Time is our most important gift. And I think we have to use it as wisely as we can.
I also don’t think we should be busy every minute of the day. We need rest, relaxation, periods of doing nothing every day. Call them moments of meditation, moments with family, reading or a hobby, or whatever it is that gives rest, refreshment for body and mind.
You may be so busy that you don’t have time for those things. Or so you think. So you need to take some time, because they are rewarding. And one way to gain that time is by getting rid of time thieves.
We all have them, but when we are busy we overlook them.
Time thieves are moments and activities that normally go unrewarded. Some we can get rid of, and others we may not.
For example:
Your computer hangs, and there you feel frustrated until you pick it up. That’s wasted time. Maybe you need a newer computer or newer software that works all the time. Explicit hard copy manuals are no longer included with software or hardware. Go to their website and tell that company about it, and that you don’t like the performance. Whatever the problem, it’s a time thief.
You have caught a bad cold and are now sitting in a doctor’s office waiting for the doctor to see you. Ask yourself, did you arrive too early? Was your appointment at the busiest time of the day or on a busy day of the week? One doctor I’ve seen has a sign in the waiting room that says if he’s waited thirty minutes he’ll see the receptionist, and maybe that should be done, see the receptionist. At least he will tell the staff, including the doctor, that they are expected to be on time, barring any emergencies they may have.
Department stores are terrible waiting in line at the cash register to pay, and you see empty cash registers. Aggravating at least. Don’t bother the cashiers, but you can tell them to tell the manager that he needs to take better care of his customers. And you can find one that has fewer or no customers and move on to it.
Stores that should have an item you’re looking for, but can’t find it. It is possible that the store has moved it to another location and you are wasting your time looking for it. Don’t waste that time. Ask an employee to show you where he is. Some larger stores have a clerk, so when you walk in the door, ask them to tell you where the item is or to find it for you.
Learn about rush hours at your favorite gas station, then buy gas at other times. You are not only wasting time waiting, you are also burning gasoline, wasting it.
Television is a great wasteland, a thief of time. It’s easy to sit there and do nothing, and it can be habit forming. Check the schedules and turn on the TV only when you have something worth watching and even learning about. Read an informative book instead.
I don’t like TV dinners, but the food can be prepared ahead of time at home. Pick certain days to prepare such foods, then on other days preparing a meal takes little time. Time gained.
Do you have a creaky door? Make a list of such nuisances and fix said items on certain days. Don’t let them break into every day.
Social dates can easily become too many, and many of them are actually a waste of time. Go through them and get rid of the ones that are redundant or mostly useless.
Membership in community clubs can also become a burden from too many meetings. And leave the ones that are work lunches. Lunch should be your time, and it should be a time that allows you to savor your food and allow it to begin to digest without any tension. Remember that even humor can be tense. In a review, you may want to drop a club or two.
Yet another item. Give value to your time. Realistically, this cannot be done as time cannot be bought. Lawyers do it, so why not you? Put a value of say $500 an hour on your time just like a lawyer would on his, then check out the time thieves in your life. Soon you will see those things, those actions, that are not up to your time value.
You’ll get more done during the week or day when you get rid of time stealers.
At a minimum, take time each day for your family and to relax, even meditate.