Space and Time

Space and Time

Some people measure everything in time – how long it will take to get there; how long will it take to get it done. If you say, “Meet me in Princeton,” they think: “I’ll have to leave an hour or so to get there. Or if you want to meet them at the movies, they think, “I can leave 15 minutes before and still have time to buy a ticket.”

Other people measure everything spatially – distance, placement, relativity. If you want to meet them in Princeton, they have to know how far it is, what roads to take, the route, the location, and if there’s parking. Meeting them at the movies is about getting there early enough so they don’t have to sit in the first row.

Time people always talk about when things happened. They give you dates, or tell you it was a month before my 30th birthday that we went to the Yankee game. Space people will think about the time they sat in the second tier overlooking home plate.

Both ways of seeing things work. What has an issue is the way Time people interact with Space people. Even though Time people measure things in Time, they’re often late or the very least they cut it close. They don’t like to wait – they think of it as a waste of time. Space people like to be early so they’re THERE, and once they’re THERE, they’re just glad they got the parking space and they’re able to be in proximity with the people they’re meeting or with.

Knowing if you’re a Time or Space person, will help explain and enhance how you behave in business. If you’re a time person and you hire a space person, just understand they see things differently – not better or worse – just different.

Are you a Time or Space person?