We sometimes have grandchildren stay overnight with us. We have a guest room set up for them. We have a ton of books. We have art supplies for creative endeavors. We have CDs filled with music crossing many genres. We have movies on DVD and VHS. And, of course we're always willing to talk. What do we hear, "I'm bored. What can I do?"
"Famed economist Stuart Chase once sat down to figure the calendar of his days. There is, he said, an ascending scale of human values and somewhere on it there is a line between living and mere existing. In how many hours of the week, he asked himself, had he truly and intensively lived? In how many hours had he just existed? Out of the 168 hours of the week he found that he had been 'alive" only 40, or about 25% of the total time."
- Woman's Day
I've always prided myself on using time wisely. My first quarter in high school I had one study hall class. I used it to read books, but the next time I signed up for classes I made sure I had no study hall. I wanted something going on every minute. In my junior year I signed up for television skills at the vocational school and in my senior year I was the star of the senior class play. In between I played in the concert band and orchestra all three years. In my spare time I worked at my family's business and constantly read books. I still had time for friends and fun.
I've never felt bored. But, after I read about Stuart Chase I took the opportunity to reflect on my own hours of the week. I find that I am most productive in the morning hours and then I slow down. I could sit at the computer for hours reading news and writing. Is unproductive time boring? I don't know. What is boredom? Is boredom just plain doing nothing? I don't think so.
In Chase's case, he claimed sleeping hours as merely existing. Sleeping is resting the body, which we need to re-energize our body. We do that a third of our life. People squeeze out more productive time in their lives, by cutting sleep. This isn't wise. Less sleep means more stress and more stress means less enjoyable time. Less sleep means less life. That's counter-productive.
I need to relax and have a good time. I once invited a friend to raft down a river on an afternoon. He said, "I've got better things to do than drink beer and float down a river." He sure put me in my place. We can't work all the time.
I wonder if the 40 hours Chase counted as being alive was his time at work? It seems significant. Now, I do know people who fritter away their time at work and do nothing productive, but they don't seem bored. I also know many people who are really busy at work . . . and still do nothing productive. They don't seem bored either. What is the secret?
Often, out of nowhere come ideas and solutions. How do you plan for those? Mine appear while I'm watching movies or TV, or reading a book, or listening to music, or exploring art, or answering silly questions. You have to be receptive. We can't scrunch our eyes and grit our teeth in an effort to show that we are alive. Perhaps, being alive is keeping track of our time on Earth . . . crossing off each day in turn on the calendar. Perhaps, being alive is being aware of yourself.
I think the secret to being alive must be both objective and subjective. I think the mind must be active and the emotions must get a workout. To merely exist seems like such a waste, but to live, think, laugh and experience the moment seems just too easy . . . maybe if I added a nap.
Don Doman is a published author, video producer, and corporate trainer. He owns the business training site Ideas and Training (http://www.ideasandtraining.com), which he says is the home of the no-hassle "free preview" for business training videos. He also owns Human Resources Radio (http://www.humanresourcesradio.com), which broadcasts HR and business training information, program previews, and training samples from some of the world's great training speakers twenty-four hours a day. You can listen and learn on Human Resources Radio.