This is the first and last part of the biggest time-wasters we encounter and must overcome in today’s daily living.

We are all in a hurry these days. Opportunities to do tons of things at the same time abound and yet, we are always short of time. Remember the saying: “So many books, so little time?” It seems that it now serves every purpose: so much information, so many physical activities, so many sports, so many hobbies, so many movies, so many places, so many instant messages… and so little time.

In order for us to enjoy all the things we want to, we must overcome some of modern life’s greatest time-wasters. What to do? Here are some suggestions:

1. Internet

How many times we go to the Internet to do search that is not really that important to later realize that we’ve been sitting in front of the computer for at least two hours? We start with one query and then we find a link that looks interesting, this link takes us to another, and another, and another, and soon we find ourselves 20 pages deeper from the first page. It is great to live in the Age of Information but we need to put a halt to it if we don’t want to succumb.

My suggestion is to set the computer timer for 20 minutes or less and stop the search when time is over. Also, though it wastes resources, we could print the articles that are truly important for our search. It will prevent us from going deeper into the pages.

2. Computer Games

Children, teens, and young adults are especially good at wasting time in this way. Playing computer games leads to no information, no instruction, and no education. Besides teaching nothing and add nothing to our lives; computer games waste our precious time. Also, not only most of the games are driven to violence, but they are also so addictive that it makes it really difficult for a person to stop, especially the ones who are not quite disciplined yet.

My suggestion is to quit playing computer games altogether. If that is not possible, again, set a timer, say 30 minutes, for the enjoyment of the activity and stop immediately when the alarm is off. Reduce play time every day until the addiction is over.

3. Emails

Blocking spam does not make it easier or faster the task of reading and responding to all the emails that we receive every day. E-mail messages are even more damaging to our concentration when we keep reading messages as they

My suggestion is to set a down time to deal with e-mail, say, during a break or at the end of the day, before turning the computer off.

4. TV

People sit down in front of the TV to wind down after a day’s work or after dinner, just because. They get bombarded with bad news, fear inducing commercials, and useless programs. Habitual viewing such as this is a waste of precious time. TV programs can be entertaining, inspiring, informative, and truly enjoyable. One needs to become aware of the habits induced by TV.

My suggestion is to record only a few programs that truly matter during the week and watch them at a pre-determined time. Same with games, especially Sunday football.

5. Videos/DVDs

Watching movies is a great pastime. It has the danger, however, of becoming a time waster, especially when one considers the amount of time the average person spends looking for a film to watch. This is particularly true when there is more than one person in the family making the decision on what to watch. We can easily spend over two hours in this endeavor, not counting watching the film per se, which then will become a 4 hour activity. The same is true when we use an online movie store, though more efficient for we don’t have to get out of the house.

My suggestion is to decide what to watch ahead of time before heading to the store. Also, for parents of younger children, look for a DVD player with filtering capabilities. It will save your sanity while will entertain your children.

"Lost two precious golden diamond hours yesterday. No reward offered for they are gone forever." ~Anon

© Maria Moratto 2005

About the author

Dr. Maria Moratto is a lifestyle coach. She promotes coaching, seminars and courses in developing the perfect life blueprint, which includes attracting abundance and loving relationships, time management, stress management, diversity, goal setting, career search and change, values clarification, leisure, self-improvement, college life, spirituality, natural health and lifestyle.

She is also writing a book on successful relationships, coming soon. Visit her website at http://www.rx4bliss.com and sign up for a free e-zine that is short, informative, and fun. Go to her blog at: http://www.rx4bliss.blogspot.com for great discussions on these topics.

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