Pause & Reflect: More Time for Spare Time?

“What will we do with all our spare time?”

That thought was at the heart of an essay published in 1930 by the economist John Maynard Keynes. In it, Keynes proposed that within a hundred years, technological and economic advances would bring humans to a point where we would work only three hours a day and fifteen hours a week. It’s been more than ninety years since Keynes published his famous essay. But technology, instead of creating more leisure, has made us busier than ever. Our days are full, and while everyday tasks like travel and meal preparation take less time, we’re still in a hurry.

Somewhere between handling challenges, taking care of business, and juggling responsibilities, you may have lost pieces of yourself that you long to recover. Perhaps they were buried and forgotten long ago. Rediscovering is more than just being reminded of these golden treasures. It is being able to excavate your riches by pulling them out, polishing them off, and allowing them to shine again.

― Susan C. Young

And we’re no different when it comes to chasing spare time. Which is why we’re stepping back over the holiday season again this year to simply pause & reflect. It’s not another extended “radical sabbatical” like last year, but simply an intentional break from routine publishing to savor an opportunity for some newfound spare time before we resume full-speed ahead next year, embracing wisdom captured from our last break. Above all, we rediscovered the magic of giving important discussions our undivided time and attention versus what’s left of both at the end of the day.  We developed a keen appreciation for the fact that time is a finite resource; once spent, it’s gone. We can’t get time back, but we can be selective and purposeful with the time we have and how we spend it. We can take control by “saying yes to less” and appreciating the white space in our diary.

If you write for us, keep on sending your “good stuff”, as we’ll hold it for release following our return. If you’re one of our many loyal readers, take advantage of any opportunity to stroll through the published archives of our amazing writers, all of which can be explored from our Home Page. In fact, we’re going to begin to showcase an ongoing selection of our Contributors during our break. And throughout the holiday season pause, Our Friendship Bench will continue business as usual as will the support of our global nonprofit community via GoodWorks 360° Foundation.

We’re blessed to be able to put our finger on the pause button and we genuinely appreciate your understanding. We also hope that you, too, will find more spare time to “pause and reflect” over the holiday season.

Who can say where the road goes? Where the day flows? Only time…

Dennis Pitocco Chief ReImaginator of 360° Nation

DENNIS is the Founder & Chief ReImaginator of 360° Nation, encompassing a wide range of multimedia enterprises, including BizCatalyst 360° —the award-winning global media digest; 360° Nation Studios —dedicated to reaching across the world in an effort to capture, produce, and deliver positive, uplifting messages via blockbuster global events, and; GoodWorks 360° —a pro-bono consulting foundation focused entirely on providing mission-critical advisory services to nonprofits worldwide. Collaborating with his Chief Inspiration Officer (and wife), Ali, everything they do is "for-good" vs. "for-profit".

Their mission over the past decade-plus has been to rediscover humanity at its best, influencing and showcasing it every step of the way. Together, they do their very best to figure out what the world is trying to be —then using all their resources to help it to be better every day in every way. They understand and embrace the notion that it’s not about me or you; it’s about caring for the people we serve and more responsibly stewarding the precious resources in our care. And they believe it’s about showing up, being present, and intentionally giving our invaluable gifts of time, talent, and treasure "for good". Dennis is a contributing author to the Best-Selling Books; Chaos to Clarity: Sacred Stories of Transformational Change, Journey Well, You Are More Than Enough, The Four-Fold Formula For All Things Wellness: True Stories of the Heart, Spirit, Mind, and Body.