Stop Wasting Your Time

Time is the one resource we can never replace and as such is our most valuable. Most of us do not know what we actually do with our time because most of it is spent mentally rather than physically. For most people, their mind is always active and processing. Understanding where your focus is will provide valuable insights into how much of your time is being wasted on things that do not serve you. For me, the only time I ever feel is wasted is time spent on the things that do not uplift or fill a need. Time spent relaxing and decompressing is time well spent. Time spent on activities that increase a negative internal life or kill motivation are a waste. A lot of us struggle with the pattern of not doing everything we intend to do, beating ourselves for that, and then feeling awful and paralyzed. To break out of this cycle, knowing what your brain is doing is paramount.

If our brain is protecting us from failure, we need to teach ourselves new success dynamics. If we are primed for failure, that creates a pattern of avoidance. Often what accompanies fear of failure is the expectation of perfection. Most perfectionists are also procrastinators because they often will not start things until they know the end result will be perfect. Perfectionism and fear of failure are often 2 sides of the same coin that result in rumination and avoidance. Unpacking what is going on with our thought processes with regard to starting and continuing to work on projects along with an understanding of what serves us creates a positive relationship with how we spend our time.

Knowing why we make the time choices we make is empowering. If the activities we chose throughout the day are designed to protect rather than fulfill us, we are wasting our time. Connecting our choices today with outcomes for tomorrow, next week, next month and so on will bring into focus what our fulfillment patterns should be. Looking at every action as a choice and investigating what is motivating each choice can reveal if we are stuck in protective and/or avoidance patterns. Being honest with ourselves about our expectations can reshape our understanding of ourselves and our time choices. Knowing that we are in control of choices will allow us to stop wasting our time so that we can achieve all that we want. When we are the master of our choices, we are the master of how we spend our time.