Time Musings in January

Holidays are past. A new year and a new decade have begun. The end of January is approaching.  Did you make New Year’s Resolutions or set goals for this year?  How is that working out for you?

Each day, each hour, each minute actually provides the opportunity to start again.  However, it is the seasons and dates on the calendar that often provide the additional incentive to engage in activities accorded to that season and date.

In and around the beginning of a new year, for example, my inbox and social media feeds are full of posts and offerings on managing time, being more productive, setting goals and meeting them, getting organized, and planning for vacations.  Why? Because many people are considering changes they need or want to make and/or setting yearly goals at that time.

We measure time, as it is a resource we cannot get back.  We record hours and days on our calendars to track events and contractual obligations.  Schedules exist for schools, work, businesses, trains, buses, planes and more.  We set appointments to get together with other people for a variety of reasons.

However, we don’t measure time the same way across time and across cultures.  If you are interacting with people in different places or with different cultures, it is important to know how they view time, what calendar they are using, and what they consider to be a work time versus what they do not.  Holidays, historical and culture events, and definitions of punctuality vary as well. 

If you are doing genealogical research, you need to know what calendar was being used when birth, death, marriages and other important dates were recorded.  If the individuals you are researching switched calendars during their lifetime, it is also important to know when and why.  Did their country change the calendar they were using?  Or did the person move from a country or culture using one calendar to a country or culture using a different calendar? 

How do you measure time? What are your goals for the new year?  How do you plan to achieve them? What education or resources will help you get there? Write and let us know.