PREFACETOTHISEDITION
Thispreface，thoughplacedatthebeginning，asaprefacemustbe，shouldbereadattheendofthebook。
Ihavereceivedalargeamountofcorrespondenceconcerningthissmallwork，andmanyreviewsofit——someofthemnearlyaslongasthebookitself——havebeenprinted。Butscarcelyanyofthecommenthasbeenadverse。Somepeoplehaveobjectedtoafrivolityoftone；butasthetoneisnot，inmyopinion，atallfrivolous，thisobjectiondidnotimpressme；andhadnoweightierreproachbeenputforwardImightalmosthavebeenpersuadedthatthevolumewasflawless！Amoreseriousstricturehas，however，beenoffered——notinthepress，butbysundryobviouslysincerecorrespondents——andImustdealwithit。Areferencetopage43
willshowthatIanticipatedandfearedthisdisapprobation。Thesentenceagainstwhichprotestshavebeenmadeisasfollows：——
"Inthemajorityofinstanceshe[thetypicalman]doesnotpreciselyfeelapassionforhisbusiness；atbesthedoesnotdislikeit。Hebeginshisbusinessfunctionswithsomereluctance，aslateashecan，andheendsthemwithjoy，asearlyashecan。Andhisengines，whileheisengagedinhisbusiness，areseldomattheirfull’h。p。’"
Iamassured，inaccentsofunmistakablesincerity，thattherearemanybusinessmen——notmerelythoseinhighpositionsorwithfineprospects，butmodestsubordinateswithnohopeofeverbeingmuchbetteroff——whodoenjoytheirbusinessfunctions，whodonotshirkthem，whodonotarriveattheofficeaslateaspossibleanddepartasearlyaspossible，who，inaword，putthewholeoftheirforceintotheirday’sworkandaregenuinelyfatiguedattheendthereof。
Iamreadytobelieveit。Idobelieveit。Iknowit。Ialwaysknewit。BothinLondonandintheprovincesithasbeenmylottospendlongyearsinsubordinatesituationsofbusiness；andthefactdidnotescapemethatacertainproportionofmypeersshowedwhatamountedtoanhonestpassionfortheirduties，andthatwhileengagedinthosedutiestheywerereally*living*tothefullestextentofwhichtheywerecapable。ButIremainconvincedthatthesefortunateandhappyindividuals（happierperhapsthantheyguessed）didnotanddonotconstituteamajority，oranythinglikeamajority。Iremainconvincedthatthemajorityofdecentaverageconscientiousmenofbusiness（menwithaspirationsandideals）donotasarulegohomeofanightgenuinelytired。Iremainconvincedthattheyputnotasmuchbutaslittleofthemselvesastheyconscientiouslycanintotheearningofalivelihood，andthattheirvocationboresratherthanintereststhem。
Nevertheless，Iadmitthattheminorityisofsufficientimportancetomeritattention，andthatIoughtnottohaveignoreditsocompletelyasIdiddo。Thewholedifficultyofthehard—workingminoritywasputinasinglecolloquialsentencebyoneofmycorrespondents。Hewrote："Iamjustaskeenasanyoneondoingsomethingto’exceedmyprogramme，’butallowmetotellyouthatwhenIgethomeatsixthirtyp。m。Iamnotanythinglikesofreshasyouseemtoimagine。"
NowImustpointoutthatthecaseoftheminority，whothrowthemselveswithpassionandgustointotheirdailybusinesstask，isinfinitelylessdeplorablethanthecaseofthemajority，whogohalf—heartedlyandfeeblythroughtheirofficialday。Theformerarelessinneedofadvice"howtolive。"Atanyrateduringtheirofficialdayof，say，eighthourstheyarereallyalive；theirenginesaregivingthefullindicated"h。p。"Theothereightworkinghoursoftheirdaymaybebadlyorganised，orevenfritteredaway；butitislessdisastroustowasteeighthoursadaythansixteenhoursaday；itisbettertohavelivedabitthannevertohavelivedatall。
Therealtragedyisthetragedyofthemanwhoisbracedtoeffortneitherintheofficenoroutofit，andtothismanthisbookisprimarilyaddressed。"But，"saystheotherandmorefortunateman，"althoughmyordinaryprogrammeisbiggerthanhis，Iwanttoexceedmyprogrammetoo！Iamlivingabit；Iwanttolivemore。
ButIreallycan’tdoanotherday’sworkonthetopofmyofficialday。"
Thefactis，I，theauthor，oughttohaveforeseenthatIshouldappealmoststronglytothosewhoalreadyhadaninterestinexistence。Itisalwaysthemanwhohastastedlifewhodemandsmoreofit。Anditisalwaysthemanwhonevergetsoutofbedwhoisthemostdifficulttorouse。
