If you are what some workplace researchers define as an "average employee", you will waste more than 25 percent of your workday today. According to one credible Internet-based survey, the average worker admits to wasting 2.1 hours a day, not including time for lunch and scheduled breaks.
For an employer, such careless use of time during the workday amounts to a huge cost. Imagine what could be accomplished if those hours were spent productively, rather than misused. How are those non-productive hours spent? The survey results, according to Salary.com, revealed that there are many time-wasting activities, but the two most significant are "surfing the Internet" for personal use and excessive socializing with coworkers.
When asked why they consciously squander time at work, about one-third of the workers responding said they don't have enough work to occupy their attention. However, what was more troubling to me was the 23.4 percent who justify their slothfulness by their belief that they are being underpaid. It seems ironic that someone would waste nearly one-quarter of his or her workday and actually contend that they should get paid more!
Proverbs 27:18 instructs, "He who tends a fig tree will eat its fruit, and he who looks after his master will be honored." This proverb reflects the timeless principle that you reap what you sow. If you pour yourself into doing your work with excellence, ultimately seeking to do it for God's glory, you will usually reap benefits. Certainly there are instances when an employer does not recognize or reward faithful workers, but as your skill and value increase, this also presents you with more opportunity to work for someone who does appreciate your value.
If you are squandering your employer's time in any way, consider the consequences. Your company is less productive, resulting in fewer profits to share with you, and you run the risk of not being properly recognized or honored by your boss. More importantly, you will not be working with your whole heart, "as for the Lord", as the Bible instructs in Colossians 3:17,23.
To avoid slipping into slothfulness - being wasteful and nonproductive not only with your talents but also with your skills, talents and experience - periodically examine your day's activities. Honestly evaluate how you spent your time and determine your level of productivity. Do you feel that you truly did your best and accomplished as much as you possibly could on that particular day? I would suggest that you not do this "self-inspection" only once; do it on a regular basis. It may be an educational experience: When you wonder "Where did the time go?", you will be able to give yourself a reasonable, accurate answer.
When you perform this self-evaluation, the point is not to beat yourself up about time that was lost. What is past must remain there - it cannot be changed. But you can use this review for improvement in the future. If and when you come up short, don't forget that you will reap what you sow. "Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously" (2 Corinthians 9:6).
NOTE: If you have a Bible and would like to look at some other passages that deal with this topic, consider the following: Proverbs 11:24.25, 12:24, 21:5; 1 Corinthians 10:31; Galatians 6:7,9