A couple of weeks ago, while we were sitting together discussing various topics, my friend and co-founder Manish Raje shared a compelling story from his childhood. Back in the 1980s and 90s, in his small town, Manish and his sister would accompany their mother on grocery runs to a shop located 3-4 kilometers away. With only a handful of grocery stores in town—literally countable on one’s fingers—these trips were both necessary and time-consuming.

The family would set out on foot in the late afternoon, around 4-5 PM, carrying empty bags. At the store, his mother would hand over her carefully prepared list to the shop owner, who would then methodically gather each item. While waiting for their order to be prepared, Manish and his sister would play nearby, finding ways to pass the time. The entire journey—walking there, waiting, shopping, and walking back with heavy bags—consumed nearly four hours, often bringing them home well into the evening.

Fast-forward to today’s world of mobile applications and on-demand delivery services. What once required half a day can now be accomplished in mere minutes with a few taps on a screen. The groceries arrive at your doorstep without any physical effort or time investment. It’s undeniably convenient and efficient—but it raises a fascinating question: How do we choose to spend those four hours we’ve reclaimed?

This represents one of countless instances where technological advancement has liberated human time. As technology has evolved over the decades, many tasks have become effortless, granting us previously unimaginable amounts of free time. Yet here lies the irony: despite these time-saving innovations, humans remain perpetually busy. Where are those reclaimed hours actually going?

The free time we’ve gained through technology gets channeled into both productive and unproductive activities, and these choices compound over time, significantly shaping our lives. This phenomenon has produced an entire industry of self-help literature dedicated to addressing better time utilization and management strategies.

The fundamental question persists: How do we utilize our saved time? It can flow toward constructive activities, destructive pursuits, or simply idle states. The phrase “I don’t have time” has no expiry and conveniently universal excuse for letting precious moments slip by unnoticed. Many authors have tried to address this challenge by suggesting ways to prioritize what truly deserves our attention. Different experts offer various approaches to tackling this time puzzle.

If you are expecting insights from me about personal time management strategies or my thoughts on how to best use time, you might be disappointed as you won’t find it here. Even if I shared my approach, it would just be my personal philosophy based on my own experiences and learning, which might not fit for you. While various authors offer techniques that could be helpful, who am I to tell you “How should you spend your time?”.

My only request would be to think about where we actually invest our time and be truthful in analyzing it. Sometimes certain people simply don’t deserve our time and energy — a perfect example being getting caught up in endless replies and comments on social media platforms. These interactions might not be worth it. We may find many such examples if we do honest introspection.

And sometimes just sitting quietly can be just as valuable.

---

Dinesh Gajjar