Comments

1. John Spencer says:

   April 28, 2009 at 11:04 pm

   I enjoyed this post. For me, the best time wasters are those that are authentic; that bring me closer to truth or to people or to the earthy reality of life.
   
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2. Joel says:

   April 29, 2009 at 12:09 am

   The older I get, the less annoyed I get when I realize I’m falling way behind. I guess it’s me developing a deeper patience, but I just don’t really worry about it any more. Sure it bugs me from time to time, but I think it would bug me more if I didn’t have stuff that I really needed to catch up on. Almost as though I’d feel a little less necessary.

   The trick is to find a balance between productivity and enjoying life. Too often we struggle to be more productive, all the while letting life pass us by and slip through our fingers. And any other number of cheesy sayings. :)
   
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3. gYM334 says:

   April 29, 2009 at 12:59 am

   Check your email, Watch TV (Depends on what you watch), Watch a movie, Take a nap, Drive around aimlessly (Depends on where you drive, I have driven about a 150,000 aimless miles around North America, I would not trade a mile of it), Daydream, Window shop (Hey, you have to have windows), Listen to music , Take a walk , Go to the park, Go out to eat with friends, Call a friend, Call your mom (One day you will wish you had called more often), Read a fiction book , Read a magazine, Fly a kite
   Watch a baseball game, Write in your blog, Write an email, Comment,
   Blog, sound productive to me. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.
   
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4. Margaret says:

   April 29, 2009 at 5:19 am

   I’m with gYM334. Calling your mom is not a time-waster (perhaps if you’re calling multiple times in a short span of time just because you’re bored, not to update her on an emergency or ongoing crisis in either of your lives.) Call your mama & ask her, bet she’ll say I’m right. I can’t call mine anymore, & I should’ve done it more than I did. Several other items in your list sounded more like normal to-dos than time wasters. (sorting clothes, those things don’t jump into washers, closets & drawers on their own, y’know ;-)
   
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5. E says:

   April 29, 2009 at 8:31 am

   I use to be a type “A” personality. Always trying to make sure every minute counted. Always on the go. I worked over 68 hrs a week. There were days in a row when I didn’t even see my oldest son awake (when he was 2) and I wasn’t gone on a trip! I’d be at the office before the sun came up and home after the sun went down. And then you hit a crisis and you realize how precious relationships are. Most of these are not time wasters. It is a balance that you have to achieve. I can’t count how many days I’ve “wasted” getting my wife and four kids together to have a movie or game night. Takes us like 90 minutes just to watch a 90 movie! But I wouldn’t trade it for anything. Or taking walks. Or blogging (wish I had more time). Daydreaming! Wow, lot of reflective thinking occurs when I’m daydreaming. I would CRAVE a nap (try taking a nap with four kids!) I agree…the older I get (42), the more I wished I hadn’t rushed around when I was younger. Honestly? Life is not about that. It’s about God, family, and friendships. Everything else is secondary.
   
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6. Joel says:

   April 29, 2009 at 9:26 am

   Amen, brother! Totally agree.

   I’m overcoming the “Type A” personality thing this year. Twitter helps me actually, because I have to force myself NOT to read everything. It was initially so hard, but now I am starting to embrace the selective ignorance style. It’s just how I roll now. :)
   
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7. Linda Sturr says:

   April 30, 2009 at 12:06 pm

   Well, well, that list sounds a lot like a ’stress buster’ to me. It is the perfect list of things to do to lower your blood pressure and enjoy the world for a while. We all need to step outside the confines of our boxes and just enjoy the world around us. So we waste a little time that we will never get back. We might also use that time to commune with the world and that is ever so much better.
   
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8. Joel says:

   April 30, 2009 at 11:31 pm

   Linda:

   Agreed. Too much of a good thing is a bad thing. Not enough of a good thing is a bad thing also. :)
   
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