Well，youoftheminority，letusassumethattheintensityofyourdailymoney—gettingwillnotallowyoutocarryoutquiteallthesuggestionsinthefollowingpages。Someofthesuggestionsmayyetstand。Iadmitthatyoumaynotbeabletousethetimespentonthejourneyhomeatnight；butthesuggestionforthejourneytotheofficeinthemorningisaspracticableforyouasforanybody。
Andthatweeklyintervaloffortyhours，fromSaturdaytoMonday，isyoursjustasmuchastheotherman’s，thoughaslightaccumulationoffatiguemaypreventyoufromemployingthewholeofyour"h。p。"uponit。Thereremains，then，theimportantportionofthethreeormoreeveningsaweek。Youtellmeflatlythatyouaretootiredtodoanythingoutsideyourprogrammeatnight。InreplytowhichItellyouflatlythatifyourordinaryday’sworkisthusexhausting，thenthebalanceofyourlifeiswrongandmustbeadjusted。Aman’spowersoughtnottobemonopolisedbyhisordinaryday’swork。What，then，istobedone？
Theobviousthingtodoistocircumventyourardourforyourordinaryday’sworkbyaruse。Employyourenginesinsomethingbeyondtheprogrammebefore，andnotafter，youemploythemontheprogrammeitself。Briefly，getupearlierinthemorning。Yousayyoucannot。Yousayitisimpossibleforyoutogoearliertobedofanight——todosowouldupsettheentirehousehold。Idonotthinkitisquiteimpossibletogotobedearlieratnight。Ithinkthatifyoupersistinrisingearlier，andtheconsequenceisinsufficiencyofsleep，youwillsoonfindawayofgoingtobedearlier。Butmyimpressionisthattheconsequencesofrisingearlierwillnotbeaninsufficiencyofsleep。Myimpression，growingstrongereveryyear，isthatsleepispartlyamatterofhabit——andofslackness。Iamconvincedthatmostpeoplesleepaslongastheydobecausetheyareatalossforanyotherdiversion。HowmuchsleepdoyouthinkisdailyobtainedbythepowerfulhealthymanwhodailyrattlesupyourstreetinchargeofCarterPatterson’svan？Ihaveconsultedadoctoronthispoint。Heisadoctorwhofortwenty—fouryearshashadalargegeneralpracticeinalargeflourishingsuburbofLondon，inhabitedbyexactlysuchpeopleasyouandme。Heisacurtman，andhisanswerwascurt：
"Mostpeoplesleepthemselvesstupid。"
Hewentontogivehisopinionthatninemenoutoftenwouldhavebetterhealthandmorefunoutoflifeiftheyspentlesstimeinbed。
Otherdoctorshaveconfirmedthisjudgment，which，ofcourse，doesnotapplytogrowingyouths。
Riseanhour，anhourandahalf，oreventwohoursearlier；and——ifyoumust——retireearlierwhenyoucan。Inthematterofexceedingprogrammes，youwillaccomplishasmuchinonemorninghourasintwoeveninghours。"But，"yousay，"Icouldn’tbeginwithoutsomefood，andservants。"Surely，mydearsir，inanagewhenanexcellentspirit—lamp（includingasaucepan）canbeboughtforlessthanashilling，youarenotgoingtoallowyourhighestwelfaretodependupontheprecariousimmediateco—operationofafellowcreature！Instructthefellowcreature，whoevershemaybe，atnight。Tellhertoputatrayinasuitablepositionovernight。Onthattraytwobiscuits，acupandsaucer，aboxofmatchesandaspirit—lamp；onthelamp，thesaucepan；onthesaucepan，thelid——
butturnedthewrongwayup；onthereversedlid，thesmallteapot，containingaminutequantityoftealeaves。Youwillthenhavetostrikeamatch——thatisall。Inthreeminutesthewaterboils，andyoupouritintotheteapot（whichisalreadywarm）。Inthreemoreminutestheteaisinfused。Youcanbeginyourdaywhiledrinkingit。Thesedetailsmayseemtrivialtothefoolish，buttothethoughtfultheywillnotseemtrivial。Theproper，wisebalancingofone’swholelifemaydependuponthefeasibilityofacupofteaatanunusualhour。
A。B。
CONTENTS
PREFACE，V
ITHEDAILYMIRACLE，21
IITHEDESIRETOEXCEEDONE’SPROGRAMME，28
IIIPRECAUTIONSBEFOREBEGINNING，35
IVTHECAUSEOFTHETROUBLE，42
VTENNISANDTHEIMMORTALSOUL，49
VIREMEMBERHUMANNATURE，56
VIICONTROLLINGTHEMIND，62
VIIITHEREFLECTIVEMOOD，69
IXINTERESTINTHEARTS，76
XNOTHINGINLIFEISHUMDRUM，83
XISERIOUSREADING，90
XIIDANGERSTOAVOID，97
HOWTOLIVEON
TWENTY—FOURHOURSADAY
I
THEDAILYMIRACLE
"Yes，he’soneofthosementhatdon’tknowhowtomanage。
