Monday, June 12, 2017

Too Much Free Time

I've been on both sides of the fence. 

Several years ago, when I was between jobs, I found myself with too much free time on my hands.  These days, because I work more than one job, my schedule stays full.  And even though it may sound crazy, I actually like my life better now. 

It's something I've discussed with several people lately.  And we all agree.  Too much free time is just not a good thing.

When we have too much free time on our hands, we can easily fall into some negative patterns.  Any of us are capable of these things.  Some of these include...

[A] Thinking too much and over-analyzing matters.
[B] Becoming too needy and demanding of other people.
[C] Getting too bored and vulnerable to temptation.
[D] Accomplishing too little and wasting our skills.

Life is better when we have things to do.  Having structure and a to-do list are beneficial to our productivity level, mental health, and emotional well-being.  And on a spiritual level, it's good for us to do something with the life that God has given each of us.

So how should we respond to those seasons of life when we have a little too much free time on our hands?  Well, let me share with you something Jacqueline Whitmore wrote on May 31, 2016 for Entrepreneur magazine.  Her article was entitled "6 Productive Ways To Spend Your Idle Time".  And these are her suggestions of what we can do when our schedule has a few too many openings:

[1]  Record your goals.
[2]  Listen to audio books.
[3]  Learn another language.
[4]  Check up on your loved ones.
[5]  Get moving.
[6]  Give back.

Jacqueline offers us all some fantastic suggestions in her list!

"An idle mind is the devil's workshop."  I've heard that statement many times.   And I really believe it's true.  Don't you?

May God help us all avoid two unhealthy extremes.  One is working all the time and never taking a break.  The other is having too much free time on our hands.  Somewhere in between these two radical ways of life is a happy and healthy medium where we all would do well to live.       

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