Ten Thoughts About Time

No time for this, no time for that? This book can help! Bodil Jonsson observes how in the Western world the arrival of measured, accurate timekeeping became first our tool, and then our master. The wives of labourers rebelled when first told their husbands would be paid in money, for their time, rather than the older custom of payment in kind for a job of work done. They felt that the equation Time = Money was somehow dangerous. Since then a large part of our lives have come to revolve around the notion of 'saving time'. We live longer on average than ever before, yet most of us feel we have no time. Technology promises instant results, cell phones and computers should give us the leisure we crave, but the speed of society increases to match the savings, and we end up running harder to stay in the same place. Neither pure philosophy, still less physics, this is not a business book on time-management either, but has elements of all three. With brevity, humour and admirable insight Jonsson shows us the way to feel less pressured and enjoy life more, preserving our humanity while working and living in the fast lane. It could inspire a whole new relationship with Time.