Goodsituation。Regularincome。Quiteenoughforluxuriesaswellasneeds。Notreallyextravagant。Andyetthefellow’salwaysindifficulties。Somehowhegetsnothingoutofhismoney。Excellentflat——halfempty！Alwayslooksasifhe’dhadthebrokersin。Newsuit——oldhat！Magnificentnecktie——baggytrousers！Asksyoutodinner：cutglass——badmutton，orTurkishcoffee——crackedcup！Hecan’tunderstandit。Explanationsimplyisthathefrittershisincomeaway。WishIhadthehalfofit！I’dshowhim——"
Sowehavemostofuscriticised，atonetimeoranother，inoursuperiorway。
Wearenearlyallchancellorsoftheexchequer：itistheprideofthemoment。Newspapersarefullofarticlesexplaininghowtoliveonsuch—and—suchasum，andthesearticlesprovokeacorrespondencewhoseviolenceprovestheinteresttheyexcite。Recently，inadailyorgan，abattleragedroundthequestionwhetherawomancanexistnicelyinthecountryonL85ayear。Ihaveseenanessay，"Howtoliveoneightshillingsaweek。"ButIhaveneverseenanessay，"Howtoliveontwenty—fourhoursaday。"Yetithasbeensaidthattimeismoney。Thatproverbunderstatesthecase。Timeisagreatdealmorethanmoney。Ifyouhavetimeyoucanobtainmoney——usually。Butthoughyouhavethewealthofacloak—roomattendantattheCarltonHotel，youcannotbuyyourselfaminutemoretimethanIhave，orthecatbythefirehas。
Philosophershaveexplainedspace。Theyhavenotexplainedtime。Itistheinexplicablerawmaterialofeverything。Withit，allispossible；
withoutit，nothing。Thesupplyoftimeistrulyadailymiracle，anaffairgenuinelyastonishingwhenoneexaminesit。Youwakeupinthemorning，andlo！yourpurseismagicallyfilledwithtwenty—fourhoursoftheunmanufacturedtissueoftheuniverseofyourlife！Itisyours。Itisthemostpreciousofpossessions。Ahighlysingularcommodity，showereduponyouinamannerassingularasthecommodityitself！
Forremark！Noonecantakeitfromyou。Itisunstealable。Andnoonereceiveseithermoreorlessthanyoureceive。
Talkaboutanidealdemocracy！Intherealmoftimethereisnoaristocracyofwealth，andnoaristocracyofintellect。Geniusisneverrewardedbyevenanextrahouraday。Andthereisnopunishment。Wasteyourinfinitelypreciouscommodityasmuchasyouwill，andthesupplywillneverbewithheldfromyou。Momysteriouspowerwillsay：——"Thismanisafool，ifnotaknave。Hedoesnotdeservetime；heshallbecutoffatthemeter。"
Itismorecertainthanconsols，andpaymentofincomeisnotaffectedbySundays。Moreover，youcannotdrawonthefuture。Impossibletogetintodebt！Youcanonlywastethepassingmoment。Youcannotwasteto—
morrow；itiskeptforyou。Youcannotwastethenexthour；itiskeptforyou。
Isaidtheaffairwasamiracle。Isitnot？
Youhavetoliveonthistwenty—fourhoursofdailytime。Outofityouhavetospinhealth，pleasure，money，content，respect，andtheevolutionofyourimmortalsoul。Itsrightuse，itsmosteffectiveuse，isamatterofthehighesturgencyandofthemostthrillingactuality。Alldependsonthat。Yourhappiness——theelusiveprizethatyouareallclutchingfor，myfriends！——
dependsonthat。Strangethatthenewspapers，soenterprisingandup—to—
dateastheyare，arenotfullof"Howtoliveonagivenincomeoftime，"
insteadof"Howtoliveonagivenincomeofmoney"！Moneyisfarcommonerthantime。Whenonereflects，oneperceivesthatmoneyisjustaboutthecommonestthingthereis。Itencumberstheearthingrossheaps。
Ifonecan’tcontrivetoliveonacertainincomeofmoney，oneearnsalittlemore——orstealsit，oradvertisesforit。Onedoesn’tnecessarilymuddleone’slifebecauseonecan’tquitemanageonathousandpoundsayear；onebracesthemusclesandmakesitguineas，andbalancesthebudget。Butifonecannotarrangethatanincomeoftwenty—fourhoursadayshallexactlycoverallproperitemsofexpenditure，onedoesmuddleone’slifedefinitely。Thesupplyoftime，thoughgloriouslyregular，iscruellyrestricted。
Whichofuslivesontwenty—fourhoursaday？AndwhenIsay"lives，"
Idonotmeanexists，nor"muddlesthrough。"Whichofusisfreefromthatuneasyfeelingthatthe"greatspendingdepartments"ofhisdailylifearenotmanagedastheyoughttobe？Whichofusisquitesurethathisfinesuitisnotsurmountedbyashamefulhat，orthatinattendingtothecrockeryhehasforgottenthequalityofthefood？Whichofusisnotsayingtohimself——whichofushasnotbeensayingtohimselfallhislife："IshallalterthatwhenIhavealittlemoretime"？
