While you were waiting

We spend a great deal of out time waiting for things to happen yet, very few utilise the time spent effectively. So many things can be done in the little spaces between the larger events if we actually plan a little or forego a little.

For example, I don't listen to music in the car as I drive, I listen to podcasts. I have done this for quite a few years now as the content I listen to supports my work and I find it much more interesting than the repetitiveness of the radio. When I am at the gym, I do the same. However, when I am at home, I put on some decent music and can have a listen. The difference is the quality of listening experience as in my car and at the gym, the sound is not delivered well enough to really feel the music well, so why bother? A podcast with people speaking though is fine on crappy speakers.

But, the biggest opportunity in the time spent waiting is the possibility and space to think about all kinds of things. Again, I never mean become consumed by though, I mean to use the time to imagine, create, simulate and problem solve issues we may face. The problem could be as simple as 'what to post about today' or, a shopping list for groceries.

Normally though, instead of using the time to do something that support us, we use it to avoid doing anything of consequence. Mobile apps and social media platforms are designed to take our attention away and give us a massive tool of avoidance which we readily turn to so as not to suffer the time between. People do not count all of these things and rather delude themselves by saying "it relaxes me" or "there is no harm in some of it" but, unless we are pretty much where we want to be in life now, it will add up to create stress and harm to us in the future.

So many people I meet have all kinds of complaints about their life or other's yet, they spend their time passively waiting for things to happen or avoiding doing under the guise of relaxation. If the time you spend relaxing doesn't make your quality of action better afterwards, you are doing it wrong and for the most part, this is the case as after the relaxation is over, they are physically and mentally unchanged but, they have less time to act.

Time is a commodity and should be treated as a very finite resource but because it is invisible, we tend not to notice its worth until there is very little time left. Take the time to evaluate how you use your time, where you want to be in this world and be very, very objective.

Afterwards ask the question: Do I have time to wait?

Taraz
[ a Steemit original ]