Hello everyone and welcome to my first appearance on this (or any) blog hop. Please take a look around my website to get acquainted with what I do. My task today is to write a short post on a particular topic, not of my choosing. I hope I’ve done it justice. Find out below.
Here are the rules for this Blog hop,
- Link your blog to this hop.
- Notify your following that you are participating in this blog hop.
- Promise to visit/leave a comment on all participants’ blogs.
- Tweet/or share each person’s blog post. Use #OpenBook when tweeting.
- Put a banner on your blog that you are participating.
And here’s the prompt,
If you didn’t have to sleep, what would you do with the extra time?
It sounds great doesn’t it?
All that extra time; just think of what you could do. The possibilities must be limitless.
So why am I reminded of Parkinson’s Law?
And the fact that it also applies to leisure.
To be honest, the prompt reminded me of a question I was asked in my job interview; before I went to sea in the Merchant Navy.
“How will you spend your day, when the ship is in the middle of the ocean?” I was asked. “You know that you will have 24 hours to fill.”
I had been ready for all the questions about living on a ship, the separation from home (in those days it was fairly total) and all the rest. But I have to admit that I hadn’t considered this one.
“Eight hours work, eight hours recreation and eight hours sleep.” I replied, thinking on my feet.
The look on my inquisitor’s face suggested that I had the proportions wrong but he said nothing. When I joined my first ship, I found out why. I was wrong all right, yet in a strange way, I found that it didn’t matter. There was nothing else to do anyway.
I think you can guess where I’m going with this, it’s the same as thinking that you will have more time when you retire; because you won’t be spending all those hours either at work or travelling there and back, will you?
And we all know how that works out, if not from personal experience, then with someone we know or see. I do just as much, if not more now that I’m retired, if I had to go back to work tomorrow, I wouldn’t have the time.
The point I’m trying to make is that your life will always expand to fill the hours you have to live it. It’s Parkinson’s Law in action, whether that’s a good thing or not I couldn’t say. On a ship it’s all part of the deal, there is work to do and a limited number of people to do it. Ships don’t stop when it hits five p.m. so neither do you. Everyone accepts this and you all muck in until the job is done. You slept when you could.
I know that if I had an extra six to eight hours a day, despite any good intentions that I might have; to do more cooking, or walking or taking my wife out for lunch, I’d probably just waste it on watching box-sets and scanning my Facebook feed. After all, there’s never enough time to do that!
I hope you enjoyed my thoughts, please leave a comment below.
Here’s the link for the rest of the blogs on this hop,
please visit them and see what they have to say.
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I post here several times a week, tomorrow, I’ll be featuring news on my writing, Thursday is the day when I host an Indie author with something to say and on Saturdays, I put up a post from my archives, usually about cooking or one of my other hobbies.
I hope to see you again soon.
Liz Hinds
Great post and so true! I am constantly amazed that i have so much and so little time!
Richard Dee
As my old chief engineer used to say, “it’s a metaphysical dichotomy!”
P.J. MacLayne
I suspect that I would quickly get tired of Facebook. Reddit, on the other hand ….
And welcome to the world of blog hops!
Richard Dee
Thanks, I really should try some different social networks.
Lela Markham
I included your article in my reblog on MeWe. I think if it gets built up enough, it’ll fracture Facebook’s monopoly – eventually.
Richard Dee
Thanks for your support, I’ve been to Ketchikan and through the Islands (many years ago), when I was at sea. A beautiful place to live.
Stevie Turner
You’re right in that work fills whatever time is available. I’m looking forward to retiring in a few years’ time, but wonder if I’ll be any less busy!
Richard Dee
It’s doubtful, but nice to be able to spend the time doing things for yourself.
Lela Markham
Every summer when I get those extra three hours a night that the Alaska midnight sun provides, I do get very creative. A friend of ours calls it “solar cocaine”. Most everyone experiences the boost, but not everybody uses it productively. It’s just starting here and Friday night, which was lovely until past 10, someone was “celebrating” by having high-speed races on the four-lane. My husband stayed up watching “First Amendment Audits” (informative, but gag!). Our son noodled on his guitar and wrote a short section of the song he’s been working on. One of our neighbors, a soldier recently back from the Box, just sat out on his deck staring at the sky like he thought this whole 24-hour day idea was a really bad idea. Meanwhile, I wrote 3000 words in three hours and at least half of them were good enough to be considered for the final draft.
So, yeah, something will always expand to fill a time void, but it depends on the person and their particular circumstances what expands and how productive it will be.
Welcome aboard, Richard. I’ve always thought this blog hop would be enriched by a male perspective. I look forward to working with you.
Kelly Williams
Good insight! I sort of wondered the same thing, but from another angle… Wouldn’t employers just see it as a means to add more hours?
Richard Dee
Oh yeah, I hadn’t thought of that. But you can bet they had!!!
Anindita Badu
Yeh! Extra time!!! But what is that Parkinson whatever? All free time gone researching from one thing to another and then blog hopping. Cinderella’s time up. Ding! Ooops!
Enjoyed your post and your blog. If I have time tomorrow I might join in his hopping too. But I’m late…I’m late. It’s almost midnight.
Anindita from http://www.aninditaswritingright.blogspot.com
Richard Dee
Thanks for commenting, blog hopping is a new thing for me, so many new blogs to read, so little time. Hang on, isn’t that where I came in?? Great to hear from you.
Anindita Basu
Thank you, Richard. This blog hopping is totally new for me and the link sharing I hope I did it right. All the blogs are great. And a nice way to know other writers. I got your reference from FB. But I don’t do twitter. Thanks again. Hope we do more blog hopping in the near future. Anindita (AKA Dita)
Richard Dee
I’ll be back for more on Monday 🙂