Wenevershallhaveanymoretime。Wehave，andwehavealwayshad，allthetimethereis。Itistherealisationofthisprofoundandneglectedtruth（which，bytheway，Ihavenotdiscovered）thathasledmetotheminutepracticalexaminationofdailytime—expenditure。
II
THEDESIRETOEXCEEDONE’SPROGRAMME
"But，"someonemayremark，withtheEnglishdisregardofeverythingexceptthepoint，"whatishedrivingatwithhistwenty—fourhoursaday？
Ihavenodifficultyinlivingontwenty—fourhoursaday。IdoallthatI
wanttodo，andstillfindtimetogoinfornewspapercompetitions。Surelyitisasimpleaffair，knowingthatonehasonlytwenty—fourhoursaday，tocontentone’sselfwithtwenty—fourhoursaday！"
Toyou，mydearsir，Ipresentmyexcusesandapologies。YouarepreciselythemanthatIhavebeenwishingtomeetforaboutfortyyears。Willyoukindlysendmeyournameandaddress，andstateyourchargefortellingmehowyoudoit？Insteadofmetalkingtoyou，yououghttobetalkingtome。
Pleasecomeforward。Thatyouexist，Iamconvinced，andthatIhavenotyetencounteredyouismyloss。Meanwhile，untilyouappear，Iwillcontinuetochatwithmycompanionsindistress——thatinnumerablebandofsoulswhoarehaunted，moreorlesspainfully，bythefeelingthattheyearsslipby，andslipby，andslipby，andthattheyhavenotyetbeenabletogettheirlivesintoproperworkingorder。
Ifweanalysethatfeeling，weshallperceiveittobe，primarily，oneofuneasiness，ofexpectation，oflookingforward，ofaspiration。Itisasourceofconstantdiscomfort，foritbehaveslikeaskeletonatthefeastofallourenjoyments。Wegotothetheatreandlaugh；butbetweentheactsitraisesaskinnyfingeratus。Werushviolentlyforthelasttrain，andwhilewearecoolingalongageontheplatformwaitingforthelasttrain，itpromenadesitsbonesupanddownbyoursideandinquires："Oman，whathastthoudonewiththyyouth？Whatartthoudoingwiththineage？"Youmayurgethatthisfeelingofcontinuouslookingforward，ofaspiration，ispartoflifeitself，andinseparablefromlifeitself。True！
Buttherearedegrees。AmanmaydesiretogotoMecca。HisconsciencetellshimthatheoughttogotoMecca。Hefaresforth，eitherbytheaidofCook’s，orunassisted；hemayprobablyneverreachMecca；hemaydrownbeforehegetstoPortSaid；hemayperishingloriouslyonthecoastoftheRedSea；hisdesiremayremaineternallyfrustrate。Unfulfilledaspirationmayalwaystroublehim。Buthewillnotbetormentedinthesamewayasthemanwho，desiringtoreachMecca，andharriedbythedesiretoreachMecca，neverleavesBrixton。
ItissomethingtohaveleftBrixton。MostofushavenotleftBrixton。WehavenoteventakenacabtoLudgateCircusandinquiredfromCook’sthepriceofaconductedtour。Andourexcusetoourselvesisthatthereareonlytwenty—fourhoursintheday。
Ifwefurtheranalyseourvague，uneasyaspiration，weshall，Ithink，seethatitspringsfromafixedideathatweoughttodosomethinginadditiontothosethingswhichweareloyallyandmorallyobligedtodo。Weareobliged，byvariouscodeswrittenandunwritten，tomaintainourselvesandourfamilies（ifany）inhealthandcomfort，topayourdebts，tosave，toincreaseourprosperitybyincreasingourefficiency。Atasksufficientlydifficult！Ataskwhichveryfewofusachieve！Ataskoftenbeyondourskill！yet，ifwesucceedinit，aswesometimesdo，wearenotsatisfied；theskeletonisstillwithus。
Andevenwhenwerealisetatthetaskisbeyondourskill，thatourpowerscannotcopewithit，wefeelthatweshouldbelessdiscontentedifwegavetoourpowers，alreadyovertaxed，somethingstillfurthertodo。
Andsuchis，indeed，thefact。Thewishtoaccomplishsomethingoutsidetheirformalprogrammeiscommontoallmenwhointhecourseofevolutionhaverisenpastacertainlevel。
Untilaneffortismadetosatisfythatwish，thesenseofuneasywaitingforsomethingtostartwhichhasnotstartedwillremaintodisturbthepeaceofthesoul。Thatwishhasbeencalledbymanynames。Itisoneformoftheuniversaldesireforknowledge。Anditissostrongthatmenwhosewholeliveshavebeengiventothesystematicacquirementofknowledgehavebeendrivenbyittooverstepthelimitsoftheirprogrammeinsearchofstillmoreknowledge。EvenHerbertSpencer，inmyopinionthegreatestmindthateverlived，wasoftenforcedbyitintoagreeablelittlebackwatersofinquiry。
