Today we will be reviewing Slipstream Time Hacking: How to Cheat Time, Live More, And Enhance Happiness by Benjamin Hardy.
This book beckons to be read because it has a drawing element -- time -- which is something I always want to read more, know more and act more on. I always get drawn by time management books and talks because once you master time management, a lot of other things fall in place. Whether you share the same sentiment or not, this is a book worth the read as it will surely put you in the the right direction towards getting more out of your 24 hours.
The book opens on a very geeky and scientific note, leaning on theoretical Physics to be precise. However the taste of this book is in the reading; the more you delve into it the more you want to dig deeper.
Now the geeky stuff this book explores is Albert Einstein's Theory of Relativity. According to Benjamin Hardy , “despite the exploration of complex ideas, the premise of this book is actually quite simple: The faster someone moves toward a desired destination, the slower time moves for them". The goal of this book is direct -- to compress the highest quality and meaning of life into the time each person has to live.
In special relativity theory, the faster an object moves, the slower time goes.Closer to home, take the case of a Danfo conductor who jumps down from a moving bus and does a short run/race before finally stopping. He has unconsciously fulfilled the theory of relativity because he was in a moving car, he can not jump down and stop abruptly. Thus, in a relative sense, which is a more accurate description of time anyway, yes, we could live for thousands of years (or more). In order to do so, we must step away from the notion of an objective reality. Reality is a meaning so is time. According to Albert Einstein, his theory recognizes that time and space actually fluctuate based on varying perspectives.
In Benjamin's own experience based on events unfolding , although his experience of time didn’t change, the relativity of time did. He fell into a wormhole (a wormhole connects two different points in space-time, theoretically creating a shortcut that could reduce travel time and distance ), marrying a girl with huge savings, which made things to accelerate. He woke up from being an indebted college student to owning a house and gaining financial stability. He felt like he did not go from age 24 to 25 but went from 24 to someone closer to 40 or 45: discontinuous change. As individuals ,we can fall into our own wormhole by chance or it could even be a Goverment policy that will just favor you and accelerate your progress. Never limit yourself , be expectant and time and chance can come knocking when you least expect.
“And above all, watch with glittering eyes the whole world around you because the greatest secrets are always hidden in the most unlikely places. Those who don’t believe in magic will never find it.” —Roald Dahl
Nobody achieves the impossible without thinking they can
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Looking at time ,the books sees it as Linear or Non-Linear both postulated by Newton and Einstein respectively.
Linear Time
This is the conventional belief that time has to be sequential, taking for example, a child goes from KG 1 - KG2 - Nur 1- Nur 2 etc. Here everything has to be orderly ,one following the other as prescribed by convention, giving no room to think out of the box.
Non Linear Time
This states that change only takes an instant; it is a leap through a wormhole. Here it says a kid can get double promotion,skip a class or decades just by thinking non-linearly. and this form of belief is what raise leaders while the linear form raises followers.
If time is relative, we don’t need to assume one minute means one minute. Perhaps, five minutes could be squeezed into one minute, of five hours, or five years. Meaning that time can be expanded or reduced to fit the task we have at hand . A good example of this is when you are trying to meet a deadline and you pulled all stunts to make it happen within the short time available .
The big lesson from this book for me is the Morning routine which I have come across in several books on time management and how to become a more organized person . Benjamin Hardy draws several examples also referring to Steve Jobs and Mark Zuckerberg who see the mundane task of choosing a shirt to wear as distracting , time consuming and wasting decision energy which can be channeled for greater things. Steve Jobs takes this further by buying 30 pieces of the same shirt so he can just wear one everyday without having to think about it. Trust me the struggle is real on what to wear even for a Techie in this part of the world. According to Benjamin “The morning ritual also sets your day on the course of your choosing. Avoid checking email or answering the phone during the first few hours of your day—that time is sacred. Checking your email is simply a database of other people’s agendas. Thus,by checking your email at the beginning of the day ,you have already set a pattern that your day is not going to be designed by you,but someone else”.
“The man who has lived the most is not he who has counted the most years but he who has most felt life.” —Jean-Jacques Rousseau
A very popular saying in this part of the world is “Time is money” but this book opens up an entirely different angle. Although money is a requirement for so much in life, on a quantum level, time is the ultimate currency. Jim Rohn believes,“Time has more value than money. You can get more money,but you cannot get more time” Sadly,people today not only spend the time they have,they also spend away their futures.
I could go on and on drawing lessons from this book but i will just wrap it up here and leave us with a link to download the book for free , read (do all you can to read it ) and come back for an engaging discussion.
On a final note,Benjamin Hardy is a great man of faith and utmost believe in God which does not in any way undermine his passion for science,on the other hand he believes his knowledge of science helps him glorify God. He said : "If time is not a hindrance to God,it doesn’t need to be for me".
