Beech Tree News Network

As the saying goes, time waits for no man. Many of you may not be experienced in the art of killing time; but, ‘time wasters’ can sure make time fly. A time waster may be a person or an activity that causes someone to spend a lot of time doing something that is unnecessary and produces little or no benefit.

 Based on quotes found on the Internet, most people seem to agree that wasting time might not be a good choice:

• I don’t know when I’m going to leave this earth…; therefore, I don’t need to be wasting time while I’m here. –Unknown
• If you’re not helping, then you’re hurting. Just standing here, wasting time, breathing up all this air. Be productive or beat it. –Unknown
• Time isn’t the enemy. Wasting time is. –Unknown
• I do not want to waste any time. And, if you are not working on important things, you are wasting time. –Dean Kamen
• If time be of all things most precious, wasting time must be the greatest prodigality. -Benjamin Franklin
• The time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time. –Bertrand Russell

 Some common time wasters include the following activities (Each has some benefits.):

• Update your daily planner. On electronic calendars, old entries may be deleted to free up space.
• Clean out your cell phone. If you have a cell phone that stores recent calls, missed calls, and voice and text messages, you might clear out the useless stuff.
• Catch up on your Facebook or Twitter account.
• Forward those impersonal messages in your Inbox.
• Watch TV or catch up on TV shows by watching them free on the web.
• Spend time on your iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad playing games.
• Surf the Internet: fire up your Web browser and go! You might visit a few YouTube sites, too.
• Find a comfortable seat outside and watch the world go by, whether it’s nature or traffic.
• Window shop in the mall or an antique shop.
• Pick up that forgotten hobby.

I’ve always said that in any kind of waiting situation, I can entertain myself. With the pocket calendar that’s always in my purse, I can make lists and plan ahead. If I have a book or a Sudoku puzzle, I can loose track of time. The Solitaire game on my phone has been seriously used, too. If I have to wait for something or someone, I am able to kill that time without feeling frustrated.

We often hear how time flies. For me, it does – whether I’m engaged in productive work or serious time wasting. But, I think I agree with Bertrand Russell: “The time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time.”