More valuable than money.

Nothing is more valuable than money, you say? Try time. Try information. These two commodities are ever gaining value even as it becomes harder for us to feel in control of them.

Most Americans say they feel stressed out and short of time, so it's impossible for them to believe they have just as much free time as they've had for years. Long-term studies of Americans' use of time show that leisure is increasingly fragmented and filled with more activities, according to scholars John Robinson and Geoffrey Godbey. Instead of long summer vacations, people take "mental health" days or leave work early to dash to the kids' soccer games.

In the future, look for opportunities to help people manage their free time better. Such inventions as the videotape recorder and its digital successors, for example, give people more control of time. We're witnessing the mass customization of time. See "Time in Our Hands," page 18.

If you've been flooded with credit-card applications, mortgage offers, and a host of other things from organizations that somehow got your e-mail address, phone number, and other information, you are well aware of how valuable your personal information can be. And with the growing risk of identity theft, it is ever more imperative that this personal information be well protected--something few people have the time or expertise to do.

Enter the personal information manager, a new profession for the knowledge age. Scenario planner and consultant Brian Mulconrey illustrates how a system of personal information management may help you make the most of your personal data, just as mutual fund managers help you make the most of your money. See "Your Personal Information: Managing Your Most Valuable Asset," page 24.

--Cynthia G. Wagner

Managing Editor

cwagner@wfs.org