Iimaginethatinthemajorityofpeoplewhoareconsciousofthewishtolive——thatistosay，peoplewhohaveintellectualcuriosity——theaspirationtoexceedformalprogrammestakesaliteraryshape。Theywouldliketoembarkonacourseofreading。DecidedlytheBritishpeoplearebecomingmoreandmoreliterary。ButIwouldpointoutthatliteraturebynomeanscomprisesthewholefieldofknowledge，andthatthedisturbingthirsttoimproveone’sself——toincreaseone’sknowledge——maywellbeslakedquiteapartfromliterature。WiththevariouswaysofslakingIshalldeallater。
HereImerelypointouttothosewhohavenonaturalsympathywithliteraturethatliteratureisnottheonlywell。
III
PRECAUTIONSBEFOREBEGINNING
NowthatIhavesucceeded（ifsucceededIhave）inpersuadingyoutoadmittoyourselfthatyouareconstantlyhauntedbyasuppresseddissatisfactionwithyourownarrangementofyourdailylife；andthattheprimalcauseofthatinconvenientdissatisfactionisthefeelingthatyouareeverydayleavingundonesomethingwhichyouwouldliketodo，andwhich，indeed，youarealwayshopingtodowhenyouhave"moretime"；andnowthatIhavedrawnyourattentiontotheglaring，dazzlingtruththatyouneverwillhave"moretime，"sinceyoualreadyhaveallthetimethereis——youexpectmetoletyouintosomewonderfulsecretbywhichyoumayatanyrateapproachtheidealofaperfectarrangementoftheday，andbywhich，therefore，thathaunting，unpleasant，dailydisappointmentofthingsleftundonewillbegotridof！
Ihavefoundnosuchwonderfulsecret。NordoIexpecttofindit，nordoI
expectthatanyoneelsewilleverfindit。Itisundiscovered。Whenyoufirstbegantogathermydrift，perhapstherewasaresurrectionofhopeinyourbreast。Perhapsyousaidtoyourself，"Thismanwillshowmeaneasy，unfatiguingwayofdoingwhatIhavesolonginvainwishedtodo。"Alas，no！Thefactisthatthereisnoeasyway，noroyalroad。ThepathtoMeccaisextremelyhardandstony，andtheworstofitisthatyouneverquitegetthereafterall。
Themostimportantpreliminarytothetaskofarrangingone’slifesothatonemaylivefullyandcomfortablywithinone’sdailybudgetoftwenty—
fourhoursisthecalmrealisationoftheextremedifficultyofthetask，ofthesacrificesandtheendlesseffortwhichitdemands。Icannottoostronglyinsistonthis。
Ifyouimaginethatyouwillbeabletoachieveyouridealbyingeniouslyplanningoutatime—tablewithapenonapieceofpaper，youhadbettergiveuphopeatonce。Ifyouarenotpreparedfordiscouragementsanddisillusions；ifyouwillnotbecontentwithasmallresultforabigeffort，thendonotbegin。Liedownagainandresumetheuneasydozewhichyoucallyourexistence。
Itisverysad，isitnot，verydepressingandsombre？AndyetIthinkitisratherfine，too，thisnecessityforthetensebracingofthewillbeforeanythingworthdoingcanbedone。Iratherlikeitmyself。Ifeelittobethechiefthingthatdifferentiatesmefromthecatbythefire。
"Well，"yousay，"assumethatIambracedforthebattle。AssumethatIhavecarefullyweighedandcomprehendedyourponderousremarks；
howdoIbegin？"Dearsir，yousimplybegin。Thereisnomagicmethodofbeginning。Ifamanstandingontheedgeofaswimming—bathandwantingtojumpintothecoldwatershouldaskyou，"HowdoIbegintojump？"youwouldmerelyreply，"Justjump。Takeholdofyournerves，andjump。"
AsIhavepreviouslysaid，thechiefbeautyabouttheconstantsupplyoftimeisthatyoucannotwasteitinadvance。Thenextyear，thenextday，thenexthourarelyingreadyforyou，asperfect，asunspoilt，asifyouhadneverwastedormisappliedasinglemomentinallyourcareer。Whichfactisverygratifyingandreassuring。Youcanturnoveranewleafeveryhourifyouchoose。Thereforenoobjectisservedinwaitingtillnextweek，orevenuntilto—morrow。Youmayfancythatthewaterwillbewarmernextweek。Itwon’t。Itwillbecolder。
Butbeforeyoubegin，letmemurmurafewwordsofwarninginyourprivateear。
