Time
Prior to this month, I thought I had no free time. Well, not literally zero free time, but it felt pretty small and weak. I said it was hard to find time to do anything other than sit around. Then I found myself in the throes of NaNo.
I think everyone should participate in NaNo. Not because I think everyone should be forced to do something they may or may not want to do, but because of what it shows you. I discovered that I have all kinds of free time if I’m not wasting it on video games.
The reason? Video games pass the time very quickly. An hour is microscopic unit of time when you’re busy being awesome. What shocked me was that nothing else is really like that. An hour of writing feels long. A half hour on the treadmill feels really long. Suddenly I feel like I can do more than one thing on a given night and not have to rush through any of it.
Does that mean I’m swearing off the games? Not likely. I’ve got a stack I need to get through, and I’m sure several on the way from Mr. Claus, so I’m not on the verge of quitting. But I realized the main thing holding me back from everything I want to do is the gaming, and not a lack of time to pursue other interests.
November 18th, 2008 at 3:22 pm
If I’m honest, my free time is monopolized by the television.
November 18th, 2008 at 6:38 pm
*An hour is microscopic unit of time when you’re busy being awesome.*
This is so true, but it still made me smile. :-)
At some point an hour of writing or a half hour of treadmill may not feel quite so long, as you exercise those writing and treadmill muscles — become more awesome at it. Dare I say, it might even become enjoyable. ;-)
We all have our own personal time sinks that we struggle with. We’re works-in-progress.
November 19th, 2008 at 1:53 pm
Well, it’s not that writing/treadmilling aren’t enjoyable, it’s just that after time has elapsed, there is an effect you can see. With writing, it’s the thousand (or more on a good day!) words that weren’t there an hour ago; with the treadmill, it’s the fact that you’re breathing hard and need a clean shirt. :) With the video games, the progress isn’t tangible. After an hour, the only change is the spot on the disc that the game is pulling data from… and maybe I’ve changed the way I’m sitting. Beyond that, it’s one of those weird situations where you ask, “If nothing has changed from that moment and this one, how do I know time is passing?”
November 21st, 2008 at 1:46 am
I just got done playing an hour of Combat Arms…I you need to stop being so right about all of this stuff.