Is idle time the devil’s playground? Well, for the devil, it probably is. He (or she) doesn’t have to punch a time clock, and therefore has all the time in the world to create lots of havoc.  That devilish one surely has nothing better to do.

But what effect does idle time have on everyone else? I’m glad you asked.

Take elected officials, for example. They have plenty of time to enact ridiculous laws, just to fill their days and justify their existence. For that very reason, many states restrict their legislative sessions to only a few months, in an attempt to limit the damage they can cause. It would be nice if all politicians were required to take the Hippocratic Oath, like doctors. As it relates to their patients, physicians have to pledge to “…keep them from harm and injustice….” Unfortunately, many politicians take the Hypocritic Oath, and make a very different pledge to their constituents. Don’t get me started. But I digress.

Many studies show the highest level of juvenile delinquency occurs during after-school hours. Why? Because that’s the time our youth spend engaging in mostly unstructured and unsupervised activities, otherwise known as idle time. The result is having way too much free time to get into trouble. Keeping them busy will usually help to solve that problem.

When we’re at work, and there’s a lull in activity, what do we typically do? Do we search for another project to delve into? Do we ask our colleagues if they need any help? Do we tell our boss that we are available to more work? Are you crazy? No, we typically employ that extra time very wisely. We surf the internet, get that extra cup of coffee, chat on the phone with our friends or find something equally unproductive to do. There’s an old adage in the corporate world: “If it should take four hours to complete a task, and one has eight hours of time available, it will take eight hours to get it done.” We either fill the time or waste the time.

So what’s the bottom line? For most of us, staying busy tends to keep us out of harm’s way. Idle time often causes us to sit around doing nothing, watching TV and getting fat.

Now having said all of that, there are some exceptions. For example, my son the Webmaster used to have lots of extra time on his hands. Check out the video below to see the fruits of his labors. What a valuable addition he has made to mankind’s endless task of seeking quality and creative entertainment. Where would we be without people like him devoting countless hours to productive activities like this? Oy.

I rest my case.