Got time?

I have written before on Inertia and Revealed Preference. The two are potential ways of responding to someone who answers a question as to why they aren't doing something with 'I don't have time'.

A more acceptable answer would likely be either, 'Sorry, there are other things I would rather do with my time' (Revealed Preference), or 'Sorry, I would like to but I am just to lazy or don't have enough motivation' (Inertia).

Revealed Preference in a sense says that what you do is what you want to do, with in the restraints of what you could do. So, if you have been meaning to go to coffee with a certain friend for months and months, and haven't... but could have, since you went to two or three movies, slept in late three Saturdays and just did nothing a lot of the time, Revealed Preference says that you actually just didn't want to go to coffee with the friend.

I think that Revealed Preference only really shows what your preferences are when you have no Inertia, and regularly review or look back on what choices you have made. More than likely you even need help or feedback. I may say that I did not go watch Rodger Federer play in the season ending O2 tournament in London, because I have consciously realised that I only have limited time during the week, and right now that is pretty much taken up between work, travel, yoga, and a few minutes spent learning German, reading or blogging. Sometimes it takes someone to call your bluff and say... I hear that you are really busy, but just make a plan. Make some time! To be honest, I didn't even think of going to the tennis because I was head down. I could have gone, and the occasional kick from a friend helps out.

Taking a few moments to look back and see if what you are doing, could be doing, and want to be doing are all in line is worth while. Sometimes it might be because you actually can't do everything, and you just need to admit that you would rather be doing something else. Sometimes, it is just Inertia, and that is something you can do something about.