Letmeprincipallywarnyouagainstyourownardour。Ardourinwell—doingisamisleadingandatreacherousthing。Itcriesoutloudlyforemployment；
youcan’tsatisfyitatfirst；itwantsmoreandmore；itiseagertomovemountainsanddivertthecourseofrivers。Itisn’tcontenttillitperspires。
Andthen，toooften，whenitfeelstheperspirationonitsbrow，itweariesallofasuddenanddies，withoutevenputtingitselftothetroubleofsaying，"I’vehadenoughofthis。"
Bewareofundertakingtoomuchatthestart。Becontentwithquitealittle。
Allowforaccidents。Allowforhumannature，especiallyyourown。
Afailureorso，initself，wouldnotmatter，ifitdidnotincuralossofself—
esteemandofself—confidence。Butjustasnothingsucceedslikesuccess，sonothingfailslikefailure。Mostpeoplewhoareruinedareruinedbyattemptingtoomuch。Therefore，insettingoutontheimmenseenterpriseoflivingfullyandcomfortablywithinthenarrowlimitsoftwenty—fourhoursaday，letusavoidatanycosttheriskofanearlyfailure。Iwillnotagreethat，inthisbusinessatanyrate，agloriousfailureisbetterthanapettysuccess。Iamallforthepettysuccess。Agloriousfailureleadstonothing；apettysuccessmayleadtoasuccessthatisnotpetty。
Soletusbegintoexaminethebudgetoftheday’stime。Yousayyourdayisalreadyfulltooverflowing。How？Youactuallyspendinearningyourlivelihood——howmuch？Sevenhours，ontheaverage？Andinactualsleep，seven？Iwilladdtwohours，andbegenerous。AndIwilldefyyoutoaccounttomeonthespurofthemomentfortheothereighthours。
IV
THECAUSEOFTHETROUBLES
Inordertocometogripsatoncewiththequestionoftime—expenditureinallitsactuality，Imustchooseanindividualcaseforexamination。Icanonlydealwithonecase，andthatcasecannotbetheaveragecase，becausethereisnosuchcaseastheaveragecase，justasthereisnosuchmanastheaverageman。Everymanandeveryman’scaseisspecial。
ButifItakethecaseofaLondonerwhoworksinanoffice，whoseofficehoursarefromtentosix，andwhospendsfiftyminutesmorningandnightintravellingbetweenhishousedoorandhisofficedoor，Ishallhavegotasneartotheaverageasfactspermit。Therearemenwhohavetoworklongerforaliving，butthereareotherswhodonothavetoworksolong。
Fortunatelythefinancialsideofexistencedoesnotinterestushere；forourpresentpurposetheclerkatapoundaweekisexactlyaswelloffasthemillionaireinCarltonHouse—terrace。
Nowthegreatandprofoundmistakewhichmytypicalmanmakesinregardtohisdayisamistakeofgeneralattitude，amistakewhichvitiatesandweakenstwo—thirdsofhisenergiesandinterests。Inthemajorityofinstanceshedoesnotpreciselyfeelapassionforhisbusiness；atbesthedoesnotdislikeit。Hebeginshisbusinessfunctionswithreluctance，aslateashecan，andheendsthemwithjoy，asearlyashecan。Andhisengineswhileheisengagedinhisbusinessareseldomattheirfull"h。p。"（IknowthatIshallbeaccusedbyangryreadersoftraducingthecityworker；butIamprettythoroughlyacquaintedwiththeCity，andIsticktowhatIsay。）
Yetinspiteofallthishepersistsinlookinguponthosehoursfromtentosixas"theday，"towhichthetenhoursprecedingthemandthesixhoursfollowingthemarenothingbutaprologueandepilogue。Suchanattitude，unconsciousthoughitbe，ofcoursekillshisinterestintheoddsixteenhours，withtheresultthat，evenifhedoesnotwastethem，hedoesnotcountthem；heregardsthemsimplyasmargin。
Thisgeneralattitudeisutterlyillogicalandunhealthy，sinceitformallygivesthecentralprominencetoapatchoftimeandabunchofactivitieswhichtheman’soneideaisto"getthrough"andhave"donewith。"Ifamanmakestwo—thirdsofhisexistencesubservienttoone—third，forwhichadmittedlyhehasnoabsolutelyfeverishzest，howcanhehopetolivefullyandcompletely？Hecannot。
Ifmytypicalmanwishestolivefullyandcompletelyhemust，inhismind，arrangeadaywithinaday。Andthisinnerday，aChineseboxinalargerChinesebox，mustbeginat6p。m。andendat10a。m。Itisadayofsixteenhours；andduringallthesesixteenhourshehasnothingwhatevertodobutcultivatehisbodyandhissoulandhisfellowmen。Duringthosesixteenhoursheisfree；heisnotawage—earner；heisnotpreoccupiedwithmonetarycares；heisjustasgoodasamanwithaprivateincome。Thismustbehisattitude。Andhisattitudeisallimportant。Hissuccessinlife（muchmoreimportantthantheamountofestateuponwhathisexecutorswillhavetopayestateduty）dependsonit。
