Stopping yourself from wasting time?

DHR

DHR

DHR

Soldato
Joined
30 Apr 2003
Posts
3,505
Life seems busier than ever and I don't even have kids.

During the pandemic I got 2+ hours of my day back from no travel, that's still the case now 4 days a week - that time was glorious, it's now all but disappeared and I'm not sure where!

As I've gotten a bit older, I've been more conscious of taking time to "relax" but I'm always amazed by how quickly others seem to get through reading a book, playing a game, watching a new film, series etc.

After a long chat with the other half a few nights ago, we both came to the conclusion that maybe, we just spent time, wasting time, without realising it.

After day of tidying clutter and stuff yesterday we put on two films that have sat there for an age, ordered a pizza and watched them back to back. I can't remember the last time that happened. Is it organisation, determination, burnout?
 
It’s really easy to waste time. Too knackered to do anything else and good for those who fill every minute of every day. They have much more energy I guess.

I now just accept it when I do, no point feeling guilty about it.
 
So we're not alone then @Pickers !

Short less focused content like YouTube, Instagram, general doom scrolling won't help but it's quantifying time usage that's starting to kill me.

Say a film is 90 minutes long, back in my early twenties I could watch 2, maybe 3 in an evening, now, it feels like an event to watch even one :confused:

Guilt @Voltar, 100% guilt has to be said.
 
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I’m guilty of this myself, not actually spending evenings and weekends ‘recharging’ but rather cramming full of activities like the gym, dinners, days away etc. However, the way I see it is, if you’re having a good time, enjoying the company of your other half and generally doing what you want with your spare time, don’t put too much pressure on yourself to do things that everyone else does.

I’m currently trying to learn another language which is taking some amount of motivation.. when you’ve got stuff like 10 second instagram reels at your finger tips, it makes it very very tough!

Would it help to list what you need to achieve that day/weekend and get up earlier to get all of the essentials out of the way? Its amazing what you can achieve by getting up at 6 on the weekends and not messing about in the morning.
 
I think people can have a tendency to waste time by over-researching something, or over-browsing. There’s an enjoyment to be had in it for sure, like researching a new PC build or hi-fi system, but you don’t need to do it with thermos flasks, door mats and bin liners.

Wife asked today whether I liked a mirror she had found online. My first thought was “but what about all the other options?!” but I did, for once, correct my tendency to investigate all options and said she should go for it :)
 
shifty_uk said:
Would it help to list what you need to achieve that day/weekend and get up earlier to get all of the essentials out of the way? Its amazing what you can achieve by getting up at 6 on the weekends and not messing about in the morning.
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Funny you should say that, I have a magic mirror in the hallway I need to repair, I used that for listing travel times and stuff when I was commuting, I knew what to expect before leaving the house, people would know if I was delayed coming back etc.

I've been toying with getting a timetable on there instead of using reminders which regularly just get ignored on my phone, too many notifications etc.

Of a weekend drink plays a part too I suppose on a Friday night, it's always more difficult to get up the day after :rolleyes:
 
Also, worth mentioning that you get the most fulfilment from ‘nourishing’ activity, which is something that ultimately adds to what you perceive as a positive life experience.

I find that all nourishing activities require an expenditure of energy that’s beyond ‘sit down and absorb / consume’. TV, film and video games are great but they are rarely truly nourishing for me - I often just feel like I’m vicariously experiencing something. With video games there is a lot of instant gratification that can make everyday life seem quite hollow.

Things which require ongoing, sustainable effort are almost always more nourishing IMO, whether that’s building a model, tending to a garden, working out, going for a walk (without headphones, to keep present), reading a book…

In summary, if you’re looking to feel like you are making the most of your time, start spending more energy and ‘consuming’ less :)
 
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DHR said:
Life seems busier than ever and I don't even have kids.

During the pandemic I got 2+ hours of my day back from no travel, that's still the case now 4 days a week - that time was glorious, it's now all but disappeared and I'm not sure where!

As I've gotten a bit older, I've been more conscious of taking time to "relax" but I'm always amazed by how quickly others seem to get through reading a book, playing a game, watching a new film, series etc.

