Time-Sucking Black Holes
| Labels: culture and society, food for thought, psychology, written by Rio Denali | Posted On
Time management is going to do me in.
Call it an early New Year's resolution: I have decided to get in shape. But finding time for the gym is proving to be a challenge.
I ignore my to-do list to focus attention on the gym. After 3 or 4 days in a row of this, I take a day off to get caught up on everything .... but a recovery day turns into 3 or 5. Being the analytical person I am, I started wondering what is making me do this. There is only one answer: poor time management skills.
I work from the time I wake up until I go to bed. I run one mid-sized and several small businesses from home while taking care of 3 children. (Did I mention that I homeschool too?) Perpetual motion from the time I wake up in the morning until long after everyone else goes to bed, and I never seem to get it all done. In taking an honest look though, I see several time-sucking black-holes in my day.
Twitter is ruining my day. It really is addictive, isn't it? This is my escape. I spend way too much time reading, tweeting, re-tweeting, and following others. Yes, I do enjoy it and often find some great information that really helps in my quest to improve. But, there are days that I do not manage to fit in a workout--yet I managed to fit in an hour on Twitter. Success is never a by-product of misplaced priorities.
TV. I am not a bad offender, but even watching a couple shows a day makes a difference. Two 1-hour shows per day, Monday through Friday = 10 hours per week spent in front of the television. I have come to the conclusion that the answer is not turning off the TV, but rather turning TV watching into a workout opportunity. Imagine the difference, in a course of a year, if you put an exercise bike in front of that television.
Not planning meals. Healthy food can be cooked inexpensively with little time spent preparing--if you plan ahead. Put some lean meat, fresh veggies and seasonings in a crock pot... simmer for a few hours....and with only a few minutes of work you have a healthy, delicious meal. Beats my current method: wait until the last minute when everyone is starving...throw the kids in the car...and drive to McDonalds. Planning ahead would save half on calories and cost (and save 100% of the guilt.)
Feeling guilty. Ok, this one does not truly sap time, but it certainly saps energy which leads to getting less done. It is important to let go of the past, and focus instead on making each day better than the last.
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- This article was originally featured on RioDancesOnTheSand.com, a blog for the thinking person... Written by Rio Denali, a 30-something with peculiar curiosities, who makes the observations that many of us avoid. Full of useful links and entertaining articles, it is a fun favorite for the intelligent reader. For more great articles like this, please visit RioDancesOnTheSand.com.
