10 favorite time wasters

If life is a waste of time and time is a waste of life, lets all get wasted and have the time of our lives.


10 favorite time wasters

I think we all agree that sometimes we spend a lot of time just wasting time, doing nothing, achieving nothing.  

The theme of favorite time wasters in itself is already contradictory because to me 'wasting time' has a negative connotation and 'favorite' a positive one. But anyway, here we go.

1. Watching television: THE time waster. But if you enjoy it, is it a waste? Probably, because you could have spent this time DOING something more productive, creative, beneficial... instead of sitting lethargically on the couch. However, I sometimes learn things from television. Yes, that happens. Yesterday I learned about the existence of artificial glaciers in the Himalayas.
   
   
2. Surfing the internet: Whenever I want to write a post, I sit down at my computer and read my emails first, then respond to the comments on my blog and visit a few blogs regularly. I have the bad habit of being deviated from my initial goal (writing a post) and the internet just swallows me up. I get side tracked by blogs, news articles, book recommendations etc. But then again, sometimes I find a topic that I have something interesting to say about and it triggers a post. So there...
   
   
3. Books: This is my favorite time waster. I can spend hours in a library. I can spend hours on amazon. I can spend hours surfing book sites and blogs about book recommendations. Is reading fiction a waste of time? Is reading non-fiction not? I don't care. As long as I have books to read I am a happy person.
   
   
4. Sleeping: It isn't until you have kids that you realise what lack of sleep is and come to appreciate mornings when they don't wake up at 6 am. Although I would agree that sleeping until noon is a waste of the day, I am a fervent adherent to afternoon naps. Just 20 minutes give you a boost of energy. So when the kids nap, I do too.
   
   
5. Grey's Anatomy: I used to like Friends until my life did not look like theirs anymore. Then I somehow got hooked on Grey's Anatomy. Trust me, my life is nothing like theirs either, but I like the way each episode tackles a topic and tries to learn a lesson for life. A good excuse to waste a wee bit of time.
   
   
6. Painting: Trust me, I am no Van Gogh. I just like to paint. And whenever my son draws something, shows it to me and asks 'what is this mommy?' and I don't see what it could be (he is 2!), I tell him it's art. Because if someone likes it, it's art, and I like what he draws. Painting is soul soothing. I like to have it on my fingers, put it on canvas and see what happens. And time just flies.
   
   
7. Cleaning up: With two toddlers, I feel that I am constantly cleaning up after them. From half eaten sandwich crumbs, over sticky milk stains to all-over-the-house toys. When I am done I feel good, the house is clean and clutter free for an evening. Until they get up in the morning and within seconds the place looks like a tornado just passed through.
   
   
8. Watching my kids: I could spend hours watching them play, sleep, run around. But you can only do that when they are not aware that you are watching them. As soon as they notice, the magic is gone and the claim your presence and participation.
   
   
9. Traveling: By that I mean getting from one place to another. Wasting time at airports waiting for or inbetween flights. Getting to work in the morning by car. There is not much you can do in your car besides driving and listening to the radio. Maybe I should combine this one with my point 3 and get into audio books from Audible.com for example.
   
   
10. Worrying: I dwell on the tiny problems. I sweat the small stuff. In a way I am a perfectionist although you'll never have me admit it. I like things to be orderly (goes with point 7), well organised, run smoothly. I like to be prepared. Don't get me wrong, I do like surprises... - nice ones like flowers (because I am organised and have a vase to put them in). I fret about what to wear in the morning. I worry about forgetting to put an item on the groceries list (and then I completely forget the bloody list!). It clutters my brain and often keeps me from living in the NOW. What would Eckhart Tolle have to say about that, huh?

What are your favorite time wasters?