I don’t want to waste too much of your time, so I’ll only list ten of my favorites:
1. Search the library catalog for books I want to read — place them on Hold, even though I already have a mile-high pile of books next to my favorite reading chair.
2. Watch my tulips. They’re hardly ever doing anything interesting, but you never know.
3. Search for a recipe online — specifically one that uses leftover turkey, peas, and celery.
4. Take everything out of the hall closet, then put it all back. I guess that’s a lot like digging holes and then filling them in again. Emptying the hall closet, however, is easier, and I can do it without getting wet when it’s raining.
5. Sit in front of the computer and stare at a blank Word document.
6. Rewrite my To Do List.
7. Dust the mini-blinds.
8. Read a few of the posts, articles, group digests, and newsletters I’ve stored in folders.
9. Think about writing query letters and preparing submissions. Add item to my To Do List.
10. Watch television. Tuesday: American Idol, Dancing With the Stars, Glee, Lost, V — Thank goodness I have a DVR!
You have some interesting and creative time wasters. I needed some new ones, and this post will serve nicely. Are royalties due on these, or can I just steal them???
Best Wishes, Galen.
I could stare out the window for hours without moving my eyeballs — we call that thinking (or writing in our heads).
I have become an expert at staring out the window. I can stare for minutes, hours even, without moving my eyeballs an inch in either direction. That’s a valuable skill for a writer, right?
Watching tulips counts as daydreaming. An essential writer activity, so no time wasted there!!
You call it wasting time, I call it a little relaxation 🙂
Love the list! So can relate! Love the Dancing with the Stars line.. so with you on that one!
Wasting time can be fun! But I’d do almost anything to avoid cleaning my mini-blinds 🙂
Each breath you take is never wasted, Patricia. You’re a bright woman. And whatever experience you are living will teach you something — even if you do not realize it at the time.
Have a healing mid-week,Roland
This was fun to read. I’ve rewritten my ToDo List and realized I’m wasting my time. I’d be better off rearranging a pencil box or my sock drawer.
Stephen Tremp
If it weren’t for the DVR, I’d waste even more time than I already do. Love your list. It’s a great read. And I’m also intrigued by Kay’s comment above. The dust bunnies sounds like the beginning of a spooky/terrifying/intriguing story.
Thanks for some new suggestions for wasting time. I’ll add them to my own to-do list — except for maybe the closet bit.
Have to tell you my mother ran away from home (to the big city of Great Falls) so she wouldn’t have to clean out the closets every Saturday. (I think she saw something besides the dust bunnies in there.)
Love your last one…I do that. My favorite way to waste time is to webcrawl…cool sites, play bit of games…look at a 360 degree tour of the Great Wall of China…you know, “research”.
This was a hoot.
I do 6 a lot, but none of them sound as fun as 2!
I’m so glad to see I’m not alone. And when I checked the tulips this morning, they were still just hanging out. Same for the African violets in the living room.
Linda — the A to Z blog challenge has been so much fun it is kind of tempting to do it over again. I’m already wondering what I’m going to blog about next month.
And be sure to stop by tomorrow, everyone — I have a special post for “X” — another bit of excellent timing.
Excellent list, Patricia, and strangely enough, my tulips don’t do much either. But I keep an eye on them anyway because you never know.
Oh my, I’m afraid my “W” list would be endless! Your #5 might be #1 on my list, though.
The tulip watching and the hall closet really resonated with me. Still chuckling.
Watch your tulips . . . I laughed out loud. Out my writing window, I watch the oak tree.
You have given me ideas. Sitting and watching the plants – how did I never think of that!
~ Rayna
I’ve enjoyed A-W and I think you should “waste” more time repeating a second round of daily A-Z. I’m hooked and don’t want it to stop. Fun read today.
I guess great minds Do think alike! lol.. I blogged about wasting time also! 🙂
I’m always doing number 6. Now I find multiple to-do lists in different notebooks and on different pads. Then I incorporate all of them into one master list. Then I separate the list into categories. You get the idea. Oh and writers have the cleanest toilets on the planet.
Karen
I seem to do #6 over and over again. I think #2 could be relaxing. Fun post.
Mason
Thoughts in Progress
A wondeful post most enjoyable to read.
Have fun,
Yvonne.