by Tiggered
Time is a precious commodity (some even say it IS money). In the busy times we're living in, it becomes even more valuable and people able to honestly say 'I have all the time in the world' are as rare as tigers or snow leopards.
If you are hard pressed for time and you're trying to find more hours in a day, I have some good news: there's an easy way to claim those hours back. My formula works like a dream! What is it? Read on to find out.
Photo source, modified by Tiggered
My time-saving idea was born when I was reading a fascinating book about something entirely different.
(Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser. Check it out it if you have a chance - some twenty pages into the book I started asking: where have you been all my life?)
It appeared to me as the obvious solution to the time management problem for people in the developed countries.
It is simple.
It is radical.
It is beautiful.
It is 100% effective for those in position to implement it.
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Before I reveal what the secret ingredient is, let me add some comments about other required items:
1. It doesn't necessary need to be a baseball bat. Any hand-held device with some potential desctructive power will do. A hockey stick. A rolling pin. A large rock. You can see the pattern.
2. Originally I thought of a plastic sheet (you know, the type painters use to cover floors when they're working) instead of a blanket, but public domain pictures of plastic sheets are extremely difficult to find. Tip: if you prefer to use the blanket, please use your least favourite one.
3. Safety first! You might get away with not wearing a hard hat, but make sure your eyes are protected. There will be bits flying!
(Disclaimer: I don't care much about health & safety regulations, but I don't want to get sued, ok? Skip the protective gear at your own peril)
4. Ha!
All graphics come from this source, modified by Tiggered
1. Spread blanket/plastic sheet on the ground in some unpopulated area.
2. Place the secret ingredient on the blanket. Make sure no bits stick out.
3. Firmly grasp the baseball bat.
4. Repeatedly hit the secret ingredient until state of total wreckage is achieved.
5. Collect all the bits that fell of the blanket.
6. Wrap blanket around the scraps.
7. Dispose of the bundle in responsible manner.
First, let me quote a passage from Fast Food Nation that inspired me to write this article:
"The typical American child now spends about twenty-one hours a week watching television - roughly one and a half months of TV every year. That does not include the time children spend in front of a screen watching videos, playing video games, or using the computer. Outside of school, the typical American child spends more time watching television than doing any other activity except sleeping. During the course of a year, he or she watches more than thirty thousand TV commercials. Even the nation's youngest children are watching a great deal of television. About one-quarter of American children between the ages of two and five have a TV in their room."
Page 46 of the 2002 edition by Penguin books.
Twenty-one hours a week, guys. One and a half months, each year, of constant TV watching. And it's old news, too - Schlosser's data come from 2001 (or even earlier), which is AGES ago in our fast-paced world.
Most likely, the situation got only worse by now.
If you're not American, don't get too smug - other nations are just as bad in their TV viewing habits. Likewise, do not think that the problem concerns children only - adults (who are supposed to be wiser!) are just as screen-eager as their kids.
Precise statistics are difficult to come by online, but have a look here or here or here for more information.
Let me be frank - destroying your TV set is the surest way to claim the hours back. We humans are irrational creatures (don't believe anyone who tells you otherwise) and we are easy to tempt. Hell is paved with good intentions and all the promises of iron will and reducing the time spent in front of the glass screen are usually not effective = pointless. Get rid of the damn thing if you mean business!
Of course, you can keep the TV out of your life by simply not buying a set, ever. This method is highly recommendable, as it saves you both time and money. More money, to be precise. Whatever way of removing the TV from your existence you choose, you will not have to pay licensing fees. Expression on the face of a TV license inspector when you tell him you don't own a TV set - priceless!
If you prefer to politely drive your TV set to a local waste management centre instead of totalling the thing with a hammer, feel free. You are a very good citizen.
If you prefer to throw it out of the 3rd floor window you're probably a student, a heavy party-goer or mentally unstable. This method, while showy, can lead to the authorities not being too happy with your behaviour and all the unpleasantness that goes with it - fines, court orders, etc. NOT recommendable.
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Comments
That's funny. I probably would turn on a TV if I had one just for company, but I used to like to weave with the TV on. Seems there's less and less entertainment on these days though.
Well said but it's definitely not for me :) I have a TV in my room at university but I've never switched it on since December (I wonder if it works :P). But, the laptop would be my TV in this case :D