What？Yousaythatfullenergygiventothosesixteenhourswilllessenthevalueofthebusinesseight？Notso。Onthecontrary，itwillassuredlyincreasethevalueofthebusinesseight。Oneofthechiefthingswhichmytypicalmanhastolearnisthatthementalfacultiesarecapableofacontinuoushardactivity；theydonottirelikeanarmoraleg。Alltheywantischange——notrest，exceptinsleep。
Ishallnowexaminethetypicalman’scurrentmethodofemployingthesixteenhoursthatareentirelyhis，beginningwithhisuprising。IwillmerelyindicatethingswhichhedoesandwhichIthinkheoughtnottodo，postponingmysuggestionsfor"planting"thetimeswhichIshallhavecleared——asasettlerclearsspacesinaforest。
InjusticetohimImustsaythathewastesverylittletimebeforeheleavesthehouseinthemorningat9。10。Intoomanyhouseshegetsupatnine，breakfastsbetween9。7and9。91/2，andthenbolts。Butimmediatelyhebangsthefrontdoorhismentalfaculties，whicharetireless，becomeidle。Hewalkstothestationinaconditionofmentalcoma。Arrivedthere，heusuallyhastowaitforthetrain。Onhundredsofsuburbanstationseverymorningyouseemencalmlystrollingupanddownplatformswhilerailwaycompaniesunblushinglyrobthemoftime，whichismorethanmoney。Hundredsofthousandsofhoursarethuslosteverydaysimplybecausemytypicalmanthinkssolittleoftimethatithasneveroccurredtohimtotakequiteeasyprecautionsagainsttheriskofitsloss。
Hehasasolidcoinoftimetospendeveryday——callitasovereign。Hemustgetchangeforit，andingettingchangeheiscontenttoloseheavily。
Supposingthatinsellinghimaticketthecompanysaid，"Wewillchangeyouasovereign，butweshallchargeyouthreehalfpencefordoingso，"
whatwouldmytypicalmanexclaim？Yetthatistheequivalentofwhatthecompanydoeswhenitrobshimoffiveminutestwiceaday。
YousayIamdealingwithminutiae。Iam。AndlateronIwilljustifymyself。
Nowwillyoukindlybuyyourpaperandstepintothetrain？
V
TENNISANDTHEIMMORTALSOUL
Yougetintothemorningtrainwithyournewspaper，andyoucalmlyandmajesticallygiveyourselfuptoyournewspaper。Youdonothurry。Youknowyouhaveatleasthalfanhourofsecurityinfrontofyou。Asyourglancelingersidlyattheadvertisementsofshippingandofsongsontheouterpages，yourairistheairofaleisuredman，wealthyintime，ofamanfromsomeplanetwherethereareahundredandtwenty—fourhoursadayinsteadoftwenty—four。Iamanimpassionedreaderofnewspapers。
IreadfiveEnglishandtwoFrenchdailies，andthenews—agentsaloneknowhowmanyweeklies，regularly。IamobligedtomentionthispersonalfactlestIshouldbeaccusedofaprejudiceagainstnewspaperswhenIsaythatIobjecttothereadingofnewspapersinthemorningtrain。Newspapersareproducedwithrapidity，tobereadwithrapidity。Thereisnoplaceinmydailyprogrammefornewspapers。IreadthemasImayinoddmoments。
ButIdoreadthem。Theideaofdevotingtothemthirtyorfortyconsecutiveminutesofwonderfulsolitude（fornowherecanonemoreperfectlyimmerseone’sselfinone’sselfthaninacompartmentfullofsilent，withdrawn，smokingmales）istomerepugnant。IcannotpossiblyallowyoutoscatterpricelesspearlsoftimewithsuchOrientallavishness。YouarenottheShahoftime。
LetmerespectfullyremindyouthatyouhavenomoretimethanIhave。Nonewspaperreadingintrains！Ihavealready"putby"aboutthree—quartersofanhourforuse。
Nowyoureachyouroffice。AndIabandonyoutheretillsixo’clock。Iamawarethatyouhavenominallyanhour（ofteninrealityanhourandahalf）
inthemidstoftheday，lessthanhalfofwhichtimeisgiventoeating。ButIwillleaveyouallthattospendasyouchoose。Youmayreadyournewspapersthen。
Imeetyouagainasyouemergefromyouroffice。Youarepaleandtired。
Atanyrate，yourwifesaysyouarepale，andyougivehertounderstandthatyouaretired。Duringthejourneyhomeyouhavebeengraduallyworkingupthetiredfeeling。ThetiredfeelinghangsheavyoverthemightysuburbsofLondonlikeavirtuousandmelancholycloud，particularlyinwinter。Youdon’teatimmediatelyonyourarrivalhome。
