The good of goofing off 

 

8 healthy ways to waste time

You likely spend most of your days trying to keep up with life, from the moment the alarm goes off to the second your head hits the pillow at night as you mutter, "Tomorrow, I'm getting to bed earlier."

Between the kids, the job and the constant chores, free time is as rare as a Cardinals highlight. Perhaps there are ways to operate more efficiently, but, quite frankly, you've had it up to here reading about some mom with five kids who uses color-coded organizational charts to keep her closets free of clutter and her life free of stress.

What you need is some time to waste, an hour or two to do something completely unproductive yet somehow fulfilling.

And you know what? Doing nothing every now and then is actually good for you. Your body has a sympathetic and a parasympathetic nervous system; the former craves action, the latter prefers comfort, says Alex Zautra, a professor of psychology at Arizona State University.

"We need to be invigorated but we need to be soothed as well," Zautra says. "On a physiological level, we need a balance of both."

So at some point this week, don't dust. Don't balance your bank statement. Don't meet with a life coach and discuss the 10 essential ways to prioritize your responsibilities.

Instead, sit back, waste time and enjoy. And since you don't want to waste time figuring out how to waste time, we present our 10 (no, let's just make it eight) essential ways to avoid the stuff you "should" be doing:

BOOKS

• The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time, by Mark Haddon (Vintage, $12 paperback): The story revolves around the mysterious death of a neighbor's dog, but at its heart is Christopher, an autistic teen who is as good at math as he is bad with people. Haddon's first novel is a fascinating glimpse inside a mind that works in vastly different ways.

Subtle self-enrichment: understanding.

• To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee (Little, Brown & Co., $6.99 paperback): If you have not read this book, do so. If you have, re-read it. This tale of life in a small Alabama town, as told by 8-year-old Scout Finch, resonates as strongly today as when it was published in 1960. Don't be surprised if you are compelled to finish it in one sitting.

Subtle self-enrichment: acceptance.

• No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency (series), by Alexander McCall Smith (Anchor, $11.95 paperback): The fact these mysteries are set in Botswana is enough to set them apart, but the books truly excel in character development and clever narratives. McCall's breezy, humorous style makes these novels difficult to put down.

Subtle self-enrichment: Pure enjoyment.

2 DVDs

• Casablanca (1942, $26.99 for special edition two-disc set): You probably know the story - boy gets gin joint, girl walks in, boy loses girl and gin joint. But this is one of those rare films where it all comes together, from acting to dialogue to unforgettable scenes. It's time to watch it again, and this time invite your teens to sit down.

Subtle self-enrichment: art appreciation.

• Star Wars trilogy (Star Wars, 1977; The Empire Strikes Back, 1980; Return of the Jedi, 1983; $69.98): It took a few years, but the greatest space opera of all time is finally on DVD. Creator George Lucas is releasing only the digitally enhanced versions, which may bother purists. So? They're still light-years better than the cinematic dreck that was Episodes 1 and 2.

Subtle self-enrichment: thrills and chills.

• The Lord of the Rings - The Fellowship of the Ring, special extended edition (2001, $39.98): The filmed version of J.R.R. Tolkien's classic stands by itself as an amazing cinematic and technical achievement. But you are missing out on true movie genius if you have not seen the behind-the-scenes extras packed on this four-disc set.

Subtle self-enrichment: insider knowledge.

3 MAGAZINES

• Atlantic Monthly ($4.95): We don't know of anyone with enough time to read and digest all the wonderful writing in each Atlantic Monthly feature. Go ahead, pick and choose among insightful commentaries, in-depth features and poetic prose. Subtle self-enrichment: well-roundedness.

• Newsweek ($3.95): Keeping up with the news can be such a pain, even when you really care about what's going on in the world. Newsweek understands and offers clear, concise (and at times breezy) stories that apprise you of the latest, from bombs in Baghdad to the buzz in Hollywood.

Subtle self-enrichment: water-cooler ammunition.

• TV Guide ($1.99): If you use the Guide simply to find out what's on, you're missing the best it has to offer - the crossword puzzle. You can finish that thing in about 10 minutes, allowing you to feel smug over the depths of your TV knowledge. We also know just what to TiVo each week. We're wasting time, yet we're saving time!

Subtle self-enrichment: power over the tube.

4 TV SHOWS

• Arrested Development (Fox, Channel 10, KSAZ, 8:30 p.m. Sunday starting in November): This is the best darn live-action sitcom on TV, period. A lot of shows rely on wacky characters in dysfunctional relationships, but the lively writing and snappy dialogue make this one work. But don't take our word for it. No, wait, do take our word for it. Why waste time seeking a second opinion?

