Nothing gives me the grumbles like the feeling that my time is not my own. The Wall Street Journal reviewed a book that hit a nerve. The World Beyond Your Head: On becoming an Individual in an Age of Distraction by Matthew B. Crawford. It’s about the in-your-face attention grabbers that rob you of your time and your peace of mind.
I have made some decisions that help me feel a little less like a ping pong ball in someone else’s game.
Things I never do
- Fill out customer satisfaction surveys. You will know if I am satisfied if I return. I don’t get paid to evaluate you. That’s what your manager gets paid to do.
- Use rewards cards. Reward me for shopping by providing me with good products and excellent customer service.The last thing I need is one more card to manage. My time keeping up with multiple cards and special offers is more valuable that the few cents I might save.
Sign petitions. This is not the way I want to engage on an issue. - Click on cute, shocking, or “you’ll never guess what happened next” teasers. Unless it is involves a cat and I am in particular need of a laugh, I don’t click on bait.
- Open any mail-order catalogues or most of my snail mail. Into the garbage. Unopened. I hate that I have to add to the landfill this way, but I hate even more reading ad copy or comparing myself to the Chico’s fashion model.
No is my favorite word
Sometimes I feel like a two-year-old. No is my favorite word. But the beauty of being an adult instead of a two-year-old? Adults who know their own minds can’t be tempted, bribed or guilted into responding (unless it is after 4 pm and your blood sugar level has dropped).
I like the King James Version of Ephesians 5:15,16:
See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil.
Are the days evil? In the sense that behavior that tempts, bribes or guilts us into doing things that are not the best use of our time, perhaps. How much time could you recover if you systematically dealt with annoyance? What could you do with that time?
Tell me, what do you say No to? (Those who say No to commenting on blogs need not respond. For those who find value in being part of the discussion, I’d really like to hear your suggestions!)
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