Why are you wasting your time?

The woman from my dream came to me and asked me:

- Why are you wasting your time?

Her question was so unexpected that I couldn’t say anything. I was just gazing at her in amazement.

- I’ll call the police – said she.

Finally, I managed to reply:

- I’m 18 years old. I can do anything I want.

She had hard time believing it but she mumbled one shallow okay and entered into the house next to us. She kept watching me, though, over the window – what I will do next.

At that moment, I woke up and realized that was just a dream. In my ears her words: “Why are you wasting your time? I’ll the police” and my answer: “I’m 18. I can do anything I want” were still sounding.

Funny enough, later that morning, my brother called me on the phone. I said to him, I’m too tired. Yesterday, I went to bed at 1 am.

- Why did you go to bed so late?

- I wasted my time browsing on the Internet.

- Why did you waste your time?

- Hmm, I…I don’t know…

In my mind still the words “Why are you wasting your time? I’ll call the police” and my answer: “I’m 18. I can do anything I want” were ringing.

I tried to find the answer - Why am I wasting my time?

When my time comes and I go to my Creator and he asks me,

“How did you use one of the biggest gifts I gave you – time? Did you squander it or did you use it wisely?”,

What would I say??

“Did you use the gifts I gifted you? Did you develop them and share them with the world or did you bury your talents?”

I’m aware of the fact that I’m wasting my time every day. Probably, if I have to count it, it will be the half of my life. Do I use my time to live fully? – I started to ask myself. Every day, at the end of the day, I write in my journal my accomplishments for the day and also my stumbling blocks – that what didn’t go well. At some point, I felt really tired of writing almost every day – minuses: wasted time, wasted time on social media… I felt really fed up with all of that and decided to go on a diet – 3 days without social media. I’m happy to say that I’ve managed to make it 8 days. In fact, I felt like a burden has fallen off me. I felt free. It felt so liberating that I think to repeat this diet some time in the future, too.

Social media is an important tool in my business and social media is a great way to connect with my friends all over the world. I’m not giving it up. I just need to learn to control it, not the opposite way – to be a slave of social media and digital distractions.

So what am I doing now? I’ve started to measure how much time I spend on social media. I set the alarm clock of my mobile for 15 minutes. Yes, 15 minutes. I know, I have only 15 minutes to do what I have to do, so when my mobile rings I’m ready to click log off and to close the page.

I do the same with all of my computer activities. What’s important – Before sitting in front of the computer, I write on a sticky note the things which I need to do when I turn on my computer and the time limit I have for these activities.

For instance, for writing an article, I set the alarm clock for 30 minutes. When it rings, I stop to where I am, save everything and move away from the computer, drink water, stretch, take a walk outside. If this is an urgent task, I come back and continue after 15 minutes. Otherwise, I take a bigger break.

I’m doing spring cleaning at the moment – getting rid of all the non-essential things in my life. It’s amazing how free you feel after getting rid of the minors and focusing on the major things, on the things that will move your life forward.

What about you? Do you have the same problem with time and digital distractions? How do you handle it?

Back to the question – Why are you wasting your time? – I couldn’t find the answer, but I found the solution for me and I’m working on it. I’ve taken full responsibility for my life and the feeling is incredible - to be the architect of my time, to be in control of my life.