…and a new beginning or two. As I prepare for our annual “Summer Mini-Course”, I’ve been thinking about this post and wondering if anything has changed for me personally. And I think it has. Herewith, my top 5 favourite timewasters, Summer 2009 edition (links not provided in case people begin wasting time by clicking through!):

1. Twitter. I know people of university age are not really that into it, but I can’t seem to get enough. There are some really interesting people out there with some really interesting things to say. But I don’t have time to read them all. Twitter is like a series of headlines for people to highlight what they’re doing, reading and thinking about. When you follow interesting people, you learn a lot! No, honest!

2. RSS. I also follow a lot of interesting websites and blogs, and I aggregate them in Google Reader. And while much of it is really interesting, it takes a lot of time to filter that information, to decide whether it’s worth reading, and then of course, to read it. And just because I read it doesn’t mean it was worth my time!

3. Yes, Facebook. Here’s the thing – I synched my Twitter updates with my Facebook updates, and since more of my friends are on Facebook, they tend to respond there. So I’m wasting time on Facebook, even when I’m not logged in!

4. DVDs of TV shows. I don’t watch as much TV as I used to, but I’m now going through all the episodes of The West Wing. Technically, I am going to say this is entertainment and not a timewaster, though I have been known to watch one episode too many in an evening.

5. Daydreaming. I’m spend a lot of time thinking about things but not really doing anything. It’s not really wasting time, though. It’s fostering my creativity. Yeah, creativity.

Anyone else?

CG