Summary

The author plans to drastically reduce time-wasting activities in 2024, aiming to improve productivity and personal growth.

Abstract

The author acknowledges a habit of wasting time, estimating around 5-6 hours daily on non-productive activities. They define time-wasting as unplanned, mindless actions like excessive email checking, social media scrolling, and unnecessary conversations, distinguishing it from beneficial activities like sleeping, exercising, and quality time with family. The author intends to eliminate these time-wasters, anticipating significant life improvements such as increased Medium followers, better physical shape, enhanced confidence, clearer thinking, doubled income, and more detailed future plans. While recognizing the challenge of completely eliminating time-wasting, the author is committed to being more conscious of time use, drawing a parallel to maintaining a healthy diet.

Opinions

The author believes that time wasted is akin to money wasted, emphasizing the value of time in earning potential.
They suggest that even activities typically considered leisurely or restful can become time-wasters if done excessively or as a form of procrastination.
The author is skeptical about achieving a zero-waste time goal but sees the endeavor as a way to significantly improve productivity and life satisfaction.
They express a hopeful outlook on the potential outcomes of this challenge, expecting it to lead to automatic self-improvement.
The author plans to document and share their progress throughout the year, indicating a commitment to accountability and reflection.

Experiment: What Will Happen if I Don’t Waste Any Time?

We all waste time, and not to brag or anything, but I think I’m one of the best.

One goal for me in 2024: Don’t waste any time for the entire year.

And see what happens…

You might be laughing — and I can see why. Part of me is laughing too, but hear me out.

But first (I think you will enjoy this) …

How much time do I currently waste in a day on average?

Oh wow. I really don’t want to answer this.

But…

I honestly guess I waste about 5-6 hours per day on average.

What does a “wasted” hour of time look like for me?

We know the road to hell is paved with good intentions.

It is 9:00 am and I plan to write 1 article, or at least get a good start on one.

I open my computer. I check my email for no real reason. Nothing of importance in there. 2 minutes gone.

Then I think, “Well, I guess I could just quickly check the news to see what’s going on in the world. I won’t read anything, I’ll just quickly scan the headlines.” 12 minutes gone.

Then I think, “You know what, I haven’t played online chess in a while, I’m just going to play one quick 10 minute (per side) match, to warm up my brain.” 16 minutes gone.

Ok, I’ve already wasted exactly 30 minutes, although it feels like only 10.

I’m just warming up.

Ok, I notice my wife just sent me a couple of funny Instagram clips on Skype. I’ll quickly watch those. Another 6 minutes gone.

Oh, I just remembered, I need to call my brother to ask a quick question. 12 minutes gone.

Ok, what was I going to do again? Oh ya, I was going to write an article. I might as well open up the page. 2 minutes gone figuring that out.

It’s 9:50 am. Now I have 10 minutes left of the first hour of work.

I’ve opened the page to start working and realize:

You know what, I haven’t eaten anything yet. I’m kind of hungry. I’ll probably write better if I eat something first, then I can focus.

I don’t come back downstairs until 10:25.

I did eat, but I still haven’t done a single thing for work.

Wow.

Cartoon of guy procrastinating — Dalle 3

First of all, let me define what time wasting is NOT:

A list of things I don’t count as wasting time:

Sleeping
Relaxing
Exercising
Going for a walk in nature
Reading
Hanging out with my wife and son
Talking to my friends
Watching a movie (If it is something I plan on doing)
Making a clear plan on what I need to do

I could go on, but you get the idea.

And of course, any of the things on the list above COULD be a waste of time. It just depends how much you do of them, and when you do them.

Are they planned activities, or are you just doing them for the purpose of procrastinating?

If you are truly tired and need a break, schedule a 20 minute break. No problem.

But don’t start mindlessly clicking on Youtube videos, one after another, while you are supposed to be working.

That is a waste of time.

Here is a list of what IS a HUGE waste of time.

Checking email far too often
Opening a bunch of internet tabs and clicking around
Scrolling aimlessly on social media
Being distracted and just being completely mindless
Checking stats on Medium, Youtube, Stocks, Social Media, etc. more than once a day
Going on a news binge and reading many articles on the same topic for no real reason
Watching several hours of sports on TV
Being finished with a conversation, but still babbling about the same thing
Reading things I already know
Playing game after game of online chess

Ok, this list can obviously go on and on as well.

The list I made is a list of things that I have a tendency to do.

I’ve always been pretty good at not wasting money (I’m not perfect, but I’m pretty good)

But I’ve always been horrible with not wasting my time.

And we all know, Time is Money!

You can use your time wisely to earn more money — and for some reason, I seem to forget that.

Because I tend to waste so much time, I need to start admitting to myself that I’m essentially wasting money too. Hopefully this mindset will help to change my habit.

Do I actually plan on wasting zero time in 2024?

I can’t imagine succeeding 100%.

That’s not really the point in this case.

The point is, I’m going to try. I’m going to be cognizant of it.

If I try to eat healthy food only, I’m aware of what I’m eating, and I will eat a relatively healthy diet, with some mistakes in there of course.

If I’m in a phase where I’m not thinking about diet at all, and just eating whatever I’m in the mood for, my diet will be remarkably worse.

What do I imagine will happen if I try to waste no time for the whole year?

Honestly, I can’t even image how much better my life will be if I can make a good attempt at this?

I’m expecting to get one heck of a lot more accomplished this year than I normally would.

By not wasting any time, I’m expecting to:

Grow my Medium following to well over 1000 followers.
Get in much better physical shape
Feel more confident
Feel more clear headed
Earn double my usual income
Have more interesting and detailed plans for the future.

These aren’t even goals really yet. I just can’t imagine them not happening automatically if I don’t waste my time.

If I’m honestly not wasting time, what else can I do but work on improving myself the majority of the time?

I will try to update this throughout the year with my progress and experiences.