“One thing we ADHDers never have enough of is time. So if there’s one thing we should never be wasting…it’s…yep…TIME!” – Alan Brown
I’m not one for brow-beating my fellow ADHD tribesters, but when it comes to time-wasting, I do get a little preachy. In fact, I was writing part of a Crusher™TV episode about the five biggest avoidable time-wasters and I was getting so wound-up about it that I decided to write it as a fire-and-brimstone sermon!
I call these epic smiters of our precious time…
(Not to be confused with the epic Motown group, The Temptations – of whom there were indeed five).
Here they are. Harken ye to these tales of woe!
I. The Entertainments (aka, Media and Games) These voices beckon us with the false promise of….”Oh just a coupla minutes of Candy Crush”….or “just the first five minutes of Hannity or Rachel Maddow or Big Bang Theory…Surely then I will be ready to return to my labors…” And return we do not.
Your salvation? Schedule specific times for this stuff – to include a cut-off time. They’re not sinful in and of themselves – if you limit them!
II. The Social Media-ites (aka Social Media) These soldiers of the dark side dwell in our devices, our homes, our chariots and I dare say, in our very souls. Their song lulls us deep into their web…then rolls us up in the silk of superficial social interaction…and finally spits us out two hours later…our minds by then utterly vacated.
Your salvation? Toss your device into your drawer and resist that temptation!
III. The Busy-Work Those deceitful activities cleverly disguised as productivities…Checking email…Re-checking email…the shuffling of papers…the not-really-necessary conference call. All perfectly tempting in contrast to that which truly needs doing.
Your salvation? Knoweth ye the difference! See this verse for more.
IV. The Ruminations (aka, Negative Self-Talk) An idle mind is indeed the playground of the devil. It begins when we lament the work we’ve been assigned…and that lamentation quickly turns to self-torment…then wasted time and energy.
Your salvation? A gratitude prayer can quickly smite negative thoughts about one’s travails.
V. The Carbohydra (aka, Carb- and Sugar-Based Snacks) This false idol promises the land of milk and honey, but delivers only the sadness of simple carbs and sucrose. It does not nourish the mind, but thrashes it utterly!
Your salvation? The teat of protein shall nourish mind and soul!
These five plagues on our productivity menace our constitution with false promises of blissful escape…and in so doing…drag us further up the River Styx. Also known as the East River. And you what’s up there, don’t you? Yes, Da Bronx!
I hope you enjoyed our sermon today (with apologies to anyone sensitive to the religious theme…and to the good people of Da Bronx).
Bless!
Alan
P.S. You might like to watch the episode where this sketch was performed. (You can become a member for a buck and cancel any time ya like.) It was part of Episode 20: Best of Crusher™TV – The Pontiffs of Procrastination, which featured clips from interviews with Ari Tuckman, Jeff Copper and other wise men and women! Here’s the preview of that episode:
