Are you wasting your time?

“Nothing… is ours, except time. We were entrusted by nature with the ownership of this single thing, so fleeting and slippery that anyone who will can oust us from possession.” — Seneca, Letters from a Stoic

We all deal with procrastination. The looming task (or tasks) ahead seem so daunting and tough to overcome. It could be a project, a phone call, or even cleaning our bedroom. There are strategies to break down these gargantuan tasks into small steps. There are strategies to make the big seem small. But before all that, we need to have a mindset around the time we have in our hands.

In Letters to a Stoic, Seneca says that the only possession we truly have is our time. And the problem with that is that is moves so quickly. Our whole life up until this very moment has already passed us – it is gone. Think about how it has been spent. Now think about all of the things others are asking from you, and all of the moments in the future where you don’t have control of your time. Maybe a professor is taking some of your time with extra homework. Maybe a boss has you filing extra reports and it is taking away from your time.

Sometimes, we can’t control who or what takes our time away, but we can control what we do with what’s left. We need to remind ourselves that when we do waste small moments to delay a task, we are potentially throwing away such a valuable resource. Scrolling through Instagram can be a trap. Playing my PlayStation often feels like a trap. There are definitely benefits to these activities with dopamine releases and the calming effects they provide us. However, we need to ask ourselves – “How much time have I wasted?” “Is this how I want to spend my most valuable resource?”

This is not a call for us to take advantage of every second. We don’t have to go on a hike on a lazy Saturday morning to feel better about ourselves. We don’t have to work our butts off every moment we can. However, we need to be intentional in our actions. I have spent countless hours playing video games or scrolling through social media (I’m looking at you TikTok) without any consciousness, and that is when I feel guilt. Why did I throw away so much time?

The next time you have a lazy morning or an impending task in the back of your mind, look at the time you have with you. It’s okay if you don’t tackle your task right away. However, don’t forget that the time that you have right now is yours and you should feel good about it. My lazy Saturday mornings consist of drinking coffee and listening to a podcast. I do still play video games in the background while listening to my podcast. But I set limits. I’m intentional in my actions and know the reason why I’m playing the game and don’t let it take over hours of my day.

Time is “fleeting and slippery,” so be careful where it goes.