Time Shifting: Creating More Time to Enjoy Your Life [Paperback]

Stephan Rechtschaffen (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 10, 1997

Do you ever feel so rushed that you can't stop to think?  That you don't have enough time to do your job well--or even to read this paragraph carefully?  That's because you spend your time either speeding forward or thinking about the past few minutes, without really concentrating on living in the present moment.

We all have the capacity to look at time--and, by doing so, to step into a new awareness of it and experience its next dimension, time freedom.  But we cannot just look with our eyes and understand with our mind, we must experience it with all the facets of our being; with all our senses, with our perceptions, our feelings, and our heart.  Timeshifting is the method for doing this, and how you can learn timeshifting is what this breakthrough book is about.

In Timeshifting, Stephan Rechtschaffen teaches us that time is subjective, not objective, and that we can take back control of our lives by changing the way we think about time.  We can relearn how to live our lives to their fullest potential; to have the time to enjoy ourselves, our families, and our jobs.  Timeshifting is not about time management; it won't teach you how to do more in a shorter period of time.  It will, however, give you back all the time you need to accomplish what you want, and you'll find that you are more relaxed, less stressed-out, and better able to enjoy the best things in life.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Try taping the word "now" over your watch, and you'll get an idea of what Stephan Rechtschaffen means when he speaks of time shifting. It is time awareness, not time management that leads to more pleasure, more productivity, and even more time. Time Shifting shows us how to control the speed of time so that life stops passing us by. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Publishers Weekly

Citing applications ranging from the intensely private to the comprehensively social, Rechtschaffen, a founder of the Omega Institute for Holistic Studies in New York State, advocates a refocusing of our attention on the present. Describing the rushed and future-focused schedules characteristic of modern life as a condition of "time poverty," he suggests that active time awareness ("not time management") offers a path into a richer experience of daily life. From a philosophical position that owes much to Buddhism, the author offers concrete steps to taking back the power we have given to clocks and calendars. "Time shifting" requires two steps: becoming aware of the present and practicing "entrainment"-tuning in to the rhythm and flow of the moment. Rechtschaffen cites ritual as a powerful means of shifting rhythm, and suggests ways to incorporate time-shifting rituals into everyday existence. Nuggets of wisdom and of practical advice add texture to this overview, which concludes with a vision of a political "time movement" based on the ideas of such thinkers as Jeremy Rifkin, Joanna Macy and physician Larry Dossey. A valuable bibliography is included. First serial to New Woman; Literary Guild selection; foreign rights sold to 10 countries; author tour.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 238 pages
• Publisher: Main Street Books (November 10, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385483902
• ISBN-13: 978-0385483902
• Product Dimensions: 6 x 0.5 x 9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #399,473 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Profound Perspective, August 21, 2000

By 

Don Bristol - See all my reviews

This review is from: Time Shifting: Creating More Time to Enjoy Your Life (Audio Cassette)

Rectschaffen's book provides a profound perspective for anyone who is seeking a deeper sense of being in these times. He speaks to many audiences, whether you are just beginning your search or further along. I am retired and his words on aging struck a very clear chord with me. I am only sad that I was not exposed to these views years ago. He is definitely on to a way of viewing the use of time in a sane and meaningful way. This book is well written and covers a great deal of the choices in our lives in terms of the use of one of our most precious gifts, our time. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is not satisfied with the pace and the priorities that they might have embraced as they move through life.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Slowing down to experience the "now" of the moment..., September 23, 2006

By 

Thomas Duff "Duffbert" (Portland, OR United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Time Shifting (Hardcover)

While I don't consider myself an "always busy, Type A" personality, there are many times when I wish I could be more "there in the moment" of whatever I was doing. I heard about the book Time Shifting: Creating More Time to Enjoy Your Life by Stephan Rechtschaffen, and thought it might be of assistance in helping me in that endeavor. I don't know that I got everything out of the book that the author intended, but I did pick up a few tips that should help...

Contents:
Part 1: Towards Time Freedom; Entrainment and the Rhythm of Life; Mental and Emotional Time; Stress and Anxiety; Expanding the Moment; Timeshifting; Exercises in Timeshifting
Part 2: Self; Relationships; Children; Work; Sports and Play; Health; Aging; Death and Dying; Planning Ahead; Society; The Future
A Final Word; Bibliography; Acknowledgments

Timeshifting isn't a new time management technique to allow you to eke out more minutes in a day. Instead, it's a mindset that allows you to get in tune with the rhythm of your life and surrounding events. Rather than trying to do more and more in every moment, you should step back, take a deep breath, and allow yourself to slow down and appreciate the moment for what it is. It's a shift from a time-based sense of life to a cycle-based lifestyle. In many cases, you find yourself in a particular situation either 1) replaying the past, or 2) anticipating the future. As such, there's no "now". Rechtschaffen asks you to put past and future out of your mind, and concentrate simply on "now" in whatever you're doing.

I had one of these moments recently on vacation at DisneyWorld. It was about 7 pm, and a major thunder and lightning storm was going on. I pulled up a chair and just watched... I then noticed a spider between the rails of our balcony, and he was spinning a web. I simply marveled at the movement and structure of what the spider was building, and how complex it all appears when finished. Before I knew it, I had spent nearly two hours just enjoying nature, oblivious to time and other activities. And it will likely be one of the memories of this vacation that doesn't fade...

I liked Part 1 of this book better than Part 2. Where Part 1 deals with the concepts of timeshifting in general, Part 2 gets into application of the concept in particular areas of your life. It seemed to get more ethereal and new-age'ish than what I was comfortable with, and I found myself not following quite as closely. You could say I was spending more time in the past and future than I was in the "now" of reading... :)

Generally, a useful concept to get more enjoyment out of the ordinary events of life. The author does a good job of explaining it all, and I can see where I will make some adjustments in what I do and how I do it...

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must read!, February 7, 2002

By 

JoeinBC "joeinbc" (Vancouver, BC, Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Time Shifting: Creating More Time to Enjoy Your Life (Paperback)

This book is a great reminder of the spice and foundation one's life really depends on--that is, time. It is the non-renewable resource. I believe anyone who feels that life's circumstances has a greater hold on them, then they do on it, should read this book.

I work in the crisis field, and one's job IS to give your time to others in crisis--and you can often find yourself far removed from yourself, in the name of helping, with little personal resources left. This book has helped me remember some important personal standards that I need to adhere too, plus great ideas on how to get my life back.

Thanks,
Joe