If you’re considering checking into Candy Crush Rehab (there’s a waiting list, lol), then this blog is meant for you.
Let’s face it, one thing that we all can’t seem to get enough of is time. We cannot freeze it, it is unfortunately fleeting. We cannot control the sweep of time but we can indeed manage it. Perhaps if we can identify our time robbers, we can reclaim some of it back.
The biggest culprit without a doubt, is technology. Our PC’s, laptops, tablets, and smart phones are eating up most of our time.
Whether it be professionally or personally, just managing our e-mails is challenging enough. Sorting our inbox of relevant content from silly viral jokes can be super time-consuming. But the biggest time robber by far, is Social Media.
It all began with Facebook. Now with the phenomenon of Pinterest, Twitter, Instagram, and virtual/smart phone games, there is increasingly more opportunity to get lost in the digital world.
My latest guilty pleasure is Candy Crush. It is the most popular app on Facebook and the highest-grossing app in the Apple and Google app stores. Candy Crush Saga has about 6.7 million active users and earns revenue of $633,000 per day. Yes, admittedly, I play it. I play it a lot.
Initially, I was reluctant to jump in when I first noticed the ads on Facebook in 2012, but as the manic activity increased on my newsfeed, my curiosity was piqued. I knew a lot of smart people whom I respected that were playing and began to wonder what all the fuss was about. And so with a simple click, I entered level 1.
So here I am, Professional Organizer (A.K.A. time-management expert), and I’m hooked on this stupid game. I started playing at bedtime, thought it would be relaxing to decompress from my busy day. Wrong. This game is far from relaxing, in fact it both stimulates me and increases my anxiety before sleep! The most disturbing realization is that I have been neglecting my Kindle more and reading much less!
As for the time-management component, the one redeeming feature of this compulsive game is that it times you out after 5 attempts to complete the level. You can also get 5 more lives if you play the game on another device, or bother your FB friends to send you another life, but eventually you have to wait for a new game to reset. And of course, you always have the option to “buy” more lives or boosters, but that’s where I draw the line. The game’s over when the game is over. It can suck some of my time, but not money.
Now that I’ve learned that they keep adding more levels (now 485 is the highest), I’m re-assessing how much time I want to invest in this endless quest. Fortunately, this game has not robbed me of my daily productivity, but it surely has impeded on my “down” time. I’m thinking that there are other enjoyable things I could be doing. From here on in, I’m going to “play” more wisely and prioritize.
Chances are, if you see me waiting in a Dr.’s waiting room, I’ll be playing Candy Crush.
How about you? What are your time robbers?
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