Your view of time is not universal. It’s the most powerful—and invisible—force dictating your success, your stress, and your nation's GDP.
Inspiration: How people do things (both professional and personal) very, very differently between cultures.
If you know me, you know that I am pretty much obsessed with time.
Heck, I even have tattoos related to it.
It’s the only thing you cannot buy back, no matter how rich you are.
So, I am extra grateful for those who dedicate their most precious resource (time) to me.
This one is going to be interesting.
You will see why I love living in M-Time, with anecdotal examples from my experiences of living in North America and Turkey.
If you have taken communication studies courses in college, you will be familiar with it.
If not, here we go…
Introduction: The Invisible Language of Time
In 1959, anthropologist Edward T. Hall, a pioneer in intercultural communication, published his groundbreaking book:
The Silent Language.
He proposed that time “speaks.”
It’s an invisible communication system that tells us what’s important.
The Core Concept:
Hall identified two opposing systems for time:
- Monochronic (M-Time): Time is linear, a commodity. It can be “spent,” “saved,” “wasted,” or “managed.”
- Polychronic (P-Time): Time is fluid, cyclical, and human. Relationships are more important than schedules.
The Thesis of Barbaros:
This single, un-discussed difference in perception is the root of massive misunderstanding.
It dictates everything from business efficiency and economic output to your personal well-being.
And in the modern, scalable world, I am sorry to share this, but M-Time is overwhelmingly superior for building a successful company and a healthy life.
My friends (whom I send calendar invites to lock in our social events) might hate me more for writing about this.
But, you won’t? Right? RIGHT?!
Anyhow, let’s carry on..
Part 1: What are M-Time and P-Time?
M-Time (Monochronic – “One-Time”):
The Philosophy: Time is a resource. “Time is money.” The schedule is sacred.
The Action: One thing at a time. The focus is on the task. Punctuality is a sign of respect for the other person’s time.
The Culture (North America): A meeting at 9:00 AM starts at 9:00 AM, not 9:01. An agenda is a strict plan. Interruptions are a sin.
P-Time (Polychronic – “Many-Times”):
The Philosophy: Time is fluid. Relationships are the priority. Schedules are a loose suggestion.
The Action: Many things at once. Interruptions are expected and normal. Punctuality is flexible; the focus is on the event itself, not its start time.
The Culture (Turkey): The user’s specific hint. A dinner “at 8:00 PM” is a perfect example.
The M-Time (Canadian) View: Arrive at 7:55 PM. Arriving at 8:15 PM is rude and requires an apology.
The P-Time (Turkish) View: Arriving at 8:00 PM is awkwardly early and might rush the host. Arriving at 8:30 PM is normal. The event starts when the key people come, and the act of sharing the meal (the relationship) is the point, not the clock.
Part 2: The “Fate of Your Company” (The Business Impact)
You will see how dramatically this concept can affect a nation’s overall productivity.
Once again, with anecdotal examples from dynamics in North America and Turkey.
Task Management & Labour Inefficiency (The P-Time Liability):
P-Time is chaos for a modern, scalable business.
Meetings: A 10:00 AM meeting might start at 10:20 because attendees are finishing other “more important” conversations. The agenda is a suggestion. The meeting’s “goal” is often to build consensus and reaffirm relationships, not make a decision.
“The Open Door” Fallacy: P-Time cultures praise the “open door policy.” In reality, this is a policy of constant, productivity-killing interruptions. A developer can’t get into a flow state. A marketer can’t write copy.
Result: It is impossible to manage tasks, plan sprints, or run an assembly line (physical or digital). The entire system is based on who you know and who is in the room, not a predictable process.
Task Management & Efficiency (The M-Time Advantage):
M-Time is the operating system of scalability.
It allows for compound effort, project management (Gantt charts), and efficient labour. You can trust that Step 3 will happen after Step 2, on schedule.
Meetings: M-Time meetings are (ideally) efficient. An agenda, a start time, an end time, and clear action items. “Let’s stick to the agenda.”
Result: You can build a predictable, scalable machine. You can trust the system, not just the people in it.
Part 3: The “Fate of Your Country” (The Macro-Economic Impact)
M-Time Economies: Look at the most efficient, high-output economies: Germany, Switzerland, Japan, the USA, the UK, Canada. All are intensely M-Time. Their entire economic system is built on the shared belief that a contract, a deadline, and a schedule are sacred. This creates high-trust, low-friction markets.
P-Time Economies: Look at economies in the Mediterranean, Middle East (like Turkey), and Latin America. They are often relationship-based. This makes it hard to scale. You can’t trust the system; you have to trust a person. This often leads to nepotism and a lower “trust” score in the economy, which hinders foreign investment and domestic development.
Part 4: The Clincher: M-Time is Superior for Your Health
This is where things get a little more dramatic.
The P-Time Mental Health Trap:
Living in a P-Time system is a recipe for burnout.
Because time is fluid and relationships are everything, there are no boundaries. Your boss will call you at 9 PM on a Saturday. Your “vacation” is not protected. Work bleeds into life, and life bleeds into work.
You are in a constant state of “availability,” which leads to high cortisol and chronic stress. You can never fully unplug.
The M-Time Health Advantage (Physical & Mental):
M-Time allows for a healthy life by creating boundaries.
Mental Health: You can have a “hard stop” at 5:00 PM. Your company respects “your time.” This ability to compartmentalize—to have “work time” and “life time”—is the single greatest defense against chronic workplace stress.
Physical Health: You can schedule a 6:00 PM gym session and know that you will be free to go. You can plan your meals. M-Time allows for the routine and predictability that are essential for long-term physical health.
Adopt M-Time or Lose to Those Who Do
P-Time is chaotic, relationship-first, and anti-scalable. M-Time is structured, task-first, and the bedrock of modern success.
A P-Time company (or country) will always lose to an M-Time competitor. The P-Time company is still in a 2-hour “relationship-building” meeting while the M-Time company has already shipped the next version of its product.
You can, and should, be polychronic with your family and friends. But if you want to win, your business must be ruthlessly monochronic. Your shareholders, your employees, and your nervous system will thank you.