WASTE TIME PRODUCTIVELY

Sometimes the best way to finish a project is to stop doing it.  The late Norma Vincent Peale counseled busy people to drop everything and simply walk for half an hour if they’re stuck on a problem.  Peale himself found chores to do or just read mysteries as he waited for solutions to find their way up from his subconscious.   This is called “planned procrastination” and can be a very good use of time!

In our society we tend to look down on “wasting time” that way, when in fact some of the best hours one spends can appear useless at first.  Upon close observation one finds that scientists, artists, and other creative people routinely spend long periods of time idling around, allowing ideas to slowly germinate.

Author, James Michener, claims that the foundation for his successful career was laid in the years he spent foundering before starting to write at age 40.  In his words, “It may well be that the years observers describe as ‘wasted’ will prove to have been the most productive.”

Along with productive so-call “wasted time” we can find and use bits of time that otherwise become truly wasted.  While we can’t control most of life’s dreaded delays; we can control our reaction to them.  By simply changing your perspective you can find and actually enjoy using “bits of time” when standing in line, waiting for a delayed flight, or even being stuck in traffic.  One of Larry Gatlin’s best country songs, “All the gold in California”, was composed during a Los Angeles traffic jam.