Wasting Time

We might not like to think about it, but we only have a relatively short time on this planet. Despite this, procrastination is a huge adversary most of us deal with on a daily basis. Why do we always say "tomorrow" when it's never a guarantee? Why then do we waste so much time?

I'll be the first to admit, that I waste a whole lot of my time. I look at those things I should be doing for myself, that would arguably improve my quality of life, and get lost in a sea of other priorities. That is a key word, "priorities". Our priorities in modern day life are so unfocused and changing that setting goals, let alone achieving them, becomes almost impossible.

Something to think about on this subject of priorities, are the things in our everyday lives that have undue influence on them. Things like, television, the internet, social media are only a few of these influences. This won't be a diatribe on why we should cut these out of our lives. However, there is much to be said on becoming more mindful of their effects on our priorities and using them to greater effect for our own personal development and actualization.

These three mediums have become almost synonymous with wasting time. Sitting down, turning your mind off, passively consuming content is something we are entitled to after a long day of work or study. Entitled? Maybe, but so many times we never question the content of whatever it is that we are watching. Or the reason we seek out this mental stimulation in the first place. Don't get me wrong, I love watching funny videos, an exciting movie, or an intriguing TV show. But, as the Roman writer Seneca states, "You are what you put your attention to"

Now how many of us BEFORE watching or engaging in these mediums ask ourselves, "what am I wanting to get out of this?" Through chronic mindlessness, we go into these fugue states of swiping on our phone, getting caught up on social media, watching the latest episode of a TV show, without being aware of our priorities. Instead, through a kind of chicken and the egg situation, our priorities are dictated to us by whatever is vaguely catching our interest. We are seeking out mental disengagement constantly in the name of "relaxation".

I'm sure anyone reading has experienced the feeling of, "I just don't know what to watch??" Every time we go through all the choices before us on streaming services, all the social media stories, News, etc we become almost paralyzed in frustration. What are we frustrated at? I would say because we have become dependent on these mediums to tell us what interests us intrinsically. No algorithm, no matter how sophisticated, can predict our internal priorities in the long run. By mentally disengaging, we have run counterproductive to our initial priority of mental stimulation. We've become dependent on these mediums to tell us what motivates us in life. We've become enslaved seekers looking for our next thrill.

If you've stuck around, then I thank you for the time you've taken to read this. This may be an overly dark and histrionic interpretation of technology's role in our lives. However, it doesn't have to be like this. By simply being more reflective and mindful, we can start to use TV, Social Media, Internet to our decided advantage. All we have to do is ask ourselves everyday, "What/who do I want to be?" This answer will be different for everyone and may be a little vague at first. Take whatever answer you do get, and start saying no to watching and engaging in things that you don't want to be. Understand that these mediums, and the algorithms they use to keep us interested, are mirrors of our own internal landscape. This is a pivotal first step towards greater awareness of our personal identity and it's trajectory in the modern world of technology. Out of this, we can begin to see where our attention is going and how it is shaping our priorities in life. With this greater awareness we'll naturally stop procrastinating and waste less time by putting our focus on who, what, where and why we want to be. Again, we become what we give our attention to. A good rule of thumb therefore is: If it is NOT something you want to be, ignore it. If it is something you want to be, IMMERSE yourself in it.

Love, Peace and Fun ;)