Every situation has a silver lining – discover a mindset that heals and enlightens.
March 7, 2021 · 7 min read
The more you delay your tasks or goals, the worse it gets.
“I waste so much time” – a feeling that we all felt at least once. Doing nothing or unnecessary things is the most disturbing thing at the end of the day, and we secretly wish that we could get that time back.
Time is the only non-renewable thing, once it is gone or wasted, it’s gone forever, there is no other way to get it back.
“I waste so much time by thinking that I will get my tasks done by tomorrow, but I always regret it later.”
The more you think you have tomorrow, the easier it will be for you to waste your time today. Time is precious and invaluable.
Why Is Time The Most Valuable Resource?
Time is the most valuable resource in life, but some people think that money is more precious.
However, by comparing money and time, you will realize that money spent can be earned again but once time is spent, it’s gone forever.
You can use your time to make money, but you can’t reverse it and spend your money to buy more time for you. A time wasted can never be get back in any case.
Time is the only non-renewable thing, you can have the ability to discover ways to earn more money, to find more people but no one has the capacity to produce more time.
Both rich and poor have the same hours in a day, it depends on you how to manage your time efficiently and wisely. Avoiding time-wasting activities can make all the difference.
Common Mistakes Of Wasting Time
The answer to the question “Why I waste so much time?” is because of time management mistakes. It could also mean that you are just not interested in things that they think should be doing. People are not lazy, they just have goals and tasks that don’t inspire or motivate them.
Here are some common mistakes or reasons of wasting time.
1. Social Media
Social media is the most common reason why you might waste so much time.
Getting so much obsessed about news feed and followers, you spend more time checking your social media accounts all day.
That results in wasting time that could be used in a better way.
2. Too Much Multi-tasking
Multi-tasking is one of the reasons why you might be saying to yourself “I waste so much time”.
Attempting to do more than one thing at a time diminishes your efficiency.
So focusing on one thing at a time makes you more efficient.
3. Procrastination
Sometimes the fear of failure promotes procrastination, and you might waste so much time when feeling incapable of doing a task that you are afraid to fail at.
It could be that the task is so huge, that it looks too hard to accomplish.
The secret is to divide the tasks in manageable little chunks, so that it would look less intimidating.
4. You Are Surrounded By Negative People
When you are surrounded by negative people, it results in a waste of time, because with them, you are not doing anything productive.
These people use your invaluable time and little by little you might become part of them.
It is mandatory to recognize these people and cut them out of your life asap.
5. Video Games
You can also feel like “I waste so much time playing video games”, because it makes you more addicted day by day.
It is one of the reasons that you spend more time on phone rather than doing anything more creative.
6. Waiting For Random Events To Happen
Sometimes, you are just waiting for something to happen, which results in a waste of time.
So what you should is, go out and make it happen.
7. Noodling Around
You might also waste so much time checking e-mails several times a day or doing the same things over again.
For example, if you have learnt something to play on a guitar, you spend too much time playing it over and over again instead of learning something new.
In short, you are stuck in your comfort zone and afraid to explore new horizons.
8. Socializing Too Often
Estimate how much time can you spend with others
There is nothing wrong with socializing, but too much socializing results in a waste of time.
Meeting up with friends or other acquaintances everyday results in time used ineffectively.
Instead, you should make a rough plan how many times per week you can afford to socialize depending in your goals without hurting relationships.
9. Overthinking
You can waste so much time by thinking about the tasks you have on a deadline, instead of getting help from your colleagues or friends due to hesitation and ego.
You have to break the line between this uncertainty and taking actions.
10. Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
ADHD is a brain disorder that affects how you pay attention and control your behavior.
People who have this disorder often find trouble making the decision or getting tasks done before a deadline, so they get frustrated easily and give up.
This could be one of the reasons for wasting time.
Do any of these problems sound familiar to you?
It is important to indicate the root cause to understand the problem. Only then you can move on to solutions to solve the time waste problem.
How To Stop Wasting My Time?
The time once spent can never get back. But we can manage further to do things to compensate for the time wasted.
1. You Don't Figure Out Your Goals
To avoid wasting time, you need to have a clear plan on how to achieve your goals step by step.
Once you know what they are, you can easily divide them into smaller tasks and focus on how to fit them into your life.
2. You Have Bad Time Management Habits
You need to note down how long it truly takes to do things which you are doing all the time.
In other words, you have to understand your routine from time perspective.
Sometimes you can overestimate how long it takes to do basic things and underestimate the time for bigger tasks or vice versa.
So, if you exactly know how much time you should spend on a specific task, you will be able to do it better and more efficiently.
