11.08.2007

Is saving time a waste of time?

Why are we always looking for ways to save time? Fast food, instated food, microwavable food, rush hour traffic short cuts, finding faster, quicker routes home, we hire, we employ, we outsource, we subscribe so we don’t have to do it. The “it” being the proverbial “it” that is taking up all of our time. What do we do with all the minutes we save? Where are those extra minutes of life? Why are we racing around trying to save time in the first place? What could we have been doing with that time?

Is time saving tips wasting our time? Here is a quick list of things in my life that is supposed to save time but in the end, ends up fanning the flames of frustration and shortening my lifespan, which by the way is a waste of time.

- Preparing already prepared foods: No matter what the instructions on the box tell you this is the universal correct formula for cooking already prepared foods: Place in over 3 times longer than the box tells you then add an additional 17 min for the food to cool down on your countertop, so you can eat it without burning your mouth. Finally add another 20 min since you have to place it back in the oven because it is still ice cold in the center.

- Any automatic voice response phone system: These systems never work, nor save time. They increase stress and blood pressure, which in turn add to higher medical bills and health insurance costs. Not surprisingly, this is probably why you were making the phone call in the first place.

- Any online bill payment: There are too many choices, options and navigational issues to deal with. You need to call one of those life-shortening automatic voice response phone systems then remember to press 0 to get an operator to have that person explain how to navigate the online system. Just write a check.

- Trusting Mapquest: If Mapquest works out for you then you probably already knew where you were going in the first place. Just ask somebody at your final destination how to get there. This will cause less frustration, in turn, your health will improve. Saving you from having to call one of those life-shortening automatic voice response phone systems to figure out how to pay your medical bill online.

- Using spell checker in Microsoft Word, Google always gets it right the first time.


- The grand finale of wasting time trying to save time is: Multi-tasking while driving: People eating their prepared foods, which was the original source causing them to be late in first place, forces them to make their phone calls on a cell phone while driving in conjunction with having to navigate a life-shortening automatic voice response phone system. Sequentially starting an occurrence of events that will bring about a multitude of people to have to call their insurance and health care companies due to the fact that you were not paying attention while driving, thus causing a pile-up on the interstate. At that precise instant causing that very multitude of people to be late due to the accident that you have just caused. When it’s all said and done your time reduction activities cause a wave of innocent people to waste a lot of their valuable time.

When it’s all said and done you could use the extra minutes you save to go see your lawyer. I wonder if your lawyer is interested in saving you time when you’re sitting in his office?????