Have you heard of the “Container Concept” (by Dana K. White)?
The idea is super basic: every space is a container. The point is to contain, so once it’s full, it’s full. If you have a shelf full of mugs and get a new mug, you either need to get rid of some mugs or give up a different shelf to make space for mugs because the container needs to contain the mugs. (whew. that was a really long sentence to explain a basic concept.)
It’s not about finding more or better storage spaces.
It’s about recognizing limits.
Recently, I started thinking about time as a container as well.
I’ve always understood a broad version of this, like: “there are only 24 hours in a day.” But I’m learning to see time as a series of small vessels. And some things, no matter how good or beautiful, just don’t fit in my vessels.
Last year, I timed how long it takes me to make my bed: 1 minute, 30 seconds.
Once I knew I could play Dolly Parton’s classic “9-5” and be done before the second chorus started, I was much more likely to make the bed in the mornings.
But here’s the part that surprised me: that 90 seconds became a kind of vessel, too.
When I changed to my summer bedding recently, I added a few pillows from other rooms. Almost immediately, I stopped making the bed. It vaguely felt like too much – even though the new layout probably only added a few seconds. I hadn’t re-timed it. And in the absence of knowing, my brain defaulted to “not enough time.”
So I went back. Simplified. Re-timed it, and fit the routine back into its original 90 second container.
Inspired, I started noticing other time-containers.
I have a lot of plants. Like… a llllooootttt. And I recently inherited even more.
I knew I spent time on Saturdays taking care of them, but had never grouped the whole routine together or timed it.
So I did. I decided ahead that I was willing to give one hour per weekend to plant care. I set a timer and (mostly) focused on the plants.
After an hour, I still had several left unwatered.
But an hour was my vessel. Even if every plant had a home (okay, most of them), I wasn’t willing to cut other things from my life to give more time to their care.
So at a recent party, I gathered a few plants I was ready to part with and offered them as “party favors.”
Seeing time as a container has helped me see how I use my time more clearly and set limits more effectively. It’s not always about cutting back – knowing I set aside an hour to take a bath allows my brain to settle in, linger and relax.
Sometimes it’s about measuring what actually fits – and noticing when something has outgrown its container. There’s still only 24 hours in my day. But seeing the little containers within those hours helps me be more mindful of what I’m filling them with.
Uncovering Real 