Magnified Time
I have been reading this book for a while now, The Five Types of Wealth by Sahil Bloom. One of the types of wealth is wealth of time. In that chapter, Bloom discusses the idea of two different kinds of time from Greek philosophy, kronos and kairos. Kronos is procedural, chronological time, what we think of when we look at our watches or a calendar. Kairos, on the other hand, is “magnified time.”
Bloom talks about ways to help a person find this “magnified time,” by focusing the limited amount of time that one has in order to make it more meaningful or productive. And at times, I feel like I’m already very good at that. As a person with ADHD, I am the queen of multitasking. I recorded the script for this blog post while driving to work and managing parenting tasks all at once (safely, no devices were held in hands while driving). I thrive by multitasking: it helps my brain stay productive and satisfied.
But the idea of magnifying time by focusing specifically on one task is thwarted by my ADHD.
The same superpower that makes me capable of handling at least three tasks at once at any given time also makes it very difficult for me to focus my time on one specific task to complete it.
The author of the book gives great tips on focusing my time, fortunately. Some of them are easier for me: scheduling email check-ins, and using tools to block out dedicated “focused” time. Yesterday I tried this strategy for the first time, and I got frustrated that I hadn’t allotted myself enough time. This helped me realize that I need to give myself longer blocks of time for productive, creative work, because the shorter blocks make it harder for me to get into a flow state.
My struggle with time has also crept into my marriage. Both my husband and I have wrestled with my lack of time; we have worked hard together to create a manageable home routine that works for all of us. I became a hospitalist working a set number of overnight shifts a month because I thought it would give me more flexibility and freedom to spend time with my family.
However. My brain craves activity! Thus, I’ve filled up my remaining time completely, mainly with my own creative and entrepreneurial priorities. Slowly, however, extra items have crept in, not priorities, but which feel urgent. As a result of all this contemplation about my schedule, I have been trying to parse which items are valuable to me and which are valuable to other people.
While doing this, I have realized that I am already at the limit of what I can handle. As a hospitalist, I take a set number of overnight shifts per month, so I am sleeping away from home those nights. On top of that, as I’ve described, I’ve filled my time with a lot of other work, including travel. And those trips ALSO mean nights away from home. But the work as a hospitalist is what currently pays the bills, so those shifts are non-negotiable. And for the moment, the tension between those two obligations (work that I have to do to get paid and work that I want to be doing to further my othe r endeavors) is making me feel stuck.
But I realize I don’t have to feel stuck. I can be in charge of my schedule and not be as busy anymore.
I am going to maintain firmer boundaries, saying no where I have to, because it’s time to make that Kairos-focused time work for me. This spring, in just a few months, we are launching the new app and the device that I have been working on for the past few years. And that is my priority right now. Despite that achievement, I’m experiencing some major imposter syndrome, keeping me from launching sooner. I feel like the device and the app are still not good enough, even though I’ve worked on it for years and years and I recognize it will not be perfect.
But, as I’ve stated, I realize I’m holding myself back, and I’m not going to let those excuses win. I am going to schedule more time for my own priorities so I can show the world what I’ve been working on and continue to move toward a place where I have even more agency over my time. Look out 2026. Here comes Andrea. Here comes Lybbie!
