There are certain things people tend to spend their lives on that lead them to feel disappointed and unhappy. What they don’t realize is that every second they waste on these things they are slowly drifting further away from where they want to be. The key is to take note of how you spend your time and take your life back.
1. Procrastination
Procrastination is something we have all encountered at least once in our lives. You think you have all day to do something, but when that day comes you have zero time to do it. All of a sudden you’re watching TV or scrolling through Facebook for hours on end. Procrastination not only wastes your time but it can also cause you to feel more stressed and anxious.
Why do you procrastinate?
Maybe you’re afraid of failure or you want everything to be perfect. You could feel overwhelmed by the work that you have to do. The work you have to do might seem like too much and you don’t know where to begin. Maybe you’re getting distracted by your phone or things around you. Once you get distracted it piles onto your workload even more.
How can you stop procrastinating?
The first thing you can do to stop procrastinating is try breaking your workload into baby steps. This will help ease your anxiety and you will be able to focus on one bullet point at a time. You can even set deadlines for each point to help you feel more rushed to start. Find a quiet area and eliminate your distractions. You will be surprised how much you can get done.
Read: 25 Tips to Overcome Procrastination
2. Comparing Yourself to Others
The best way to avoid this waste of time is by realizing that everyone is different and on the journey of their own life. Social media only displays the best parts of people’s lives, not the blood sweat and tears they go through to get there. Stop worrying about how others are doing and bring your focus back to you. Set goals that you’d like to achieve and stick to them. Celebrate the small accomplishments because they are huge milestones.
Another great way to help you stop comparing yourself to others is by taking a break from social media. You can even go as far as deleting your social media for a few months. Spend more time around positive people that build you up, not tear you down. Remember you are not better or worse than someone just because they may be further along than you.
Read also: 150 Self-Reflection Questions for Personal Growth
3. Staying in Toxic Relationships
Toxic can be defined as something that is harmful instead of beneficial. Hold a friend or family member close to your heart and ask yourself these questions: Do they support your goals? Or do they knock down your dreams? I’m sure you’ll begin to realize that some people may be toxic to you. They may constantly put you down or say hurtful things to your face or behind your back.
How do you know when to let go?
The first step to letting go of these types of relationships is by realizing how you feel when you’re around that person. Do you constantly feel tense, drained, or worse about yourself? If the answer is yes then you may be in a toxic relationship. Distance yourself from that negative energy and make room for more positive people to enter your life.
Read also: 7 Ways to Stop Being a Toxic Person
4. Overthinking Every Decision
Overthinking is when you analyze or think about something way too much. You may feel overwhelmed by your thoughts and start doubting yourself. Once you start doubting yourself you become fearful of what you want to decide on. Overthinking can cause you to take too long on making a decision.
How can you stop overthinking?
One thing you can do to help you stop overthinking is by giving yourself a time limit. Decide that you will only think about the situation for 20 minutes. Even if you don’t finish going over everything in your mind, make a decision. You will feel awkward at first but as you start to practice this you will feel more confident in your decision. You can even write down the pros and cons of what you want to decide on.
5. Seeking Perfection
Some people may strive for perfection in everything they do. They believe that if they don’t do something perfectly then they aren’t happy. Seeking perfection can really hurt you in the long run and cause you to waste your time. You will constantly be working on something and never feel satisfied.
How can you avoid perfection?
The best thing you can do is to remember that you’re only human and you won’t be perfect at anything you do. Try your best and that will be good enough. As long as you know that you gave your all then you shouldn’t feel upset. Once you stop seeking perfection you will realize that you have so much more time to enjoy life. Take everything in and be present, you’re enough just the way you are.
6. Wasting Time on Mindless Entertainment
Ask yourself how many hours a day you spend on mindless entertainment. Whether it be playing video games, watching TV, or browsing through Facebook and Instagram. When you really think about how much time you put into these things you’ll feel upset that you wasted your time. Don’t get me wrong we all love to zone out and watch TV shows or scroll on Instagram but there is a fine line.
Video games are fun and can be very adrenaline pumping at times. But what about sitting at the computer for hours on end? Instead of watching half a season in one day you could be learning something new. Social media is another time waster, we all love to see what our friends are up to. But scrolling through Instagram for hours can be pointless and worthless.
What are some healthy alternatives?
The best thing you can do is set some restrictions on yourself. Maybe you can pick one day a week where you don’t touch any technology. You can pick up a hobby you’ve always wanted to do but never had the time. Try reading, going to the gym, or picking up knitting. These things are also very entertaining and can benefit your life instead of wasting your time.
7. Not Setting Goals
If you don’t have goals in your life you will feel like you are wasting your time. Think about how many hours a day you watch TV or sleep? If you had a goal that you were looking forward to you wouldn’t waste your time watching TV all day. When you have no goals you feel like you have no motivation to do things that may benefit your life.
How do you set goals for yourself?
First you want to ask yourself what you want in life. Think about both short term and long term goals that you’d like to achieve. Maybe you want to finish a certain project by the end of the week. That would be considered a short term goal. But maybe you want to get a new degree or learn a new hobby, those are considered long term goals. You will feel less overwhelmed if you break your goals down into small sections.
8. Ignoring Your Health
Your health is something you should never take for granted. Your body and mind play a huge role in how your day will play out. A lot of people ignore when they’re feeling stressed, not eating right, or not getting enough exercise. By ignoring these things you could be wasting your life away.
One of the biggest things that people do is sit for too long. We are all guilty of sitting at the computer for hours on end whether it be for work or play. Make sure you take breaks from your screen and go outside for a walk. Even though exercising can be fun you can try dancing or swimming.
Conclusion
Take a minute and reflect on everything you learned from this blog post. You learned about 8 things people waste their lives doing that make them feel unaccomplished. The goal is for you to realize what things you’re wasting your time on. As you think about what you’ve learned, point out the things that affect your daily life and make you feel unhappy. Maybe you spend too much time on social media or you stay around toxic people. Once you figure out what is wasting your time you can finally work to better your life.
Figuring out what you want to change in your life is only the beginning. You shouldn’t try and better yourself overnight; you can take baby steps as well. Maybe you want to spend less time on social media so you can set a goal to only be on social media for 2 hours a day. If you want to be healthier you could start by taking a walk once a day. A lot of times small steps can make a big change.
Another thing you should do is tell your friends and family your goals. When you’re around people that care about you they will want to see you happier. They will help encourage you and keep you on track with becoming the best you can be. You’re not the only person trying to better your life; everyone is going through the same struggle. Make sure you reward yourself every time you accomplish a goal.
Now that you know what you want to work on you should start taking action towards a better you. Take these tips and better your life you deserve it!
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