How Do You Use Your Idle Time?

What idle time? Does anyone actually have any idle time? Yes, most folks do - even the busiest usually have at least a few moments that aren't scheduled each day. Do you watch television? Ok - there's your idle time.

Arnold Bennett seems to be particularly interested in promoting valuable use of idle time. And I think he's on to something! If you use your idle time to cultivate your mind by studying something you're actually interested in, it won't be so painful. Chapter nine of How to Live on 24 Hours a Day addresses cultivating an interest in the arts. And how does this help with time management? Well, it enhances your ability to focus, right?

All posts featuring this time-management classic can be seen by clicking the How to Live on 24 Hours a Day label, below.

Know Thyself

In chapter eight of How to Live on 24 Hours a Day, Arnold Bennett questions how much time you spend in "deliberate consideration of your reason, principles and conduct." Say what? Who has the time or inclination? Well, read on and see if he makes a believer out of you.

Other chapters from How to Live on 24 Hours a Day can be found by clicking the label, below.

A Bit of Mother's Day History

Photo courtesy of Karen Balvin, Sunlitway Photography

Mother’s Day dates back to ancient Greece where spring celebrations and religious festivals were held in honor of Rhea, the Mother of the Gods. In Rome, people held a festival as a tribute to goddess Magna Mater (Great Mother) in as early as 250 B.C. Both Greek and Roman cultures worshipped mother goddesses in various festivals.

In England, 17th century Christians held a feast to honor Mary, the mother of Jesus Christ. Eventually, a religious order expanded the scope of this holiday to include all mothers in England. Since then, the holiday named Mothering Sunday has been held every fourth Sunday of Lent.

In the United States, Anna Jarvis is credited for starting the celebration of Mother’s Day. Her inspiration for passionately promoting the holiday came from her mother, who raised 11 children. During the second week of May two years after her mother’s death, Jarvis asked her mother’s parish to celebrate Mother’s Day. She also started a campaign that sought to establish a holiday to honor both living and dead mothers, hoping that it would reinforce family ties and increase respect for mothers. Her dream became a reality on May 8, 1914 when U.S. President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed a national holiday for honoring mothers to be held every second Sunday of May.

Have YOU called your mom today?

How to Cultivate Your Mind

Ok, I'll spoil this chapter for you and just say it:

Developing your ability to concentrate is the key to getting things done and living a full life.

Sounds simple, right? Well, it's a simple concept but not so easy to do. But fear not! In chapter seven of How to Live on 24 Hours a Day, Arnold Bennett lays out how anyone can gain control over their own mind. All you need is perseverance.

To read all the posted chapters from Arnold Bennett's classic time-management book, click on the How to Live on 24 Hours a Day label (below).

Enjoy Craftsy Mini-Courses FREE!

It's no secret that I am now a total Craftsy junkie and the next 2 free Craftsy mini-courses I'm going to take are:

1. QuiltCon Lecture Series 2013 - Beings I wasn't in Austin for the Modern Quilt Guild's inaugural QuiltCon, I can watch some of the lectures from the event FREE! Can't wait to see what Heather Jones, Angela Walters, David and Amy Butler, Jacquie Gering, and Mary Fons have to say...
2. The Hand Painted Cake - Not sure I'll ever want to paint a cake but I'd sure like to see Erin Schaefgen's freehand painting techniques to create beautiful and edible works of art!

Check out all of the other free Craftsy mini-courses by clicking here. And if the links in this post don't take you straight to the free classes, just type 'free' into the search box. Enjoy!

Idleness and Effective Time Management

Everyone needs time off. Yes, even time off from improving your life - especially as we get older. The sixth chapter of How to Live on 24 Hours a Day by Arnold Bennett highlights the necessity of idleness for effective time management.

As always, click on the How to Live on 24 Hours a Day label link (below) to see other posts in this series.

How to Find More Time Every Day

Tennis? Immortal soul? What does this have to do with time management? Well, Arnold Bennett makes that clear in the fifth chapter of How to Live on 24 Hours a Day. Yes, even YOU can find time to devote to your projects by following his advice.

For all posts on this book, just click on the How to Live on 24 Hours a Day label, below.

Your Time Management Attitude is the Key to Success

As with most things, attitude toward time management makes all the difference. In the fourth chapter of How to Live on 24 Hours a Day, Arnold Bennett reveals the cause of most time management troubles. As a solution, he suggests constructing a 'day within a day' to better utilize available time.

Well, what do you think? Will this work for you?

If you'd like to read other chapters, just click on the How to Live on 24 Hours a Day label, below.