How we spend our time

I was recently part of a discussion about the time we spend exposed to the media and how it affects us based solely on sheer volume. I went online to find some data- just how many hours/wk do we watch tv? (Haven't quite found the answer, but most people seem to say ~3hrs/day, at least during the week...) In the process I found this blog http://www.shirky.com/herecomeseverybody/mt/mt-tb.cgi/19, and thought it was very interesting. The main point is that ALL the time we spend watching tv is a "surplus" of time- imagine how MUCH we could accomplish if we spent only a small portion of that time being productive?!? I believe the author's point was that we're trending away from "passive media" (just watching tv) towards "active medica" (internet sites which allow response, involve the viewer, like blogs!) But it's easy to take his thoughts one step further- just how much time do we waste? Certainly, we need some down time, and I would even call that productive time, as it's an essential "re-charging" so we can continue to be productive. But beyond a certain level (a level which is incredibly hard to pinpoint), we as a culture seem to have vast amounts of time in which we accomplish nothing... imagine WHAT we could if we used some of that time! And then, on a personal note, imagine what I could do if used more of my time more productively. I've often heard "the richest place on earth is a graveyard because of all the wasted potential there." Wasted potential. Hmm. Another quote comes to mind, something about being an ordinary person doing extraordinary things. If we want to have influence, leave a legacy, we have don't have to be exceptionally wise, talented, wealthy... all we have to do is not waste our potential. Easier said than done, no doubt. But maybe the next time I'm tempted to sit and watch tv, or do kakuro (more challenging than sudoku), I should pause and wonder if that's a productive use of time (do I need 30 minutes to unwind after a 30-hr shift at the hospital?) or am I wasting potential... potential to write, to practice the piano or violin, to read the Bible, to send an encouraging email, to exercise... so many things we can invest our time in. Even some media- certain movies, novels- stretch and challenge me, and are productive uses of my time. But I think it's a valuable exercise to pause before each activity and just question what value it has, what potential I'm investing in... or if I'm being a faithful steward of my time. (And for the record, I cringe as I write this because I hate "being productive" when it means cleaning or cooking or exercising... but I don't want to waste any potential God has entrusted to me, ability He's given me trusting that I'll use it for him. No wasted potential in my grave! http://www.shirky.com/herecomeseverybody/mt/mt-tb.cgi/19 This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 Unported License.