Wasted Time
I was talking with a colleague the other day and mentioned that I had taken some time during the Monday holiday to spend the morning in my pajamas, curled up with a book I wanted to finish.
I stayed in my pjs until 10:00.
And, honestly, I felt lazy and told her so.
She looked at me and said something she had heard years ago:
“Time wasted is not wasted time.”
That stopped me.
She was right. I could almost feel the lightbulb flash on.
Why do we automatically assume that time is wasted simply because we aren't being productive?
There is value in an unhurried morning. There is value in finishing a book simply because you want to know how it ends. There is value in drinking your coffee slowly, sitting outside watching the birds in the backyard.
We don't have to be productive every minute of every day.
Time can simply be… enjoyed.
When we're younger and busy with our careers and childrearing, we're often racing against the clock - getting the laundry done, preparing meals, trucking the kids to wherever they need to be, and cleaning the house.
It was a necessity to keep moving and to be productive. Is it society, our culture, or just me who feels that there is value in being productive? That to sit quietly and daydream somehow means that I’m wasting time when I could be doing something more important?
Maybe the question to ask ourselves is not “What did you accomplish today?” but rather “How did you spend your time today?”
Time doesn’t have to be productive to be worthwhile.
The morning that I was reading my book, I wasn't accomplishing anything really. I wasn't even dressed. But I was completely absorbed in the moment. I was relaxed. I was happy.
An afternoon sitting outside watching the hummingbirds and sipping iced tea instead of cleaning the house meant that the house was still dusty when I went inside but was that time really wasted?
We spend so much of our lives trying to save time, manage time, make the most of our time and, occasionally, squeeze one more thing into our time.
Maybe we should spend a little more of it simply enjoying it.
Enjoying time is time we wouldn't want back. Wasted time is time we wish we had spent differently.
Talking for an hour on the phone to a beloved friend feels very differently than scrolling for hours on your phone. One fills you up and one leaves you empty.
Maybe we're not supposed to fill every minute with being productive. Maybe the key is to just enjoy the time we have.
And perhaps that's one of the unexpected gifts of getting older: we finally have permission to slow down and enjoy our time.
Stay in your pajamas until 10:00.
Read the book.
Drink the coffee while it's still hot.
Sit outside and watch the birds.
Time wasted is not wasted time.
I'm going to try to remember that the next time I feel guilty for staying in my pjs until 10:00.