Wasting Time

I am not about to recommend to my readers that exceeding thrift of time which keeps on hand a book or a piece of embroidery for odd minutes, and which from sun to sun never indulges in repose. The person who is most conscientiously and most constantly employed is often the person who wastes time, for employment is not invariably good economy., and it is sometimes the best saving which is also wise spending.

To most of us, day in and day out, it happens that we do waste, or at least misuse, precious hours. We start on a new day with a feeling that it is all too short for what we have to do. We lavish our strength on tasks which seem worthy of accomplishment and endeavor, and yet, were the whole truth known, neither we nor the world would have suffered had we let those things go by. The toil has been put in the wrong place and our time has been wasted.

For example, we spend a great deal of time in talking about what we mean to do, planning over and over what may as well be settled at once, and going into the minutiae of things which are not sufficiently important to be thus regarded in detail. In domestic affairs we hesitate and change our minds, and cannot come to a decision about the parlor curtains or the kitchen closets, and meanwhile the day is slipping by, and our small boy is playing in the street, and growing familiar with companions we would not choose for him. After all, the mother’s first work in life is her small child and compared with him or her carpets, curtains and kitchen plenishing are of the very smallest account.

We waste time in reading, for example, by trying to master the contents of the whole of the daily or weekly newspaper, whereas, in many instances, the summary of news made up by a hand skilled in condensing and selecting, an editorial or two, and an article on some instructive topic would be quite enough for us. Our reading grows scrappy and does not feed us mentally because we take no time for the strong and wholesome books which promote intellectual vigor. We have the time, if we knew how to manage it, how to utilize it, if we steadily every day spent some part of it in consecutive reading of a thoughtful kind, along lines which we have deliberately chosen. Time is well spent which is spent in resting when we are tired. A lady past middle age, but with the fresh complexion and clear eyes of a girl, told me the other day that this was her only secret: “Early in our married life,” she said, “my husband, who was a physician, urged me to take an hour every day for myself. Let that hour be absolutely uninterrupted, he said, by household cares, by children, by any one. Do what you please in it, lie still and shut your eyes, or read a book you like, or sit still in your rocking-chair and knit, but don’t do anything which taxes your strength, and always secure your hour of rest.” That was wise advice.

We do not waste time when we take outdoor exercise. This, too, some of us need to remember. When we are ordered by our medical counselors to walk or drive every day, to get the air somehow and set the blood in motion, we are ready to obey, but a more sensible way would be to anticipate the prescription and take the exercise so that we may keep well.

We may set it down as without exception that time spent in worry is recklessly wasted. It is hard not to worry, particularly when we see the troubles and mistakes of those who are dear to us. Faith halts when we are anxious and distressed in behalf of our sons and daughters, whom we long to help and for whose good we sometimes long in vain.

But even here our worry is futile. Even here we should cast the burden on the Lord. Do thy best and leave the rest is a safe motto for the Christian.

from The Art of Home Making

Wasting time and procrastination are my two biggest faults as a wife and mother. I can use housework as a handy excuse when I don't feel like doing something I should be doing, and then turn right around and neglect the housework so I can read (and read, and read...!) Hobbies can be a snare for me also. Now, there is nothing wrong with having a hobby, nothing wrong with reading unless it is taking up the time that is needed to be a responsible caretaker of my home and children. Even good works done at the wrong time can be sinful.

Procrastination is just a fancy name for laziness. When I know something needs done and I don't do it until the need is so great that anxiety or anger is a result, the real culprit is not the stack of dishes or laundry, it was my laziness at that earlier time.

Are you are like me? I'm sincere, I just don't always have the self-discipline needed in this area. If you are, you need to become acquainted with the woman who has inspired me so many times. When I first read one of her books, I marveled at how easy life could become if I follwed her advice and then continued those good practices until they became habit. Who is she? It's Emilie Barnes. If you've never read any of her books, my advice is to begin with her Survival Guide for Busy Women. Then branch out to her other organizational and inspirational books. For more information, click here