by Paula S. Caplinger*
Time and
tide for no man stay.
- Robert Burns in
Tam o'Shanter
Do you ever find yourself thinking you do not have enough hours in a day to accomplish the myriad items on your "to do" list? How many times in the past month have you skipped a meal, declined a social invitation, missed a family event, or worked late or on a weekend in order to "keep up" with your normal workload? We all go through cycles at the office when a project deadline is looming or extra effort is required simply to meet the requirements of the week. Undoubtedly, we rise to the occasion and do what is necessary to meet those demands. When the "extraordinary" becomes the norm, though, we are suffering from one of the newest phenomena in the business world. The "buzzword" for the phenomena is time poverty. Time poverty is defined as not having enough time to do what we want to do.
Statistics reveal that Americans are among the hardest workers in the industrialized world. US workers put in an average of 1815 hours in 2002 versus 1300 to 1800 hours worked by persons in Europe or Japan. Americans work 90 minutes more each week than we did in 1980. American men average more than 49 hours a week at work, and American women work more than 42 hours a week. As lawyers, we all know, our weekly workloads customarily trump those average hourly figures. A 2002 report by the US Economic Policy Institute indicates that job stress costs US businesses an estimated $150 billion a year in absenteeism, lower productivity, health insurance premiums, and medical costs. An Expedia.com survey revealed that employees gave back in excess of $21 billion in unused vacation days to employers in 2003, up from $19.5 billion in 2002. Twelve percent of survey respondents took no vacation time at all. John De Graaf, a lecturer on the subject of American time management and national organizer of Take Back Your Time Day, indicates his data reveals that: "on average American families eat two meals a week together. Dual income couples report having 12 minutes a day to talk to each other. A fifth of the persons eligible to vote in the 2000 presidential election didn't vote and when asked why indicated they didn't have the time. Finally nearly half of Americans reported they are so tired or sleepy it interferes with their work."
Time is indeed one of our most valuable resources and how we choose to use (or lose) it determines the quality of our lives. A friend of mine who had his own small firm in Newport News decided a few years ago to accept a government position and leave private practice. He thought he was "trading" the worries of billing, personnel issues, and client development for a much more desirable situation that would allow him more family time. Within a couple years, he was "burned out" by the travel and workload required in his new position. He left that position and has now reestablished his own practice. He feels he has "reclaimed" his time. Personally, I continually struggle to maintain a "balance" between my work, my family and my other activities. I am sure many of you share these same concerns.
As we are all individuals,
there is no one "solution" to the time poverty problem. What works
for one of us might be anathema to others. Perhaps awareness is the best and
only answer. Please be aware of your time and use it wisely.
As Chair of the Real Property Section, time has truly "sped by" for
me this year. It has been an honor to serve you in this capacity. I have gained
knowledge, made friendships, and benefited from the experience in ways that
I cannot begin to express. I extend my unending gratitude to those who have
served along with me as officers, board members, and area representatives of
the Real Property Section. Thank you all for your participation. Your time and
efforts have been appreciated. Thank you to the "unsung" folks who
work behind the scenes to make certain all of the activities of the Section
occur "without a hitch." Without you, the seminars, publications,
and meetings would be impossible. With so many willing to give to the Section
in so many ways, I know we will continue to grow and thrive. Thank you again
for the privilege of serving as Section Chair. I look forward to seeing each
of you at the next Section meeting, held in conjunction with the Virginia State
Bar Annual Meeting, June 18 in Virginia Beach.
* Paula S. Caplinger is a resident of Newport News, Virginia, and is Assistant Vice President and Counsel with the Newport News, Virginia office of Chicago Title Insurance Company. She is Chair of the Board of Governors of the Real Property Section of the Virginia State Bar and is a member of the American Bar Association, the Virginia Bar Association, and the Newport News Bar Association.