Time is our most important gift. And I think we have to use it as wisely as we can.

I also don’t think we should be busy every minute of the day. We need rest, relaxation, periods of doing nothing every day. Call them moments of meditation, moments with the family, reading or a hobby, or whatever gives rest, refreshment for body and mind.

You may be so busy that you don’t have time for such things. Or so you think. So you need to take some time, because they are rewarding. And one way to gain that time is by getting rid of time thieves.
We all have them, but when we are busy we overlook them.

Time thieves are moments and activities that normally go unrewarded. Some we can get rid of, and others maybe not.

For example:

Your computer hangs, and you sit there frustrated until you pick it up. That is wasted time. Maybe you need a newer computer or newer software that works all the time. Explicit hard copy manuals are no longer included with software or hardware. Go to their website and tell that company about it, and that you don’t like the performance. Whatever the problem, it’s a time stealer.

You have caught a bad cold and now you are sitting in a doctor’s office waiting for the doctor to attend to you. Ask yourself, did you arrive too early? Was your appointment at the busiest time of the day or on a busy day of the week? One doctor I’ve seen has a sign in the waiting room that says if he’s waited thirty minutes he sees the receptionist, and maybe that should be done, see the receptionist. At least he will tell the staff, including the doctor, that they are expected to be on time, barring any emergencies they may have.

Department stores are terrible waiting in line at the register to pay, and you see empty registers. Aggravating to say the least. Don’t bother the cashiers, but you can tell them to tell the manager that he needs to take better care of his customers. And you can search for one that has fewer or no customers and move on to it.

Stores that should have an item you’re looking for, but can’t find it. The store may have moved it to another location and you’re wasting time looking for it. Don’t waste that time. Ask an employee to show you where he is. Some larger stores have a receptionist, so when you walk in the door, ask her to tell you where the item is or to find it for you.

Know the peak hours at your favorite gas station, and then buy gas at other times. Not only are you wasting time waiting, you’re also burning gasoline, wasting it.

Television is a great wasteland, a thief of time. It’s easy to sit there and do nothing, and it can be habit forming. Check the schedules and only turn on the TV when you have something worth watching and even learning about. Read an informational book instead.

I don’t like TV dinners, but the food can be made ahead of time at home. Pick certain days to prepare such foods, then on other days preparing a meal takes little time. Time gained.

Do you have a squeaky door? Make a list of such nuisances and fix such items on certain days. Don’t let them break into every day.

Social dating can easily become too many, and a lot of it is actually a waste of time. Go through them and get rid of those that are redundant or mostly useless.

Community club membership can also become a burden from too many meetings. And leave those that are working lunches. Lunch should be your time, and it should be a time that allows you to savor the food and allow it to begin to digest without any stress. Remember that even humor can be tense. In a review, you may want to drop a club or two.

Yet another article. Value your time. Realistically this cannot be done as time cannot be bought. Lawyers do it, so why not you? Put a value of say $500 an hour on your time just like a lawyer would on theirs, then check out the time stealers in your life. You will soon see those things, those actions, that do not measure up to your time value.

You’ll get more done during the week or day when you get rid of the time stealers.

At the very least, take time each day for your family and to relax, even meditate.