A man who dares to waste one hour of life has not discovered the value of life. Charles Darwin
The challenge for us with respect to utilizing our time effectively is to define what waste of time is. For a person who enjoys his/ her sleep, sleeping more than the norm of8 hours is never a waste of time. On the other hand a workaholic would find sleep to be a necessary evil, ideally avoided or kept to the bare minimum and using that yardstick, anyone who enjoys his/ her sleep is wasting time. Similarly parents of students will bitterly complaint that the children waste time in front of the TV while the children believe it is a good stress buster. The question that now comes to the forefront is how to find a good yardstick or definition of waste of time.
Obviously from the examples given earlier, the concept of waste of time differs from person to person and situation to situation. With this clarity in mind, we can state that waste of time is experienced when we are not doing what we are supposed to be doing. This presupposes that we know what we are supposed to be doing but this is a reasonable supposition since by and large each of us knows our responsibilities. When one digresses from the job on hand and abdicates his/ her responsibilities, the time spend on the alternative is clearly a waste of time. This needs elaboration with a suitable example. A student studying for his final exam sacrifices his TV viewing to fully focus on his studies. However if there is a dramatic moment on TV like the landing of man on moon or closing moments of a historic win for his national team in a prestigious tournament, then he is utilizing his time well by watching those epoch moments live and sacrificing his studies for that brief period. In fact by missing out on those historic moments under the garb of studies, would be a folly and a waste of both time and a slice of history.
There are many activities that would seem like a waste of time but which are a social necessity. It is also important to realize that rest, leisure and play are an essential part of life and time utilized for the same is not a waste of time. Similarly time spend on our social obligations, religious activities and in the pursuit of our passions are also time well spent, provided of course we are not so obsessed with it that we neglect our true vocation. Taking time out to recharge by going on a vacation, spending time in thinking and reflecting and taking an unexpected break or an occasional unplanned indulgence is perfect use of time. We might be tempted to see all these activities as using up a fair amount of our time, but we need to keep in mind that we are human beings with feelings, emotions and affections all of which are beyond the purview of being compartmentalized in strict time slots.
Where we would really be wasting time is in frivolous pursuits like politicking, gossiping, fault finding, bickering and scuttling matters. Making too many mistakes or errors, doing a shoddy or tardy job, nitpicking merely to get ones way, duplicating work and indulging in tasks that are best delegated, are classic cases of wasting time. Having a broad overview of the work and ensuring reasonable time allocation for each task will ensure that we are very clear about our responsibilities, are well prepared for it and efficiently execute it. The joy of a task well done comes not merely from the joy of completing it but also from the unseen, unappreciated and ubiquitous joy of having used ones time very well.
Remember: Today, be aware of how you are spending your 1,440 beautiful moments, and spend them wisely
Try this:
Read the Weekly post on PRESENT – Prime Resource Emerging Silently Evolving Now Today by clicking on the following link http://poweract.blogspot.com/2010/11/present.html
List out 5 pending jobs that you have postponed for many days. Now detail the work involved in each and then estimate the time for you to complete the task. Get cracking and ensure that you do the task by the personal deadline set by you. Then experience the joy of having done the task and the joy of having used your time well.
This post is courtesy www.actspot.com
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