Enjoying Wasted Time
Everyone has things that we need to accomplish on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis. I practice piano every day, as well as empty the dishwasher, write an article, and complete my chores. These are all duties that I know I need to do, and I always eventually get them done. However, occasionally I find myself doing anything I can to get out of the task. Afterward, I look back at the time I spent doing things other than my jobs, and I feel like I wasted time. However, is this time truly being wasted? Or is it merely another way to spend our time?
My mother has a decoration in our house of a quote. The quote is “The time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time.” I thought that was an interesting speculation. If we enjoy the time that we “waste”, is it really being wasted at all? To me, the whole point of life is not just that we succeed, but that we enjoy ourselves while doing so.
Take a Break; Go Fishing!
My mother has a lot more in her day than I do. She drives us around, buys groceries, and does a ton of housework. She cooks meals, cleans, and makes sure that we do what we need to get done. With all of that in her day, there isn’t a whole lot of time for fun. Sometime last week, as she was driving me somewhere, she told me that she went fishing with my younger brother earlier that day. She told me that it was fun to get away for a little bit, and have some fun.
“All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy”. This quote has been used in many movies and TV shows, and every variation basically means the same thing. If you work all the time, and you never take some personal time to enjoy yourself, you aren’t going to have much fun. Sometimes taking a break can be beneficial to what you are doing. If you enjoy yourself while you are watching TV, taking a bike ride, or walking a pet, when you return to your task, you may find that you have more energy to work on those tasks.
Breaks Re-energize Us
Work is something that I doubt many people enjoy. It’s something that many of us try to put off for as long as possible. However, doing other things than these tasks isn’t a bad thing. Sometimes, it helps us to take a break. Breaks help us re-energize, and give us more excitement to do our jobs. However, breaks are only appropriate if we remember to get back to work. See you next week!
“Reprinted from Hagel Publications, Inc. dba as Courier Newspapers”