A man who dares to waste one hour of time has not discovered the value of life.
Charles Darwin
1809 – 1882
This past week, we saw an occurrence that happens only once every four years: February 29, known as Leap Day. I saw many comments in articles and social media about how to use this “extra day.” This notion surprised me, since we don’t actually gain a day; we just have an unusual date on the calendar. No one was freed from their regular obligations because of Leap Day.
But the idea of an extra day got me thinking: what if we could create extra days for ourselves? Everyone complains that they don’t have enough time. Finding an extra day (or more) would be a tremendous benefit.
While it’s unlikely that you can free up an entire day at once, there are many little ways to save time, and you’d be surprised at how quickly they add up.
Is there a social function you’ve committed to that you no longer want to pursue, but continue out of a sense of obligation — a book club, a card game, or fantasy football, for instance? If it takes two hours a month, it’s costing you a full day over the course of a year. Think of what you could do with that time if you graciously withdrew from the event.
Is there a TV program you watch out of habit but no longer really enjoy? My wife watched the show Lost, but admitted that by the last season, it had gotten too strange for her and she didn’t like it anymore; she was only watching to see how a certain love triangle ended. Considering that the final season involved roughly 18 hours of viewing time, my wife spent the better part of a day to find out who Kate chose — a fact she could have learned simply by watching the finale.
While we’re discussing television, what about the evening news? Watching the news is a very inefficient way of getting news, when you consider the endless commercials and teasers — not to mention the fact that half the stories may not interest you at all. If you skipped the news and skimmed relevant stories in the paper or online, you’d save at least 15 minutes a day — nearly four days a year.
The truth is, you can’t be given time or create time. Everyone has the same amount; it’s the one area of life where everyone is equal. But we all could do much better at utilizing the time we have.
There’s no such thing as extra time or time to kill. Time is the most precious thing we have. Treat it that way.
Lost time is never found again.
Benjamin Franklin
1706 – 1790
Copyright © 2012 John Chancellor