Wasting time is a scourge. We spend our days chasing time. We wish we had a few extra hours every day, because we don’t have time to do everything, and that makes us stressed. So how can we stop wasting time? Here are 5 mistakes you should never make again.

1 – No goals

Wasting time means running around with no real goal in mind.

We have lots of things to do every day, but do we know why we want to do them?

Why are they important to us?

Because the mistake is not knowing why we do things, not knowing what we’re chasing hour after hour.

In fact, our time is our most precious asset. It’s a gift that’s given to us every day, without compensation, but it can be taken away from us at any time without notice.

In other words, our goal on Earth is not to do as many things as possible under stress, but to do things because they contribute to our happiness and well-being.

And that’s up to you, your choices and the way you do things.

That’s why I invite you to take some time to list all the things you do week after week. And, for each thing, see why you do it. In other words, does this thing contribute to your happiness and well-being?

If not, stop doing it.

Remember that your happiness and well-being are your only objectives! All those things that don’t meet these objectives are a waste of time.

2 – Wasting time: asking too much of yourself

The more we ask of ourselves, the more time we waste.

This is because our mind is easily frightened, and when it’s frightened, it freezes. It doesn’t want to function.

That’s why trying to do too much is a waste of time.

So how do you go about it?

I wholeheartedly invite you to have just 2 or 3 top priorities a day. That way, you’ll have every chance of accomplishing these priority tasks, but it goes even further.

In fact, your mind will be so confident in its ability to rise to the challenge that it will stop wasting time procrastinating, looking for excuses.

And you’ll do more things than you ever expected.

In fact, as soon as you let go of the challenge, your mind becomes more active and creative.

3 – Wasting time: not knowing how to say no

Not knowing how to say no leads us to do things we don’t want to do. So, as well as being a huge waste of time for us, it becomes a major source of stress, and perhaps even unhappiness.

That’s why it’s essential to learn how to say no.

In fact, we haven’t learned how to say no. Quite the opposite, in fact. Because we’ve learned to be nice people, too nice.

And this leads us to waste our time doing things we don’t like, or even things that stress us out.

So how do we learn to say no?

First of all, I invite you to look back at all the times you’ve said yes to things that turned out to be a waste of time and even very unpleasant moments for you. What were those things? List them on a piece of paper, then make a commitment to say no to those things from now on.

Then practice saying no. Start with small requests to people you trust, and so on.

Because learning takes practice. After all, the ability to say no doesn’t just fall from the sky. (laughs)

Personally, when someone asks me for something and I hesitate to say no because I feel guilty, I remind myself that my time is my most precious asset, that one day it will be taken away from me, and immediately I don’t feel guilty about saying no (laughs).

4 – Not knowing how to ask for help

As difficult as it is for us to say no when someone asks us for help, it’s also very difficult for us to ask for help ourselves.

We don’t want to disturb others.

In fact, it’s because we don’t dare to say no that we think others don’t dare to say no.

But ask your children to empty the dishwasher and you’ll see that it’s very easy for them to say no or to find false excuses for not doing so. (laughs)

What’s more, it’s normal to ask for help at home, but also at work.

So, how do you ask for help? The key is not to grumble (laughs).

So, make your request clear and enthusiastic: “I need you to…”. Then be prepared to compromise and even take no for an answer.

In fact, we don’t dare ask for help either, because we’re afraid of hearing ourselves say “no”.

Come on, cheer up! Just as you have the right to say no, so do others. But if it’s your kids saying no about the dishwasher, it’s time to compromise. (laughs)

To motivate you to dare to ask for help, remember that it’s one of the most effective techniques for avoiding wasted time.

Because you don’t have to manage everything on your own, at home or at work.

5 – Waste of time: clinging to this belief

Here we’re going to talk about a paradox that always makes me smile. In fact, there’s a belief in our society that says “you’ve got to live life to the full”, and this ties in with the universal fact that our time will be taken away from us at some point, perhaps even without notice.

In other words, make the most of it. I agree.

That said, if we want to enjoy life too much, we end up wasting our time.

Why do we do that? Because we lose sight of our main priority, which is our own happiness.

In fact, the demands we make on ourselves to enjoy life are numerous, but sometimes they are harmful to our health, and this exhausts us greatly.

I’m thinking of those evenings with too much alcohol. I’m thinking of weekends with far too many commitments, or vacations with 4 visits a day…

Because it’s important to understand that when we talk about wasting time, we’re not talking about optimizing our time in such a way as to get even more done in as little time as possible.

We’re talking about wasting time to be happy in your life.

To do this, start each day with this intention: “Today is the ideal day to be happy.”

Then take stock each evening by asking yourself, “Did I live well today?”

The point is not to feel guilty, but rather to be on a path of improvement.

Indeed, there will always be sources of time-wasting in our lives, but our aim is to stop making them habits of life.

Find out more:

I invite you to read these 2 complementary articles:

Discover Kaizen method: 3 steps to reach your goals in small steps
Discover Procrastination: 11 tips to stop!

I recommend this inspiring book:

Procrastination: Why You Do It, What to Do About It Now by Jane B. Burka and Lenora M. Yuen.

In this insightful book, Burka and Yuen examine the psychology of procrastination, explore the reasons why time is wasted and offer practical strategies for overcoming the habit. By understanding the underlying causes and implementing effective techniques, we can free ourselves from procrastination and regain control of our time, promoting greater productivity and success.

It has helped me enormously to better understand my relationship with time, and I can feel the changes. It brings to light many of the blind spots that a chronic procrastinator can have. I highly recommend it to anyone who has trouble finishing things on time.

Thank you very much for reading this article.

If you liked it, let me know in the comments.

Take care of yourself