Although I am slow answering this question, the delay is with cause… the question is excellent and I’ve probably spent 3 or 4 hours (cumulatively) trying to come up with the best answer possible. Thank you for the quality of the question. Here goes:
Set a goal.
It doesn’t matter what your goal is, since by definition:
Any time you spend working towards your goal is time that is not wasted.
And, time spent NOT working towards your goal is, by definition, wasted time. Now, some of this “wasted time” is unavoidable, so don’t begrudge unavoidably wasted time but instead fully immerse yourself in it; you may discover something new. Examples of this would be doing a few chores for your parents, talking with grandparents and that sort of “social activity”. However, to a large extent you must guard your time, because nobody else will guard your time for you. Always remember this important rule:
Time is all you really have in life. Be wary of people that want to spend your time for their benefit.
My definition of wasted time is time that is spent NOT working towards your goal and about which you have full control. Doing this one simple thing will save the average North American 9 years of life:
Do NOT watch television.
According to Nielsen, the average American spends 9 out of 65 years watching television! Nowadays, web-surfing and video games are starting to replace television – but ultimately they’re all the same: if you’re staring at a screen and not actually creating something, you’re probably wasting time.
This is a perfect example of someone else (specifically, advertisers) wanting to control how you spend that singularly valuable thing in your life: time.
Here’s a fact: it takes about 10,000 hours to become an expert at something. That’s about 4 hours per day for 9 years. Follow the link.
The only thing most North Americans become expert at is… watching television. Because that’s the only thing they work hard at.
Frankly, I could give you many little things that you can do to save a few minutes here or there, but by following this one simple item you’ll get an extra 9 years or more of life. That’s enough time to become an expert in the field of your choice.
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