The Value of Time
Is this blog worth your time?
No really. I, your friendly biweekly blogger, am asking.
I’m not trying to discourage you. I honestly want to know. Did you click the link because you think I have something interesting to say? Are you a besotted fan of my two published works, eagerly awaiting more? Are you a disinterested party looking for an intelligent blog on the value of time (eek!)? Or are you a hater, eagerly awaiting my destruction?
Time is our the most precious commodity. I give my time to Lemur, to work, to my friends. I’m tired of giving my time to worthless shit. I hope you’ve joined me because you’re on the same journey.
I talked about Time Sucks here, and pretty much every post about video games. Since I wrote that in 2014, I work out more. I eat better. I play less. Now, my biggest time suck is stress.
I worry too much about things I can’t control. I know this. I’ve read Seven Habits of Highly Effective People three times. I should be able to define what I can’t control in my sleep. Maybe it’s time to read again.
Instead of stress, here’s what I want to do with my time:
Spend more time with my aging parents. My aunt passed away this weekend, which reminded us all: life is short. I already have amazing memories of my parents, but it’s not enough.
Spend more time with Lemur, NOT gaming. He’ll view this as torture, unless it’s sex. *waggle eyebrows* Maybe it is.
Spend more time with the pup. Fourteen-and-a-half years with our old dog was not long enough. I still cry at least once a week. I teared up writing this bullet. My animals are my children. Sorry, Mom.
Spend more time doing things that make me happy. Listening to Queen makes me happy. Reading diverse LGBTQ+ fiction makes me happy. Writing diverse LGBTQ+ fiction makes me happy. Long talks with friends make me happy. Achieving my work, writing, and life goals makes me happy. Writing these blog posts for you makes me happy. (However, if reading them doesn’t make you happy, maybe stop?)
If I spend more time doing the things that matter, I’ll spend less time on the things that don’t matter.
Less gaming. As much as I love fictional characters and world-building, I don’t need to live in someone else’s made-up world.
Less political bullshit. I’m still apeshit over some policies (ahem…net neutrality), but what can I do about it? While the fifty emails a day asking me to contact congress might convince me otherwise, I don’t have the money to compete against the people who want to take our rights away. Hence, this is outside my circle of control. Will I still contact congress? Sure, but I’m deleting every fucking email asking me for money.
Less drama llama. Drama llama is the voice in my head telling me to worry about worthless shit. In 2018, drama llama will be silenced.
Less negativity, especially about myself. I’m doing the best I can with what I have, and I’m constantly trying to improve. I’ll do even better when I have time to devote to the things that matter.
What is the best use of your time?