressed. Time anxiety can manifest as a variety of different triggers at work.” [from Time Anxiety: 7 Causes and How to Overcome] “time anxiety is the feeling that you’re wasting your time. You’re anxious over time when you think that it’s too late to accomplish your goals. In addition, time anxiety is when you’re obsessed about how you spend your time and whether you’re doing meaningful activities.” [from Time anxiety: what it is and how you can deal with it] “time anxiety is the fear of wasting your time. It’s an obsession about spending your time in the most meaningful way possible.” [from Time anxiety: is it too late?] “time anxiety is more than just a momentary spike in your workday stress. It’s an emotional specter that haunts your days, causes you to procrastinate on important tasks, and can even lead to burnout.” [from Feel like you never have enough time? Try these 5 ways to cope with the anxiety] “Time anxiety is a nagging dread caused by the perception of time passing quickly. It’s the feeling of not having enough time to do everything you have to do and a fear that you're not doing good enough with the time you do have.” [from 5 Tips to Overcome Time Anxiety and Boost Productivity]