8 of Life’s Biggest Time Wasters — Avoid Them at All Costs
How to Make the Most of Your Time On Earth
According to the World Health Organization, global life expectancy has increased by more than 6 years between 2000 and 2019.
On average, people worldwide now live up to 73.4 years old.
I’m almost in my 30s…
If there’s anything I’ve learned about time in my short stay on the planet, it’s that it goes extremely fast!
It still feels like I was in high school the other day.
I remember being 8 years old, playing kerby in the local estate, and going to taekwondo on the weekends.
All of a sudden, I’m an uncle and have bills.
Time flies by super fast.
Once it’s gone, it’s gone.
This is why it’s in your best interest to do everything possible to make the most of your time here: you don’t have long.
Identify and remove everything that wastes your time.
Here’s a list of 8 of the most common time-wasters I’ve observed over the years are…
1. Waiting for inspiration
Inspiration is an intense feeling of enjoyment or interest.
It manifests as a burst of clarity that fills you with creativity and gives you direction.
The purpose of it is to encourage you to take immediate action toward a desired outcome.
The only catch is it’s fleeting.
Inspiration comes as and when it pleases and goes just as fast.
It’s not unusual to feel inspired one moment and then deflated the next.
This makes it an extremely unreliable source of motivation toward action.
Don’t get me wrong…
You must take full advantage of your moments of inspiration.
… But just don’t wait for them to get you started.
You might be waiting a lifetime.
2. Worrying about others opinions
There’s a psychological phenomenon known as the overblown implications effect…
We’re naturally victims of it.
It states we tend to overestimate how much insight people think our one-off successes or failures offer into our competency.
This occurs because we don’t see things from the broader view of others.
Being preoccupied with the judgment of others makes you believe the judgment is far worse than it is.
This sends you down a spiral of negative thoughts that create limiting beliefs and hold you back.
Just relax and put your best foot forward.
People don’t care as much as you think.
3. Complaining
Complaining not only wastes time but also kills energy.
Moaning about how things are doesn’t do anything to solve the problem at stake.
All it does is create a culture of negativity that stifles creativity.
The craziest part about complaining is the effort it takes from you can be invested into finding solutions and achieving results.
Stop complaining. Start innovating.
4. Trying to please everybody
It’s virtually impossible to please everybody, so stop trying.
We’ve all been through a cocktail of experiences and developed our own unique perception of the world.
No matter how much you try to make people happy, you’ll always upset someone.
This doesn’t mean you should make it your objective to do so…
All I’m saying is to remove the filter.
Live your life according to your morals and values that you constantly update as you learn more about yourself.
This change will make you much happier and more enthusiastic about waking up.
5. Comparing yourself to others
Comparing yourself to others is toxic.
What you’re implicitly telling your brain is, “Ignore my strengths and accomplishments; focus on my lack.”
We often forget people can manipulate the aspects of their lives we see.
If they wanna make everything look rosy and sweet, they can.
This phenomenon has been exaggerated ever since the introduction of social media, where people share snippets of the best parts of their lives.
One study found that the number of hours spent on social media is related to an increase in depressive symptoms and mental health problems among adolescents.
Don’t waste time comparing yourself to others.
You don’t know the full extent of what they're going through.
Just focus on doing you.
6. Repeating the same mistakes
Failure is inevitable – you’re gonna f*%k up.
Falling victim to the same mistake more than twice is a choice.
As the old adage goes, “Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me.”
Repeating the same mistakes means you haven’t turned your errors into learning opportunities.
You’ll remain at the same level until you pass the test.
7. Perfectionism
It’s impossible for humans to be perfect because we’re imperfect by nature.
We make mistakes, have bad days, and sometimes struggle to find motivation.
That’s just how we’re designed.
The relentless pursuit of perfection is the fast track to low self-worth.
You’ll be happy with your efforts, and you’ll be unhappy with your place in life.
Instead of being perfect, be good enough.
Progress is 10x better than perfect.
8. Unhealthy relationships
We’re predominantly social creatures.
The survival and advancement of our species depend on our ability to build interpersonal connections.
An 80-year Harvard study even went as far as saying the secret to happiness and long life is community.
But this statement only stands if the relationships being formed are positive.
“Positive relationships keep us happier, healthier, and help us live longer. Period.” — Mark Shulz and Robert Waldinger, An 85-year Harvard study found the No. 1 thing that makes us happy in life: It helps us ‘live longer’, CNBC
Negative relationships drain the soul.
They damage your self-esteem and mental health and can ruin your physical health too.
Steer clear of them if you wanna have a fruitful life.
Focus on developing positive relationships and expanding them over time.
Final thoughts
Life is here now and must be lived today.
Many often blow theirs away, falling victim to time wasters like:
1. Waiting for inspiration 2. Worrying about others opinions 3. Complaining 4. Trying to please everybody 5. Comparing yourself to others 6. Repeating the same mistakes 7. Perfectionism 8. Unhealthy relationships
Removing them shifts you closer to making the most out of your time on earth.
The next step is defining a meaningful goal you wish to achieve and pursuing it relentlessly.
Thanks for reading!
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