{"id":7322,"date":"2025-08-04T19:22:50","date_gmt":"2025-08-04T19:22:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/betterlinked.eu\/interviews\/what-does-time-do-to-us-and-we-to-it\/"},"modified":"2025-09-07T08:35:25","modified_gmt":"2025-09-07T08:35:25","slug":"what-does-time-do-to-us-and-we-to-it","status":"publish","type":"interview","link":"https:\/\/betterlinked.eu\/en\/interviews\/what-does-time-do-to-us-and-we-to-it\/","title":{"rendered":"What does time do to us – and we to it?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The discussion with time researcher and philosopher Franz J. Schweifer<\/strong> focused on a topic that is becoming increasingly urgent in organizations and in our personal lives: the conscious use of time. From his many years of research, teaching and many discussions with personalities from business, science and society, Schweifer has developed a differentiated picture: “Time is not just a resource – it is an opportunity<\/strong> that passes by in a sobering way if we do not recognize it and use it in a meaningful way”. <\/p>\n\n

He presents his key insight right at the beginning of our conversation: “It’s not about the quantity of time, but about its quality<\/strong> – about presence, about really being in the moment,” summarizes Mr. Schweifer. He calls this “to be present<\/strong>” – a skill that determines success both as a person and as a business. After all, if you don’t learn to distinguish between the essential and the important, you lose focus and impact. <\/p>\n\n

According to Schweifer, “important<\/strong>” primarily refers to materially valuable and significant things. “Essential<\/strong>“, on the other hand, is aimed at immaterially decisive things, at our individual inner BEING and our special talents, needs and desires.<\/p>\n\n

Mr. Schweifer describes particularly impressively how conversations with managers often gain depth when biographical breaks – such as illness, family crises or questions of meaning – change the relationship to time. “The question of what I spend my time on only comes to life when I connect it with my innermost values and needs,” says Schweifer. <\/p>\n\n

Values, materiality and inner clarity<\/strong><\/p>\n\n

In his work, he makes it clear that how and what we spend our time on reflects our values<\/strong> – whether consciously or unconsciously. Schweifer reports on his work with students, among others, to explore their own “value landscape”. <\/p>\n\n

A central exercise (with reference to Plato’s insight: “We determine our lives by choosing our gods.”): to ask yourself which “gods” you sacrifice your time to – such as career, recognition, security or personal development. Because only those who recognize these motives can really shape their time (see example 1 at the end of the discussion). <\/p>\n\n

This requires space for reflection. But this is often lacking in organizations. Schweifer criticizes the tendency to deal with complex topics such as leadership or culture in short workshops. This usually leads to “organizing evil even better” – you work efficiently on the wrong things. Instead, he advocates process-based, value-oriented formats<\/strong> that allow for depth – such as multi-stage processes accompanied by structured reflection and constructive dialog. <\/p>\n\n

Time is a relationship – with yourself and others<\/strong><\/p>\n\n

Another key aspect of our conversation is dealing with contradictions<\/strong>. Mr. Schweifer does not see them as a disturbance, but rather as a breeding ground for learning and development. It takes time and dialog to make these tensions fruitful – between work and private life, between efficiency and purpose, between external pressure and inner compass. Contradictions need time to be truly understood and dealt with. This is precisely where Mr. Schweifer sees the prerequisite for real change – both individually and structurally. <\/p>\n\n

The quality of time is also reflected in resonance<\/strong>: people can only withstand stress in the long term if they feel feedback – if they experience that their actions have an effect. This form of feedback is crucial for motivation, mental health and personal effectiveness (see example 2 “Fix and Foxi”). <\/p>\n\n

Rituals of self-care<\/strong><\/p>\n\n

Mr. Schweifer shares his own experience with everyday rituals: he practices “mental garbage sorting<\/strong>” in the evening, where you consciously let go of what is weighing you down – and at the same time open yourself up to a moment of gratitude – by seeing “what went well today”. “These are not trivialities,” emphasizes Mr Schweifer, “but important practices for staying mentally clear and resilient.” <\/p>\n\n

