Time management in India is almost an oxymoron. There is very little conception of time in the Western sense…..which begs the question: What is the Western conception of time?? Well…if you’ve never lived in the Orient, perhaps you’ll never have to think about it.

I could probably, given enough time (no pun inteneded), come up with a fair description of the differences…but really I want to talk about MY time management in India, or rather my lack of need for it.

I enjoy a lateral sense of time. I always have. Lateral time is not meant to accomplish anything. It simply comes and then passes….it is the gathering of a storm that may never actually happen. The clouds swirl, the wind picks up, the sky darkens, and there is a great anticipation….and then the weather packs up and decides to go home and try again another day.

I remember when I was young and my family was at Lake Hartwell. I was lounging on the dock enjoying time, and my father was mulling about doing something, fixing something, planning something, asking everyone if they wanted to DO this or DO that. I didn’t understand why he couldn’t just sit down and enjoy the day. It was magnificent and he was making me nervous.

His answer was typically vacant, but probably largely true. He said, “I don’t know. You just get used to doing things, and I guess its hard to stop.”

Having lived in Atlanta the last year, I totally understand that. One should never have to plan to relax. If you have to schedule “do nothing for two hours”…..you’re likely not really doing nothing. You’ll just be thinking about what you have to do in an hour and 59 minutes….58 minutes….57 minutes.

So, to come a little closer to my point, I will have a hard time going back to the US. I don’t need to come to my point too quickly though because in India “to beat around the bush” isn’t a negative….its a way of life. To ramble isn’t rambling. It is simply a regular conversation. This frustrates me to no end at work….however, outside of work or if nothing needs to get done, its sort of endearing.

So, even though I work a good bit here…..and my commute is an hour (on average) both ways each day…..I have tons of free time. I didn’t realize why until I started thinking about it this weekend.

The biggest time saver here is that I live in a hotel. I never make my bed. I never pick up my clothes. I never put out my trash. I never clean anything. I just go away in the morning and I come back home and everything is just how I left it before I made it all dirty….like that movie Groundhog Day. There is a fruit bowl on my coffee table that always has fresh fruit in it….whether or not I actually eat it or let it all rot. It just reappears….always perfect.

I don’t check mail, because I don’t receive any. I don’t ever need to go to Target to get new toothpaste or towels or razors or shampoo or anything. It all just reappears perfectly, as if I had never touched the room.

I don’t go to the grocery store. I have 3 five star restaurants within a minute of my place. If that is too far away I can just call room service. I can get the concierge to bring me pretty much anything I can think up….24 hours a day.

No need to get in the car to go to the gym. I have one where I live….30 seconds away. There is also a sauna, hot tub, and massage parlor. Hell, there is even a salon downstairs if I want to get my hair cut.

No need to ever stop to get gas. My car will never break down here because I don’t drive one. Work pays to chauffeur me back and forth.

Friends?? They all live with me at the hotel. I don’t need to drive across town to go hang out with someone. They all live an elevator’s ride away. Need to go to a bar or club. There is already one here.

Imagine a world where you never did laundry, never stopped for gas, never cleaned or straightened anything, never checked mail, essentially had an army of errand boys if you ever needed anything, and was never able to stay late for work because the car was there to pick you up so you MUST leave.

Now imagine that you live in a 5 star hotel, work in office where everyone is amazed by your expertise (which isn’t all that great in my opinion), are surrounded by lots of other people that have plenty of free time, you’re living a foreign country that is amusing to no end, are essentially richer than you will ever be in your entire life……and that is getting close to what it is like to be here.

I mean……I might go crazy because India is still India….but….shit….even I can’t complain about this.

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