What are you doing with your time?

This question came to mind recently. I began to wonder how much of my time is wasted. What am I doing when I am not paying attention to what I am doing? Here is what I discovered. Almost all of the things that I did unintentionally were a waste of my time. To be wasteful, an activity needs to add no value to my life or to the life of anyone else. Therefore, taking a nap can be an important, restful activity, or it can be the wasting of a perfectly good afternoon.

In a like manner, watching television can be a waste of time, or it can be a meaningful experience of growth and refreshing. The first thing to remember is to spend your time intentionally. Do not let time get away from you. Plan what you will do; how you will occupy yourself. Here are some guidelines to help you with your time management:

1. Make sure that all activities are purposeful. Now what you are doing and why you are doing it. Do not spend time in unnecessary pursuits.
2. Remember that rest is important. It is not necessarily a waste of time.
3. Meditation and prayer time, although it seems non-productive, is very valuable to your emotional and spiritual well-being.
4. Be certain that your time is spent well. Ask yourself these questions:

• Will this event/activity cause me to learn anything or be more fulfilled?
• Will this thing cause me to be more content?
• Will this be intellectually, emotionally, spiritually or relationally beneficial to me or others?
• Will this serve to better me or the world?
• If I do not participate in this activity will I miss it later?

Finally, never do anything 'just because.' Live your life with purpose.