Subtle self-enrichment: laughter.

• Lost (ABC, Channel 15, KNXV, 7 p.m. Wednesday): This is the only show that lets you say, "There's this plane crash, and then it gets worse." Survivors are stranded on an uncharted island that is the home to, well, something really bad. Creepy, in a good way.

Subtle self-enrichment: mind games.

• Aqua Teen Hunger Force (Cartoon Network, see listings for times): For those of you wishing for fast-food superheroes, your prayers have been answered. Join Meatwad (a hamburger), Frylock (bag of fries) and Master Shake (milkshake) as they battle evil and hang out at a neighbor's pool.

Subtle self-enrichment: getting fries with that.

5 ONLINE SITES

• Friendster (www.friendster.com): The premise is simple. You sign up. You invite friends to sign up. Those friends invite their friends to sign up, and so on. Pretty soon you've created a community filled with friends of friends of friends. Where you go from there is up to you. Find a tennis partner. Organize a book club. Land a date. This sure beats hanging out with co-workers all the time.

Subtle self-enrichment: bonding.

• Zap 2 It (www.zap2it.com): Sometimes we have so little time to waste that we can't keep up with the entertainment going on all around us. Zap 2 It is a one-stop information resource for all your movie, TV and celebrity needs. Subtle self-enrichment: pop-cultural awareness.

• Shockwave (www.shockwave.com): This is the site Al Gore must have had in mind when he invented the Internet. Play one of the many action, sports or mind games, or click on the link to Atom Films for dozens of inventive short films. But if you have a dial-up connection, the only reason to visit is to tie up the phone for hours (not a bad idea if you have a teen daughter).

Subtle self-enrichment: finally having a great reason to upgrade to cable modem.

6 VIDEO GAMES

• Viewtiful Joe (Nintendo GameCube, Sony PlayStation2, $29.99): This has slow motion, hyper-speed and a hero with mad martial-arts skills; what else could you want from a video game? Viewtiful Joe leaps, twirls and rolls through a comic-book landscape in such a way as to convince you that you'll be fine with just five, whoa, make that four hours of sleep tonight.

Subtle self-enrichment: improved hand-eye coordination.

• Burnout 3: Takedown (PS2, Microsoft Xbox, $49.99): The goal of this driving game is twofold: win races and cause as much mayhem as you can. You earn points for driving like a madman, narrowly missing oncoming cars and forcing your opponents up and over retaining walls. Our favorite: the crash zones where you earn money damaging as many vehicles as you can in spectacular wrecks.

Subtle self-enrichment: relief of rush-hour aggression.

• The Sims (PS2, GameCube, PC; $19.99 and higher): Feel as if your life is out of control? Then take the reins of someone else's life. Guide your tiny digital folk through jobs, marriages, children and other of life's little stages. Hate where you're Sims wound up? Hit the delete button and try again. We'll bet Microsoft is working on a real-life delete button right now.

Subtle self-enrichment: absolute power.

7 BOARD GAMES

• Sorry! (Parker Brothers, $17): Few joys in life equal that of landing on your little brother's red playing piece (and he always throws a fit if he isn't red) and sending it back to the start. This classic game has it all - simple rules, straightforward play and sweet revenge. Subtle self-enrichment: humility.

• Cranium (Cranium, $35): One of the all-time greatest party games, Cranium supplies the activities while you supply the talent and creativity. Players must sculpt, draw, hum or act out in ways teammates can guess what is being sculpted, drawn, hummed or acted out.

Subtle self-enrichment: socialization.

• Mancala (various manufacturers, $10 and higher): The object of this ancient game is to remove more stones than your opponent by transferring among them 14 pits on the board (six small pits on either side and two long, narrow pits at either end). It's easy to learn (trust us) but requires complex thinking to look several moves ahead.

Subtle self-enrichment: reasoned thinking.

8 NON-STRENUOUS ACTIVITIES

• Nap: Feeling tired and rundown, and it has nothing to do with iron-poor blood? Nap! A 20-minute snooze can improve alertness, productivity and mood, according to experts from the National Sleep Foundation. Cut this out and show it to your boss, should she happen to wake you up.

Subtle self-enrichment: beauty sleep.

• Play catch with your children: Maybe your kids spend too much time in front of the TV, blocking your view. Grab a few mitts and a ball and invite them outside. The activity is much more pleasant in winter than summer, but you'll be surprised how well you can tolerate heat when spending a few good moments with your children.

Subtle self-enrichment: quality time.

• Smell the roses: Sit back. Observe. Enjoy.

Subtle self-enrichment: introspection.

Scott Craven
The Arizona Republic