tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5722735165669239585.post898523897404558051..comments2023-05-24T23:33:57.516+10:00Comments on My Unwelcome Stranger: "I don’t have time"Denis Wrighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12786035137418348609noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5722735165669239585.post-73879596576741671582011-10-05T00:16:39.127+11:002011-10-05T00:16:39.127+11:00There seems to be an inverse ratio between the num...There seems to be an inverse ratio between the number of jobs some people who are always rushing around complaining they have to do and what they actually accomplish!Denis Wrighthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12786035137418348609noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5722735165669239585.post-1530637497350456322011-10-01T00:25:34.210+10:002011-10-01T00:25:34.210+10:00All true. I am one of those people who "never...All true. I am one of those people who "never has time" and I find I keep a sort of mental list of tasks (and various paper ones) where things move up and down according to priority and inclination until eventually they MAY get done and crossed off. I think it mostly works as well as it can, but I find for me there is a danger of concentrating on tasks and my kids and neglecting everything else which is also important, like friends, exercise, etc.Jackie Khttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06322613989851869319noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5722735165669239585.post-50599873071822456712011-09-29T19:58:21.490+10:002011-09-29T19:58:21.490+10:00Zoe - we were talking about Steptoe and Son just a...Zoe - we were talking about Steptoe and Son just a few days ago and what a wonderful comment it was, even in caricature, on that world - but that of the Garnetts was just as fascinating. I love that story. But I think I'll still go for the briefcase, even though I have no idea what I'd do with the contents. There's nothing in there I want for myself. I think Tracey might have some ideas though....Denis Wrighthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12786035137418348609noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5722735165669239585.post-32535230374890266062011-09-29T19:45:57.123+10:002011-09-29T19:45:57.123+10:00Bob - I looked down your posting sentence by sente...Bob - I looked down your posting sentence by sentence and was totally in agreement with them all.<br /><br />I know I have been a 'soft touch' for being roped into things that I like to help with but really they aren't as important as many other things I want to do. But because the person is there, the squeaky wheel gets the grease.<br /><br />Then there are close friends who deliberately hold back because they are more considerate of you than others, or they know you better, and the result is that you and those you want to spend time with lose opportunities never regained.<br /><br />Old habits die hard, but fortunately Tracey often rescues me from being a soft touch.<br /><br />I know with every passing day better than most that I have to be what you call 'selfish' about time, Bob. What you're really saying, and rightly, is to get your priorities truly in order.<br /><br />That's not being selfish. It's also courtesy to all those closest to you.Denis Wrighthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12786035137418348609noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5722735165669239585.post-53174031467447851682011-09-26T18:53:56.703+10:002011-09-26T18:53:56.703+10:00As I get older my time has become more precious an...As I get older my time has become more precious and I am getting better at saying 'No'. <br /><br />I am surrounded by people who, unlike me, are gregarious ("you must come to dinner and meet these lovely people" - why should I? I can't give enough time to the friends I already have, and who I value). <br /><br />Or those who like holding long conversations: "I've got this wonderful new mobile phone plan that allows me to phone you up and talk for an hour, free, every day" ... sure, at noon and 6pm, just at the time I want to eat. <br /><br />Or those who press you to join things (croquet, bowls, bridge, singing groups "but I can't sing". "Nonsense, everybody can sing"). Wrong, but never mind. <br /><br />Say 'yes' and a lot of precious time goes down the drain. If you don't want to do it, say 'No' emphatically and you have all that glorious time to yourself. Selfish? Yes. But we do have some rights regarding our own time, too. <br /><br />It really comes down to living your own life and not ruining it by trying to please others all the time. Sure there are obligations but otherwise, I set priorities. <br /><br />What do I have to do with my time today? What do I need to do? What do I want to do? <br /><br />'Want to do' wins hands down. I find I always have time for what I want to do - the rest goes in the 'pending' tray. If it sits there long enough, I am eventually surprised by how unimportant it really was.Bob Lakenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5722735165669239585.post-11649433664251082542011-09-26T13:59:18.535+10:002011-09-26T13:59:18.535+10:00In the episode of Till Death us Do Part in which t...In the episode of Till Death us Do Part in which the Garnetts have a telephone installed, all sorts of arguments are going on in the foreground and slowly, as the programme goes on and Alf's wife keeps interrupting, saying, 'Hey, you'll never guess who's in here', it becomes clear that she is sitting in the background quietly reading her way through the London telephone directory. And no-one is paying her to do it!zmkchttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08972549292961948240noreply@blogger.com