I’m one of those people who can disregard my own mess and work around it. I am not bothered by a kitchen table that is covered with documents. The desktop on my computer has 4,000 things stored on it, all in disarray, and I can still usually find what I am looking for. 

But lately, I have been very conscious that I like to waste time. Well, after bustling around tracking things down all day, I like to relax by watching TV. A couple of hours of that is not very productive. www.nest.com says to “stop settling on watching whatever is on” and don’t watch mindless stuff. I have to laugh.

The website also says your cell phone, which is supposed to be a time-saving device, ends up being a big time killer. It suggests checking your email while you’re in the line at the grocery store to alleviate some of that meandering. Obviously, that website doesn’t realize how much junk email I have to sift through. I could never stand to wait in a line that moved that slow. And it is hardly enough time to answer the messages.

Searching for things is also on the list. “The five minutes you spent searching for the warranty for the mixer you just broke, the seven minutes you wasted emptying your purse or pockets in search of quarters for the vending machine, the 10 minutes it took you to find your cell phone stuck in between the couch cushions — it all adds up in a big way.”

The fix is to designate a place for everything. UGH! It would take me longer to organize that than I have left in this world. The website also says to stop running errands and do them online. Another UGH! It sounds like the solution is to not talk to anyone ever again. I like running errands. I like going to the store and “all those little excursions and detours.” I vow to never, unless I am otherwise unable, use the online ordering and then pick up my stuff at the grocery store. NEVER!

But, I certainly did agree that we all tend to over clean things. Yippee! I had a friend who used to wash, and probably wax, her lawnmower every time she used it. Her repair man said she wore it out with all that bathing.
“You may not realize it, but on an average day, most people spend time doing some form of housework, whether it’s laundry, vacuuming, cooking, mowing the lawn or paying the bills, and — get this — they spend over two hours doing it. We don’t know about you, but we’re thinking that’s way too much for anyone, even Mr. Clean … If you absolutely need your house to be spotless at all times, you could suck it up and hire someone else to do it or … stop being such a neat freak!” Yippee!

Stop arguing and fighting about the small stuff — another waste of time. Well, I’m still learning that one. The article said to talk it out. Ha! That’s a good one. 

The very worst time waster is one we can all agree on. It is waiting on hold. The website says to “Hang up the phone. Most companies have websites where you can get most of your questions answered, submit a query for the ones you can’t or even IM with a live customer service rep who can answer your questions right away.”

Uh, let’s get back to the real world. If all the websites answered all the questions we wouldn’t be on hold, would we? No, we wouldn’t. What I’ve started doing is putting the phone on speaker and lay it on the table beside me so I can continue doing other things while I’m waiting. That makes me sound patient and I am not. I only do that twice a year. However, there was a link to a list of things to do while holding. Update your playlists, plan your weekend, do jumping jacks, pay your bills, tidy up (it really suggested cleaning again), organize your desktop (more cleaning), and clean out your purse or wallet. I thought we hired someone to do that.

My vote is on doing something memorable this weekend and that definitely does not include cleaning, organizing, or holding on. Yippee!