Every once in a while someone would write to advice columnist Dear Abby and say something like, "I really want to do this but next year I'll be forty."

Dear Abby, or maybe it was her sister Ann Landers, would always say, "Next year you'll be forty whether you do this or not. Do it."

Time flies.

Whether you sit down to write today or not, time moves on and before you know it, it's tomorrow. Tomorrow you'll look back at today with reasons you didn't do your daily writing. Only you can know if the reasons are valid or not but I suggest that one reason you should examine carefully is, "I didn't have time."

Perhaps it's true. Some days just conspire against us and take all of our time and we don't accomplish the things we need to accomplish. But most days, there is plenty of time that we waste without thinking about it.

Again, I'm not saying you don't need time for yourself. We all need time to relax a bit. But if you've decided that writing is important for you, take a look at how much time you could have carved out for yourself by not visiting Facebook so many times. You can check your Twitter feed but do you really need to check it so often? You can refresh your mail, but would it be a big deal if you don't reply to that message the moment you receive it.

Time flies.

So many things can be replenished: your energy, your money, your knowledge,...

Once time has passed, you can never get it back again.

If you want to watch that show on television, that's fine. But if you're sitting there with the remote cycling through the channels, there's nothing you are committed to watch right now. Turn the television off and write, or talk to the person next to you, or contact a friend you haven't reached out to in years.

There's nothing wrong with doing things that others consider a waste of time if it's what you want to do - if it's what you need to do. I'm just encouraging you to guard against the things you do without thinking. Things you do that aren't important or intentional. Things that keep you from doing something you really want to do - that you really need to do.

Yesterday, I tweeted that my daughter entered the last year of her teens. It was her birthday and I wanted to share that thought. Many kind people tweeted back about their kids and we exchanged thoughts of how fast the years had gone by.

Matteo Plombo tweeted a message he'd read elsewhere on the internet that is a reminder to all of us.

"Time flies ... But you're the pilot."