How to Waste Time: 5 Ways To Do It Well

If you've ever recovered yourself wasting clip aliases conscionable overwhelmed pinch clip guidance successful general, today's impermanent writer has an absorbing position connected really to discarded clip arsenic a writer—and still put successful your individual maturation and value clip pinch those group and things you want most. 

Welcome to impermanent writer Emil Rem! Read much astir Emil astatine nan end. 

Every time I aftermath astatine 5 to statesman nan juggle betwixt penning imaginative nonfiction and my time occupation arsenic an accountant. With 2 specified diametrically other endeavors, some filled pinch each sorts of deadlines, I person to beryllium very mindful astir really I building my time. Usually, my days are meticulously planned out.

One caller greeting I woke astatine nan ace of dawn, filled pinch determination to tackle nan tasks that laic ahead. I hoped to get up of schedule some pinch nan heap of taxation returns needing my attention, and nan draught section I had promised to my editor.

However, life, arsenic it often does, had a different plan. My wife, waking astatine a much leisurely 9am, had a elemental request. “Hon, tin you thrust maine to Saskatoon Farm? I person immoderate muffins to prime up.” I fto retired a sigh, masked my increasing panic astatine nan thought of rescheduling my work, and agreed to her request.

Then came a detour for meal astatine Phil’s. And a spontaneous travel to nan yearly Lilac Festival that was taking spot connected our street. And conscionable arsenic I thought I could return to my work, my boy woke up precocious and needed a thrust to nan field of Mount Royal University wherever he’s a student.

Time, it seemed, was slipping away.

Don’t get maine wrong: this is not nan aforesaid arsenic procrastination. Procrastination is erstwhile we take to do thing other alternatively of what we intended to beryllium doing — whether that’s penning aliases paying nan bills. Wasting clip is when, it seems, we’re doing thing astatine each to further our circumstantial goals aliases to do lists.

A New Perspective connected Time

As my family bombarded maine pinch requests, I wanted to scream, ”sStop wasting my time,” but instead, I paused.

I was transported backmost to my younger days, bombarded pinch nan echoes of my mother’s disapproving voice. “You grounded your precocious schoolhouse exams. You grounded each accounting exam you’ve taken. You’re specified a loser. Stop wasting time.”

Despite 30 years of beingness separation, it felt arsenic though my mum was opinionated correct successful beforehand of me, her sound laced pinch fiery rebuke. She had circumstantial ideas astir what was a discarded of clip and really it reflected connected my character. 

In nan midst of nan chaos, a realization dawned: investing clip pinch my family was not wasted time. Immersed successful nan happiness my family and life pinch them has brought maine and nan emotion we share, I recalled a quote from 1 of my favourite puerility books: Antoine de Saint-Exupery’s The Little Prince.

“All grown-ups were erstwhile children… but only fewer of them retrieve it. It is nan clip you person wasted for your roseate that makes your roseate truthful important. I americium who I americium and I person nan request to be. The astir beautiful things successful nan world cannot beryllium seen aliases touched, they are felt pinch nan heart.”

That day, amidst unexpected detours and incessant interruptions, I was reminded that what immoderate mightiness telephone “wasting time” is, successful fact, an invaluable gift—one that we should each clasp routinely—even erstwhile it seems inopportune.

5 Ways to Waste Time Well

Unlike pinch procrastination—which usually leads america to either move to a different but productive task, aliases prosecute successful mindless habits for illustration swiping our news feeds, we tin discarded clip successful ways that really enrich our lives. It's each a matter of perspective. 

Connect pinch nan People Around Us

Whether it's a spontaneous meal pinch our partner aliases a thrust crossed municipality pinch our child, these are nan moments that deepen our relationships. When we group speech our contiguous tasks and prosecute afloat pinch our loved ones, we create memories that often beryllium to beryllium much valuable than immoderate worldly possession aliases accomplishment. Time spent pinch loved ones is ne'er wasted.

Live successful nan Moment

In nan hustle and bustle of life, we often go slaves to our schedules, losing show of nan coming moment. But erstwhile we let ourselves to “waste time,” we unrecorded successful nan moment, noticing our surroundings, savoring our experiences, appreciating elemental pleasures. As mindfulness experts constituent out, this enhances our value of life. It besides gives america caller experiences to animate america arsenic writers.

Invest successful Self-Care 

Constantly chasing deadlines tin lead to burnout and stress. By seemingly “wasting time,” we springiness ourselves support to slow down and relax, which is important for buffering nan demands of regular life and maintaining our intelligence and beingness well-being, arsenic good arsenic creativity.

Foster Creativity 

Great ideas often look erstwhile our minds are allowed to wander. By stepping distant from our contiguous tasks and giving ourselves nan state to simply deliberation aliases daydream, we tin unlock our imaginative potential. How galore times person you had an ‘aha’ infinitesimal astir your manuscript erstwhile you’re not focusing connected thing astatine all?

Gain Perspective

Time spent distant from our activity allows america to bespeak connected our lives and our penning from a broader perspective. We tin reassess our priorities, redefine our goals, and summation valuable insights into what genuinely matters to us.

Better Use of Time

As I sat backmost down astatine my table that day, precocious successful nan afternoon, I felt a profound consciousness of fulfillment. I was grateful for nan reminder that nan worth of my time should not solely dangle connected nan number of financial statements I hole aliases taxation returns I complete. It's besides astir nan laughter, shared moments and memories I create pinch my loved ones successful nan constricted clip we person together.

Indeed, nan astir beautiful things successful nan world are not seen aliases touched, but felt pinch nan heart. And emotion from nan bosom is nan spot wherever penning from nan bosom begins.

How do you specify wasted time? Share successful nan comments. 

Looking for sneaky ways to bargain clip to write? Or possibly you want to write a book while moving afloat time? We person writers pinch each kinds of clip constraints moving successful our organization to animate you. Check retired joining our Pro organization here and find support to decorativeness your penning dreams. 

Emil Rem is a imaginative nonfiction writer, an eccentric accountant and an advocator for overcoming nan odds.  An Ismaili Muslim primitively from Tanzania, he has faced—and overcome—daunting circumstances each his life, from being raised successful foster attraction successful England to emigrating to Canada arsenic a young adult.  He is nan writer of Heart of New York and Chasing Aphrodite and has much books successful nan works.  His ngo successful sharing his stories is to instill dream and animate group to take action, resilience, dream and determination for overcoming moreover nan tallest of odds, undaunted.