Time is our most precious resource. You might disagree, in favor of money, security, or health. It's understandable that resources for survival seem more tangible than the elusive concept of time.

Time is an ephemeral entity. Our perception of time slows down or speeds up, and we are often uncertain how or why this occurs. In the not-too-distant past, time seemed to travel at a slower pace. Back when feather pens or typewriters were the go-to communication rather than text messages.

When work and life require obligatory meetings and responsibilities, it’s harder to luxuriate in the softness of time. These relentless activities steal focus from what is really important. In many workplaces, administrative entities schedule regular trainings, testing, and redundant requirements. Yet, the best administrators protect employee time, giving them space for creativity rather than extraneous obligations.

According to Moore’s Law, the number of transistors on a microchip doubles every two years, so perhaps there is a need to coin the phrase “Meetings Law,” postulating the number of meetings exponentially increased over time. So many meetings have become ritualized norms, all at the expense of our time. Efforts to reduce overlapping or inefficient meetings are rarely considered, equating busyness with productivity.

What can be done? We can give feedback to our supervisors. We are all too familiar with countless consumer satisfaction surveys outside our workplaces. Whether the feedback is taken seriously is unclear, but the act of giving feedback helps us organize our thoughts about unwelcome experiences. We can engage in discussions with our supervisors about whether the meetings and responsibilities are actually mandated by local, state, or federal regulations or just workplace busyness. Non-essential work may be reconfigured so employees have time to breathe, think, and be creative.

Our days are increasingly stacked with a dizzying array of demands. We can recapture our daily schedule by disengaging for a few minutes each hour with five minutes of calming breaths. The practice of mindful reflection, which includes awareness, connection and recognition, insight, and purpose, helps reset disruptions. Whether you have 10 seconds or 20 minutes, the practice of breath regulation and standing periodically are documented health benefits that influence the immune system. Studies have suggested that long-term meditators (≥ 3 years) experience enhanced psychosocial well-being, better physical quality of life, and underlying biochemical changes that may contribute to healthy aging. Many studies have reported the benefits of meditation evaluated after a short-term structured program.

Moments of time can be reclaimed by emotionally detaching from daily hassles and realizing these annoyances are of little importance in the larger scheme of things. The inner journey begins with a recognition that something is wrong with the nature of constantly doing for the sake of doing. This felt incongruity or tension is a call to adventure, to find what is missing, that deepest sense of harmony, the mystery that captures your imagination and holds it so time passes fluidly. And there’s an ability to see the larger whole even in despair or crisis. Today’s anger or disappointment may only last for a few hours or days. Just as time can heal, it also provides a redeeming understanding of our place in the universe. Those with imposed time limitations due to illness or age, often realize the eternal freedom available within time.

Time bandits are inescapable in our busy existence, and how we navigate those demands can affect our quality of life and mental health. If your workplace is not amenable to change, it might be time, no pun intended, to consider finding another workplace that values and appreciates the precious gift of time.