Product Showcases

Avoid the Idle Monster

"Know the true value of time; snatch, seize, and enjoy every moment of it. No idleness, no laziness, no procrastination: never put off till tomorrow what you can do today."
  --- Philip Stanhope, 4th Earl of Chesterfield

Many of us grew up under the philosophy that if you don't work, you don't eat. We always understood that although being idle sometimes looks attractive, we must rally up our gumption to still "earn our keep." That is probably why we often frown upon the idea of handouts and subsidies for those who are healthy and fully capable of working and supporting themselves and their families. Idleness has its place, but not when there is work to do.

A good work ethic doesn't mean that there is no time for play and rest. In fact, a good work ethic requires that we maintain a healthy balance of all three to avoid the ever-lurking, overused term: burnout. We would all at some point be tempted to join the ranks of idle people and sit at home watching reruns of Knight Rider, but the industrialist in us requires that we push onward producing, perfecting, selling, and producing some more.

"Rest is not idleness, and to lie sometimes on the grass under trees on a summer's day, listening to the murmur of the water, or watching the clouds float across the sky, is by no means a waste of time."
  --- John Lubbock

The man or woman who continually pushes forward without rest will do more harm for their enterprise than those who stop to sharpen their axes. Rest has become a dreaded word to be avoided in business conversations. But the really successful business leaders not only take time to rest, they schedule and make the time to rest. They know that in order to perform at the top of their game, they need to recharge their batteries on a frequent basis.

"Diligence is the mother of good fortune, and idleness, its opposite, never brought a man to the goal of any of his best wishes."
  --- Miguel de Cervantes

Unfortunately, today's digital devices and multi- and social media channels have taken idleness to a whole new level. Now we can be at our desk appearing to be working, but using idle time to surf, spy, eavesdrop, and get entertained. Hours quickly waste away and we return home feeling like we've worked all day, when the reality is that our productivity was really low.

"To be idle and to be poor have always been reproaches, and therefore every man endeavors with his utmost care to hide his poverty from others, and his idleness from himself."
  --- Samuel Johnson

To combat the monster of idleness and really be productive requires that we be diligent about denying our digital devices for fun. Save the fun, idle time for the evening. If you have to, completely silence those distractions and drum up the energy to completely focus on the tasks at hand. It requires energy and effort to avoid the idle monster. He longs to have you sit with him and do nothing of substance. He enjoys mindless activity and would rather have you along for the ride. Ignore him. Resist him. Fight him!

"Idleness is to the human mind like rust to iron."
  --- Ezra Cornell