Use "Wasted" Time

Most of us waste time, me more than ever. This came about as I was not clear of my goals and objectives. We waste time standing in queues, waiting in traffic, chatting on-line, sms'ing, surfing the net aimlessly, etc........ I call all these time wasters, diversions or distractions. We fail to use all of our time productively or even pleasurably. We jump from one diversion to another without enjoying any of them. We get irritated about matters beyond our control. The cause, we fail to plan well, causing negative consequences that could be easily avoided, for example we could use our travelling time to read or listen to personal development materials rather sitting, standing around or just purely listening to music. I find reading in the toilet useful as I am in an alpha state where absorption of information is at its highest. :-)

You could use these questions at the end of the day to evaluate your strengths and weakness:

• When did I do my worst thinking today?
• When did I do my best thinking?
• What did I actually think about today?
• Did I figure out anything?
• Did I allow any negative thinking to frustrate me unnecessarily?
• If I had to repeat today, what would I do differently? Why?
• Did I do anything today to further my long-term goals?
• Did I do what I set out to do? Why or Why not?
• Did I act in accordance with my own expressed values?
• If I were to spend every day this way for 10 years, would I, at the end, have accomplished something worthy of at that time?

Source: Critical Thinking, Richard W. Paul & Linda Elder

Take a little time with each question and reflect. It would be useful, like a daily journal to record your observations so that you are forced to spell out the details and or bad habits. Be explicit in what you recognise. As time passes, you will be able to look back and search for patterns in your daily thinking, habits and in your observations and assessments of that thinking.