All too often I find myself rushing to or from something, arriving just in time (which is actually late) or calling to say “I’m running about 10 minutes late”. It always bothers me to make that phone call because because I know what I am really saying is that I don’t value the other person’s time, and that a failure to plan on my part has unfairly caused an inconvenience on theirs. I value my time, I dislike it when other people waste mine, and it’s even worse when I’m the time-wasting culprit. Beyond that, the frantic state of mind distracts from the activity or person for which I made the trip in the first place.

Richard Swenson in his book, “Margin” writes that “Calendar congestion and time urgency have robbed us of the pleasure of anticipation … [and] the joy of reminiscing” (p. 127). This and similar thoughts have been on my mind since last summer when I first read them, and while I still have a way to go I want to share a brief success story that really surprised me today. Read on to learn about a very useful strategy that worked for me even in the midst of a rushed Saturday morning.

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