Time Stealers
Time is our most important gift. And I think we need to use it as wisely as we can.
I also do not think that we need to be busy every waking minute. We need rest, relaxation, periods of doing nothing every day. Call them meditation times, times with the family, reading or engaging in a hobby, or whatever gives one rest, a refreshing of body and mind.
You may be so busy that you don't have time for such things. Or so you think. Then you need to take time, for they are rewarding. And one way to gain that time is by ridding yourself of time stealers. We all have them, but when caught up in being busy we overlook them.
Time stealers are moments and activity that usually have no reward. Some we can get rid of, and some maybe not.
For example:
Your computer hangs up, and there you sit frustrated until you un-hang it. That is wasted time. Maybe you need a newer computer, or newer software that works all the time. No hard copy explicit manuals come with software or hardware anymore. Go to their web site and tell that company about it, and that you do not like the performance. Whatever the problem, it is a time stealer.
You have caught a bad cold, and now you sit in a doctors office waiting for the doctor to see you. Ask yourself, did you arrive too early ? Was your appointment at the busy time of day, or busy day of the week ? One doctor I have seen has a sign in the waiting room that says that if you have waited thirty minutes see the receptionist, and maybe that needs to be done, see the receptionist. At least it will tell the staff, including the doctor that they are expected to be on time, barring some emergency they may have.
Department stores are terrible about waiting in line at the cash register to check out, and you see empty cash registers. Aggravating at the very least. Don't get on the cashiers, but you can tell them to tell the manager that he or she needs to take better care of their customers. And you can look for one that has fewer or no customers and move to it.
Stores that should have an item you are looking for, but you cannot find it. The store may have moved it to another location, and you waste time looking for it. Don't waste that time. Get a clerk to show you where it is. Some larger stores have a greeter, so when you go in the door have that greeter tell yo where the item is located, or find it for you.
Learn the busy times at your favorite gas station and then get gas at other times. Not only are you wasting time waiting, you are also burning gas, wasting it.
Television is a great wasteland, a time stealer. It is easy to sit there and do nothing, and it can be habit forming. Check schedules and only turn on the television when it has something worthwhile to watch, and even learn from. Read an informative book instead.
I do not like TV Dinners, but food can be prepared ahead of time at home. Pick certain days to prepare such foods, then on other days preparing a meal takes a short time. Time gained.
Have a squeaky door ? List such nuisances and fix such items on certain days. Don't let them barge into each day.
Social appointments can easily become too many, and then many of them are actually a waste of time. Review them, and get rid of those that are redundant or that are mostly useless.
Membership in community clubs can also become a burden of too many, and too many meetings. And drop those that are luncheon meetings. Lunch should be your time, and it should be a time to allow you to savor the food, and allow it to begin digesting without any tension. Remember that even humor can be tensing. On a review you may want to drop a club or two.
One other item. Put a value on your time. Realistically this cannot be done since time cannot be bought. Lawyers do it, so why not you ? Put a value of say $500 an hour on your time just as a lawyer might have on his, then review the time stealers in your life. Soon you will see those things, those actions, that do not measure up to your time value.
You will get more done over the week, or day, when you rid yourself of time stealers.
At the very least, take time each day for your family, and to relax, even meditate.
I also do not think that we need to be busy every waking minute. We need rest, relaxation, periods of doing nothing every day. Call them meditation times, times with the family, reading or engaging in a hobby, or whatever gives one rest, a refreshing of body and mind.
You may be so busy that you don't have time for such things. Or so you think. Then you need to take time, for they are rewarding. And one way to gain that time is by ridding yourself of time stealers. We all have them, but when caught up in being busy we overlook them.
Time stealers are moments and activity that usually have no reward. Some we can get rid of, and some maybe not.
For example:
Your computer hangs up, and there you sit frustrated until you un-hang it. That is wasted time. Maybe you need a newer computer, or newer software that works all the time. No hard copy explicit manuals come with software or hardware anymore. Go to their web site and tell that company about it, and that you do not like the performance. Whatever the problem, it is a time stealer.
You have caught a bad cold, and now you sit in a doctors office waiting for the doctor to see you. Ask yourself, did you arrive too early ? Was your appointment at the busy time of day, or busy day of the week ? One doctor I have seen has a sign in the waiting room that says that if you have waited thirty minutes see the receptionist, and maybe that needs to be done, see the receptionist. At least it will tell the staff, including the doctor that they are expected to be on time, barring some emergency they may have.
Department stores are terrible about waiting in line at the cash register to check out, and you see empty cash registers. Aggravating at the very least. Don't get on the cashiers, but you can tell them to tell the manager that he or she needs to take better care of their customers. And you can look for one that has fewer or no customers and move to it.
Stores that should have an item you are looking for, but you cannot find it. The store may have moved it to another location, and you waste time looking for it. Don't waste that time. Get a clerk to show you where it is. Some larger stores have a greeter, so when you go in the door have that greeter tell yo where the item is located, or find it for you.
Learn the busy times at your favorite gas station and then get gas at other times. Not only are you wasting time waiting, you are also burning gas, wasting it.
Television is a great wasteland, a time stealer. It is easy to sit there and do nothing, and it can be habit forming. Check schedules and only turn on the television when it has something worthwhile to watch, and even learn from. Read an informative book instead.
I do not like TV Dinners, but food can be prepared ahead of time at home. Pick certain days to prepare such foods, then on other days preparing a meal takes a short time. Time gained.
Have a squeaky door ? List such nuisances and fix such items on certain days. Don't let them barge into each day.
Social appointments can easily become too many, and then many of them are actually a waste of time. Review them, and get rid of those that are redundant or that are mostly useless.
Membership in community clubs can also become a burden of too many, and too many meetings. And drop those that are luncheon meetings. Lunch should be your time, and it should be a time to allow you to savor the food, and allow it to begin digesting without any tension. Remember that even humor can be tensing. On a review you may want to drop a club or two.
One other item. Put a value on your time. Realistically this cannot be done since time cannot be bought. Lawyers do it, so why not you ? Put a value of say $500 an hour on your time just as a lawyer might have on his, then review the time stealers in your life. Soon you will see those things, those actions, that do not measure up to your time value.
You will get more done over the week, or day, when you rid yourself of time stealers.
At the very least, take time each day for your family, and to relax, even meditate.