Butinaboutanhourorsoyoufeelasifyoucouldsitupandtakealittlenourishment。Andyoudo。Thenyousmoke，seriously；youseefriends；
youpotter；youplaycards；youflirtwithabook；younotethatoldageiscreepingon；youtakeastroll；youcaressthepiano……ByJove！aquarterpasteleven。Youthendevotequitefortyminutestothinkingaboutgoingtobed；anditisconceivablethatyouareacquaintedwithagenuinelygoodwhisky。Atlastyougotobed，exhaustedbytheday’swork。Sixhours，probablymore，havegonesinceyoulefttheoffice——gonelikeadream，gonelikemagic，unaccountablygone！
Thatisafairsamplecase。Butyousay："It’sallverywellforyoutotalk。
Aman*is*tired。Amanmustseehisfriends。Hecan’talwaysbeonthestretch。"Justso。Butwhenyouarrangetogotothetheatre（especiallywithaprettywoman）whathappens？Yourushtothesuburbs；yousparenotoiltomakeyourselfgloriousinfineraiment；yourushbacktotowninanothertrain；youkeepyourselfonthestretchforfourhours，ifnotfive；
youtakeherhome；youtakeyourselfhome。Youdon’tspendthree—quartersofanhourin"thinkingabout"goingtobed。Yougo。Friendsandfatiguehaveequallybeenforgotten，andtheeveninghasseemedsoexquisitelylong（orperhapstooshort）！Anddoyourememberthattimewhenyouwerepersuadedtosinginthechorusoftheamateuroperaticsociety，andslavedtwohourseveryothernightforthreemonths？Canyoudenythatwhenyouhavesomethingdefinitetolookforwardtoateventide，somethingthatistoemployallyourenergy——thethoughtofthatsomethinggivesaglowandamoreintensevitalitytothewholeday？
WhatIsuggestisthatatsixo’clockyoulookfactsinthefaceandadmitthatyouarenottired（becauseyouarenot，youknow），andthatyouarrangeyoureveningsothatitisnotcutinthemiddlebyameal。Bysodoingyouwillhaveaclearexpanseofatleastthreehours。Idonotsuggestthatyoushouldemploythreehourseverynightofyourlifeinusingupyourmentalenergy。
ButIdosuggestthatyoumight，foracommencement，employanhourandahalfeveryothereveninginsomeimportantandconsecutivecultivationofthemind。Youwillstillbeleftwiththreeeveningsforfriends，bridge，tennis，domesticscenes，oddreading，pipes，gardening，pottering，andprizecompetitions。Youwillstillhavetheterrificwealthofforty—fivehoursbetween2p。m。Saturdayand10a。m。Monday。Ifyoupersevereyouwillsoonwanttopassfourevenings，andperhapsfive，insomesustainedendeavourtobegenuinelyalive。Andyouwillfalloutofthathabitofmutteringtoyourselfat11。15p。m。，"Timetobethinkingaboutgoingtobed。"Themanwhobeginstogotobedfortyminutesbeforeheopenshisbedroomdoorisbored；thatistosay，heisnotliving。
Butremember，atthestart，thoseninetynocturnalminutesthriceaweekmustbethemostimportantminutesinthetenthousandandeighty。Theymustbesacred，quiteassacredasadramaticrehearsaloratennismatch。
Insteadofsaying，"SorryIcan’tseeyou，oldchap，butIhavetorunofftothetennisclub，"youmustsay，"……butIhavetowork。"This，Iadmit，isintenselydifficulttosay。Tennisissomuchmoreurgentthantheimmortalsoul。
VI
REMEMBERHUMANNATURE
Ihaveincidentallymentionedthevastexpanseofforty—fourhoursbetweenleavingbusinessat2p。m。onSaturdayandreturningtobusinessat10a。m。
onMonday。AndhereImusttouchonthepointwhethertheweekshouldconsistofsixdaysorofseven。Formanyyears——infact，untilIwasapproachingforty——myownweekconsistedofsevendays。Iwasconstantlybeinginformedbyolderandwiserpeoplethatmorework，moregenuineliving，couldbegotoutofsixdaysthanoutofseven。
Anditiscertainlytruethatnow，withonedayinseveninwhichIfollownoprogrammeandmakenoeffortsavewhatthecapriceofthemomentdictates，Iappreciateintenselythemoralvalueofaweeklyrest。Nevertheless，hadI
mylifetoarrangeoveragain，IwoulddoagainasIhavedone。Onlythosewhohavelivedatthefullstretchsevendaysaweekforalongtimecanappreciatethefullbeautyofaregularrecurringidleness。Moreover，Iamageing。Anditisaquestionofage。IncasesofaboundingyouthandexceptionalenergyanddesireforeffortIshouldsayunhesitatingly：Keepgoing，dayin，dayout。