On some occasions, you can even eliminate some of your not that necessary basic activities to save more time to use for more meaningful actions.
3. Proritize The Tasks
You don’t prioritize tasks which need to be done first.
So what you should have to do is, put some tasks under “urgent and important” title to get it done before other tasks.
Therefore, if you manage your time well, you will be spending more time on activities which cannot be delayed.
In this way, you will be able to get the most valuable things done without wasting your time.
4. Schedule Daily Tasks
You waste so much time because you don’t schedule daily tasks.
Once you prioritize tasks, you can schedule them at which time of the day should you perform them.
You can schedule them on a daily or weekly basis. In this way, you can manage your time more efficiently and with less chaos or no at all.
Also, don’t be afraid to change things up if you think it will work better for you in that way.
5. Keep Your To-Do List Close
You can be twice as fast with a list of tasks to do
Make a to-do-list of your tasks and keep it with yourself.
You can write it down on piece of paper or in cell phone so that you can keep it with you, wherever you go.
A simple example is going to the grocery store.
If you have list of groceries done that is stored in your phone or written on a piece of paper, you will get your essentials almost twice as fast than if you were not organized.
6. Use Your Free Time Wisely
Just because you have executed your previous task faster than you expected, don’t use the leftover time for nothing.
If you have got free time to start the next task, don’t waste it, rather you can use it creatively or productively.
For example, if you see a window of time before your next task, you can take a walk to refreshen your mind or read a book.
7. Use Time Seeking Tools
Social networking sites can divert you for hours.
Therefore, time seek tools which assist you to track and plan your time, remind you if you have something important and urgent to do and even block you from the websites that entice you the most.
Take a look on some of them that fit your needs best.
8. Embrace Healthy Lifestyle
Start eating healthy food, because research says that junk food makes you lazy and less efficient.
Healthy body and mind both are equally important to perform actively and efficiently.
Start focusing on your daily diet.
How To Use Your Time More Effectively
Once you have started learning the time management skills, you will see that after completing all tasks, you will still have free time.
However, it depends on you whether you waste it or use it constructively.
1. Find A Hobby
Hobbies makes us relaxed and fulfilled with satisfaction
Everyone should engage in some hobbies or sports to bring variety, energy, excitement and revival into their lives.
Rather than wasting time sitting idle, doing absolutely nothing, it’s better to make yourself busy in a hobby or use your time productively.
Make space for these type of activities in your daily or weekly timetable. It will not only give you something to look forward to, but you’ll be more relaxed and prepared to handle the day when you return from your work.
2. Learn A New Skill
When you stop wasting your time, it will allow you to learn new skills or get yourself enrolled on a free course.
By simply passing tests and assignments or just by simply reading, you will build up your knowledge portfolio that can help you in work, relationships or other fields of life.
3. Become More Physically Active
Set up a daily workout routine for yourself.
Sports will make you more active, thus it will increase your efficiency at completing tasks.
You don’t need any specific gym equipment for this, you can do it at home by simply watching videos on the internet.
4. Set Motivation Reminders
Nothing motivates more than PAIN
Set reminders that keep you motivated and focused to help you accomplish your goals.
Nothing motivates more than PAIN.
It includes something that you hate or makes you anxious, stressed and very unhappy in general.
Notice, that word “very” is in bold text. Being just unhappy isn’t enough. You need a stronger motivation.
It can be your current job, toxic relationships or lack of money.
With every passing moment, you are getting closer to your deadlines, so it is critical to stay motivated.
5. Make Social Media Work For You
Social media is an excellent opportunity to grow your business.
And no, it is not too late to start. It never is.
Stop wasting time by just scrolling on social media, start learning skills to make a professional profile.
It’s an awesome way to put your brand in front of people who are interested in your business.
Start selling your creativity over different social media platforms.
6. Spend Your Time With Your Loved Ones
Good time management skills allow you to spend more valuable time with your loved ones.
If it happens that you spend very little time with close people, this would work just great for you.
The more free time you have to spend with your friends and family, the better your relationships will be.
7. Give Back To Other People
Although this is the last point in this list, but it is probably the most important.
If you go through life surging from one assignment to another, you never have the chance to investigate new opportunities.
With more free time, you will be able to volunteer or help others in need.
This generous deed will make you a better person and in return will enrichen your personality.
One happier person means a happier world to live in.
Everyone counts.
Final Words
In the end, we come to a point that time is the most valuable thing in life.
A waste of time is time spent doing useless or unnecessary things.
To do something better in life, you need to understand the value of time, in this way you can achieve success in your life by using time properly and efficiently.
Good time management skills help you to utilize your time productively, maintain valuable relationships with loved ones, and to attain new opportunities to reach your goals.