The conclusion of our conversation: time management is meaningful work<\/strong><\/p>\n\n

For Mr. Schweifer, real time management is not a question of tools or methods, but an existential-philosophical task: it is about getting in touch with yourself, asking yourself good questions, because they serve enlightening “self-enlightenment and self-knowledge” – for example:<\/p>\n\n

“WHY do I do what I do?” <\/strong>Or even better:
“WHY am I doing what I’m doing?”<\/strong><\/p>\n\n

A why tends to ask about causes or motivations. For the “temposopher” Schweifer, however, questions about the why are even more valuable, because “they throw us back on ourselves and, above all, ask about meaningfulness. And meaning is the strongest motor for encouragement and change – and ultimately also for satisfaction.” <\/p>\n\n

Only those who answer this question honestly can organize their own time sensibly – and thus act effectively. Especially in a world characterized by acceleration, fragmentation and constant change, we need places to pause for a moment. Spaces for meaning, presence and orientation. And above all: the courage to recognize what is essential – and to give it time.<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n

Example 1 “Which gods do I sacrifice my time to?”<\/strong><\/p>\n\n

A key example from his teaching shows how young people deal with time and values.<\/p>\n\n

In one seminar, he asked his students to list their daily use of time – including seemingly banal activities. He then asked them to reflect on this: <\/p>\n\n

“Who or what are you sacrificing your time to?
What does that say about your inner values – about the ‘gods’?”<\/p>\n\n

One student, for example, replied that he was studying because his father wanted him to learn something “with which he could earn money”. It was only through the conversation and Mr. Schweifer’s leading questions that he realized that his real motive was to gain recognition – by fulfilling family expectations. <\/p>\n\n

Mr. Schweifer thus works out three central axes of reflection: Values, needs and expectations<\/strong>. If you become aware of these levels, you can make more informed decisions and organize your time not only efficiently, but also essentially, i.e. in a goal-oriented manner according to your respective nature. <\/p>\n\n

Example 2 “Fix and Foxi”: The feeling of being burnt out<\/strong><\/p>\n\n

Mr. Schweifer uses the term “Fix und Foxi”<\/strong> as a symbol for a state that many people in the modern working world are familiar with: burnt out, overwhelmed and empty<\/strong>. He is not just talking about physical exhaustion, but about the feeling of no feedback, no meaning and no resonance<\/strong> in one’s own actions. <\/p>\n\n

In our conversation, he describes situations in which people work very efficiently but are completely exhausted inside – because they lack a sense of purpose or because they are constantly fulfilling expectations without finding themselves.<\/p>\n\n

In this context, “Fix and Foxi” is not an individual failure, but an expression of a systemic problem: a lack of time for reflection, a lack of value orientation and a daily routine with no room for the essentials.<\/p>\n\n

This image serves Mr. Schweifer to underline the relevance of self-care, feedback and questions of meaning<\/strong> – not as a luxury, but as a prerequisite for healthy work and life<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n

If you don’t regularly ask yourself “What am I actually doing this for?”, you<\/em> run the risk of just functioning and being disappointed at some point. Or as the philosopher of time puts it pointedly: “Disappointment is the end of a deception.” <\/p>\n\n

This example impressively illustrates Mr. Schweifer’s appeal: real time management doesn’t start with planning tools, but with the courage to ask ourselves the question of meaning<\/strong> – before we end up being “fix and foxi”.<\/p>\n\n

At this point, I would like to refer you to Mr. Schweifer’s books:<\/p>\n\n

Publisher Dr. Kovac:<\/p>\n\n

Tempo all’arrabbiata. Critical views of the times by a temposopher <\/p>\n\n

Oh dear time. Restless between pleasure and burden. Backgrounds – causes – ways out <\/p>\n\n

Time – Power – Powerlessness. Top managers in the raging time dilemma <\/p>\n\n



<\/s>And most recently published by Buchschmiede (formerly myMorawa):<\/p>\n\n

Time 2 Stay? 111 time_crazy questions to stay (with own cartoons) <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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