After a long chat with the other half a few nights ago, we both came to the conclusion that maybe, we just spent time, wasting time, without realising it.

After day of tidying clutter and stuff yesterday we put on two films that have sat there for an age, ordered a pizza and watched them back to back. I can't remember the last time that happened. Is it organisation, determination, burnout?
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Distraction.

That's what it comes down to. I'm often amazed that I can go to bed early with the intention of watching an episode of a TV show or something, then find I get caught up in YouTube and 2 hours later you realise the time and how you've just seen 2 hours of YouTube videos rather than watching what you were intending to watch.

Similar to these forums. If you've missed a thread and spend time reading through a lot of posts then time really does fly past.

All these things are purely distractions.
 
Nitefly said:
I think people can have a tendency to waste time by over-researching something, or over-browsing. There’s an enjoyment to be had in it for sure, like researching a new PC build or hi-fi system, but you don’t need to do it with thermos flasks, door mats and bin liners.

Wife asked today whether I liked a mirror she had found online. My first thought was “but what about all the other options?!” but I did, for once, correct my tendency to investigate all options and said she should go for it :)
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That's a really interesting observation that @Nitefly, in 'the old world' chances are she'd have been the shop, bought it, and kept the receipt, now... never really the case.

I'm pretty bad with the research, but my wife is terrible on that front. It's such an ol' man thing to say but I blame mobile phones and a lack of discipline on a lot of it too.

*Opens tab... Google.... Buying a Nokia 3310 in 2023*
 
I really have trouble concentrating on long films ,on my 3 weekend days I get up early do multiple coffee's laptop and TV but itch to go out (like now at Jubilee rock walked from home) tbh it could be all part of my fragile mental health, this lack of concentration
Also I find a full day of just doing nothing really really tiring, feel like a walking dead cast member afterwards
 
Nitefly said:
I think people can have a tendency to waste time by over-researching something, or over-browsing. There’s an enjoyment to be had in it for sure, like researching a new PC build or hi-fi system, but you don’t need to do it with thermos flasks, door mats and bin liners.

Wife asked today whether I liked a mirror she had found online. My first thought was “but what about all the other options?!” but I did, for once, correct my tendency to investigate all options and said she should go for it :)
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I almost agree but some bin liners are truly shocking and sometimes I think I'd benefit from researching them more.
 
I find time disappears so quickly. Some things just take time and you don't realise it. Doing a gym workout, going to the dojo, putting the kids to bed, fixing something (I'm a bit of a perfectionist so takes me a while to plan it all), getting ready for work, socialising, watching an episode of a series, looking something up for general research, listening to something, watching a YT video, etc... All these things chew up time.

I actively have to schedule 30mins to do 'nothing' and just meditate. Otherwise the day just becomes a whirlwind.
 
I think circumstances add to it, for example I do shifts and have a toddler so most days everything between 7-7 is spent doing work or looking after them. This means there's only a couple of hours in the evening and it's very easy to just sit and watch some random football than do something that would actually be beneficial, or even that I wanted to do.
 
iamdjdz said:
I think circumstances add to it, for example I do shifts and have a toddler so most days everything between 7-7 is spent doing work or looking after them. This means there's only a couple of hours in the evening and it's very easy to just sit and watch some random football than do something that would actually be beneficial, or even that I wanted to do.
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Count yourself lucky you only start at 7!
 
Voltar said:
Count yourself lucky you only start at 7!
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I've done a load of different patterns over the years and for a few years started at 3-4am finishing at 1-2pm, that wasn't fun! 7-7 days and nights now isn't bad. Used to enjoy 4.30pm - 2.30am 4 days a week, that is a good shift.

Managed to waste time on them all though :cry:
 
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Nitefly said:
I think people can have a tendency to waste time by over-researching something, or over-browsing. There’s an enjoyment to be had in it for sure, like researching a new PC build or hi-fi system, but you don’t need to do it with thermos flasks, door mats and bin liners.

Wife asked today whether I liked a mirror she had found online. My first thought was “but what about all the other options?!” but I did, for once, correct my tendency to investigate all options and said she should go for it :)
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I can relate to this so much.
 
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