I have all the time in the world.

"I have all the time in the world."

Horst D. Lindenau, founder of International Terrestrial Life Management (TerLiMa), can say that about himself. TerLiMa News asks.

TerLiMa News: Time, what does that mean to you?

Horst D. Lindenau: Time is God. Probably the only one that exists. Without time, nothing is imaginable for us. Time comes first in everything. And that's precisely why I'm surprised that so little is being done in the world for sensible time management. Is there a renowned chair dedicated solely to time?

Today, it's always about being fast and faster. This madness infects all areas of life. People want to be fast, but punctuality, time resources, and slowing down remain foreign concepts.

 I remember returning from a six-week trip through Spain 35 years ago. Nobody there wanted to believe me that the trains there were unpunctual. And nowadays, it's also taken hold here.

When I hear that idiotic phrase "academic quarter." That's probably the biggest nonsense. Why can't academics be punctual? Just visit India. The trains run on time there.

TerLiMa-News: Why is it essential to organize your time?

Horst D. Lindenau: We live in an era where we can speak of time abundance. No rational person could rightfully say, "I don't have time." It's simply a question of self-organization, of one's time management. That means discovering time-wasters and banishing them. I'm thinking primarily of the unfortunately widespread consumption of television. In practice, that's probably the number one time-waster.

TerLiMa-News: Time abundance? What does that mean?

Horst D. Lindenau: Some people take the easy way out and believe the saying, "If you have enough money, you don't have time, or, in other words, if you have a lot of time, you don't have any money." That's sheer nonsense.

Time and money have nothing to do with each other. Money is only a temporary phenomenon in societies; time is always there and will continue to be in the future. "Time affluence" means, "I simply have free time at my disposal today thanks to modern life, which didn't exist 100 years ago."

People work less and don't have to worry about procuring food as much as they did back then. Unfortunately, most of our contemporaries allow this affluence to be taken away directly by the television. But there are even more time-killers. The computer is about to compete with television with shallow offerings, games, and the like.

Another time-killer comes from the general acceleration of life. Everything has to happen right now and immediately. Patience is uncool and already difficult for many to bear. Just in time is the motto. I want it, and I like it now. Of course, you must let go of that if you want to manage your time. Slowing down is appropriate here.

TerLiMa-News: How can someone start with themselves? 

Horst D. Lindenau: Slowing down occurs, for example, during a leisurely breakfast, ideally with friends or family; it would also work at work. Or reading the newspaper peacefully, taking the day in stride and planning. Of course, those who get up late and then have to rush off to work don't come up with such ideas. Slowing down also occurs when I meet people not particularly on my schedule as VIP contacts but to communicate, exchange ideas, and meet real people. Not just online or passively watching like soap operas on TV.

TerLiMa-News: You once said that one should count one's days, not the years one lives. Why?

Horst D. Lindenau: The average life expectancy in Europe in 2000 was 63 years for men and women combined. That's a damn short life if I live by current standards. Here, simply converting years to days creates, let's say, a visual gain in time. 63 years is about 22,000 days. And then I have to live them purposefully, consciously, and well-organized. That's pure time gained through a different perspective on essentially identical periods. Because 24 hours are still 24 hours. Even if I compare hours to apples. Nature shows us how. Time is directly tied to activity and inactivity. There is nothing in between. A tree will never waste its time. The tree has a mission and must be fulfilled within the available time.

TerLiMa-News: Back to my question: What is the most sensible thing for individuals to do to gain time?

Horst D. Lindenau: Nobody needs to gain time. It's there. And the same for everyone. It's time hygiene that's required.

 Why speeding now?