The Top 3 Biggest Time Wasters
The older you get the more valuable your time starts to become. Afterall, time is a finite resource and doesn’t go on forever. It’s something that most people overlook and take for granted. Especially when you are young and have what seems like an endless supply of it.
As I’m getting older I am personally making a much more concentrated effort to make better use of my time. It’s something that is heavily advocated for throughout the personal finance community, with many stating that time is our greatest asset. In this article I’d like to take a look at 3 of the biggest time wasters.
#1 Social Media
Social media can be an incredible tool but it can also become a big time waster if not used effectively. Afterall, social media is designed to keep you hooked, coming back for more, and spending as much of your time on it as possible. As much as the “TikTok” world has become a big hit in recent times, the truth is that the vast majority of that stuff is pretty much crap.
Along with the social media category I would also add dating apps in there as well. Dating apps like Tinder can be a good resource for putting yourself out there to potentially meet people, and many do find some success with them, but they can also turn into just another time waster in some cases. It really depends on your location, you’re individual preferences, and what you’re looking for.
For a personal finance enthusiast, sometimes the best thing is to focus on being a creator and not a consumer when it comes to social media. And sometimes it’s best to not worry about the engagement and just focus on the creation itself. Opening your phone up throughout the day to see if your pic has any new likes. Checking your dating app throughout the afternoon to see if your new match has messaged back. These sorts of things can not only become a waste of time, but a waste of mental energy.
#2 Video Games
Video games can be a lot of fun, and in some cases they can turn into a lucrative endeavor, but those instances are rare and less likely nowadays with the level of competition that is out there.
A lot like social media, many of today’s video games are designed to keep you hooked and coming back for more. I’ve seen it with Fortnite in particular personally. I can honestly say that there have been instances where I have gotten up in the morning, had a whole day’s worth of activity planned, and said to myself “maybe I will just stay home and play Fortnite instead”.
Video games are okay for an hour or so here and there. The same goes for watching TV. If you watch an hour of your favorite TV show while winding down before bed, that is understandable. But when you’re spending hours and hours of your evening playing video games and watching TV every day, that’s where it starts to become a big waste of time.
#3 Sleeping In
Sleeping in is a sneaky waste of time because it may seem like it’s not that big of a deal. Afterall, what’s an extra 30 minutes to an hour sleeping in or hitting the snooze button? The problem is that the morning is one of the most critical parts of the day, and getting off to a strong start is one of the best ways to impact the rest of the day in a positive way.
If you sleep in an extra hour and a half 3 times a week that is 4.5 hours. In a month’s time that is 19.5 hours. Imagine all the good things that could be done in that time instead of sleeping in. Over a long period, that’s enough time to have a serious impact on your quality of life.
Sleeping in really doesn’t do anything but just make you more groggy and less mentally sharp. That’s part of the reason why it’s a time waste. You sleep in because you want to feel more rested, but it ends up just making you more groggy.
Time is Money
When you look at all the things above, what they all have in common is that they can take up large amounts of time without adding any constructive benefit. In many cases, they are actually just making you mentally weaker and less energized.
Some studies have been done to show the effect that cutting out things like social media and video games can have on the brain’s ability to be productive and focused. Basically what it shows is that it’s easier for a person to do “hard” things like get a workout in, read a book, or write an article when you’re neurotransmitters aren’t jacked up with artificial bull crap.
Does that mean that these things have to be cut out completely? Not necessarily. But, the more that they can be used controlled and moderately, the more you are likely to reap the positives of them without it becoming a detrimental waste of time.
