We tend to regard time management as a uniquely modern concept, but nothing could be further from the truth. The fact that our ancestors employed more primitive technology did not prevent them from pursuing personal effectiveness.
Seneca (4 BC-65 AD) was not an exception in this respect. After devoting years to philosophical research, he put his ideas down to paper, aiming at producing a large literary output.
If we compare Seneca with Marcus Aurelius (121-180 AD), we can appreciate the vast difference in literary output. Seneca outproduced Marcus Aurelius by a factor of twenty, even if he possessed far fewer material resources.
Was Seneca a better philosopher than Marcus Aurelius? I do not think so; the difference in literary output arises from higher personal effectiveness, not from higher philosophical accuracy.
When it comes to time management, Seneca demonstrated to be ahead of his contemporaries. His life and writings convey the keys to his personal effectiveness. Let us review those keys and see how we can put them into practice nowadays.
Seneca’s views on the human lifespan
Seneca devoted his dialogue “On the Shortness of Life” to the question of personal effectiveness. He acknowledged the limits of the human lifespan, but at the same time, he reassured his readers that the length of the human lifespan is more than sufficient to attain man’s natural purpose.
I regard this insight as revolutionary for Seneca’s time. Even nowadays, few individuals are totally free of stress and worry. They have not grasped that the human lifespan is long enough to achieve its essential goals, and that we do not need to panic about mistakes, delays and failure.
The praise for calmness and serenity appears in prior Stoic philosophers such Zeno of Citium (334-262 BC) and Cleanthes (330-230 BC), but Seneca was the first to point out that stress, worry and anxiety are inefficient.
Seneca placed this insight at the centre of his dialogue “On the Shortness of Life.” He observed that people frequents feel anxious because they try to do too many things.
If they focused their efforts on essential goals, their worries would decrease and their effectiveness would grow. Without a sound philosophy, they cannot have sound time management.
Seneca: why we need a strong sense of direction
Seneca viewed a strong sense of direction as crucial for effective time management. When I say “sense of direction,” I mean a distinct, steady motivation to achieve a certain goal, or at least, to advance on a certain path.
Why is it impossible to manage our time effectively if we lack a strong sense of direction? Because of the human love for novelty and entertainment. Unless we are strongly motivated to pursue a particular goal, we will get distracted and sidetracked.
Emperor Augustus (63 BC-14 AD) was the most powerful man in Europe in the generation prior to Seneca’s, but this does not mean that Augustus knew how to use his time effectively.
Despite his achievements, Augustus is known to have spent too much effort on meaningless details and intrigues. He could have achieved much more if he had not allowed himself to be distracted and sidetracked.
The same applies to Julius Caesar (100-44 BC), a man from the generation prior to Augustus’. Caesar had kept his days full of political intrigues, negotiations and manipulations.
It stands to reason that Caesar would have done better if he had increased his focus. For instance, if he had contracted fewer debts and made fewer enemies, he might have spared himself plenty of trouble.
Seneca: good time management requires saying no
Seneca considered it essential to say no to possessions, friendships and opportunities that aren’t aligned with our sense of direction. I am afraid that most people are going to view this recommendation as unpalatable, but Seneca was right.
In his dialogue “On the Shortness of Life,” Seneca praises the Roman general Scipio Africanus (236-183 BC) for retiring to live in the countryside and leaving behind all public honours and emoluments.
Scipio was in his forties when he took the decision. He was at the top of his career when he decided to quit. He could have easily increased his wealth if had stayed in Rome to stand as a candidate in the consular election.
Seneca remarks Scipio’s wisdom in identifying his priorities and saying no to anything that undermined them. It would not make sense to criticise Scipio for “wasting his time” because he had decided to retire to the countryside and live according to nature.
Time management choices can only be made individually. I cannot judge someone’s choices if I don’t know his objectives. The only we can witness, observed Seneca, is that individuals tend to grow anxious when they mismanage their time.
Seneca condemned Gaius Maecenas (70-8 BC) for wasting his time with paranoiac concerns about potential sickness and death. Instead of using his time wisely, Maecenas proved unable to say no secondary issues.
In fact, Maecenas wasn’t even ill when he started to consult physician after physician about how to stay healthy to prolong his life. Poor time management was the result of his confused philosophy.
Maecenas wasted years of his life, and ended up as a perfect illustration of bad time management. Let’s learn to increase our focus and reduce our business, so that we can make the best of each day.
If you are interested in putting rational ideas into practice in all kinds of situations, I recommend my book “The philosophy of builders.”
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