Well, we all know how that adage ends.
Perez Hilton used to represent my “play.” I already told you about my fixation with the “Real Housewives.” So I feel comfortable enough to tell you that I was also one of the readers who helped to make the celebrity gossip artist’s blog so massively popular. I stopped perusing Perez when I realized just how much of my white space—that precious spare time or cerebral real estate —was being consumed by this truly addictive blog.
Even the most busy of us have “white space,” and even the most busy of us also have that guilty pleasure. Yours may be “Car and Driver” magazine—or it may be watching NBA League Pass into the wee hours. Each of these guilty pleasures has an undesirable side effect of turning what was supposed to be just a one-hour break away from work and life stress into a two- or three-hour session of wasted time. You may have satiated your need for celebretainment or sports media, but what else did you get out of the past two hours of TV watching or magazine reading? Unless you’re a car salesman or sports analyst, such activity probably represents little more than leisure—respite from reality.
And that definitely counts for something. No doubt. We all need a break from the everyday grind, or we truly would be very dull (or worse) without any play. What I’m saying is that we each need to find our own, seemingly elusive balance with regard to how we fill our white space.
In short, be intentional about how you invest your energy and attention.
Instead of spending several hours agonizing over your Fantasy Football picks, set aside an hour or so to this activity and then invest the remainder of the time (be it one or two hours) to something more enriching. Now, this doesn’t have to be something “boring.” It can be just as entertaining and even more stimulating, than football or fashion, whatever your vice may be. Listen to a podcast or two from a leader you admire. It’s easy, inspiring and chances are, you’re already downloading music to your iPod, so why not? If you’re really short on white space, even something as simple as downloading that podcast and listening to it in your car during your morning commute works. Not to mention, it’s a lot more relaxing than listening to the pundits scream their opinions during the morning drive—or hearing the steady stream of bad news—shootings, fires and the like—from the night before.
Last week, I told you about the concept of compounding interest. Filling your white space in these small ways—from reading a book by a leader you respect before you go to bed, to connecting with other likeminded professionals on an online forum—is an investment in yourself that adds up with time. These activities also have the added benefit of being entertaining.
Just remember: Perez can make you laugh, but what else has he done for you lately?
