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#003

4th May 2025

How to stop wasting time constantly worrying about how you use your time

For the past 10 years, I've spent nearly every weekend caught in the same mental trap - worrying about whether I was using my time "well." Was I resting the right way? Being productive with my time? Making the most of my weekend?

When I did the math, it hit me hard. That's more than 16,000 waking hours spent worrying instead of actually living.

Imagine dumping 16,000 $100 notes into a firepit and watching them burn. You'd never waste money so carelessly and yet we burn time — our only non-renewable resource — without thinking twice.

That nagging uncertainty about whether you're using your limited time “well” creates a painful irony—your genuine desire to make the most of your limited time results in wasting time worrying about wasting time.

Why this happens

Without clearly defined life goals, you lack the reference points needed to assess whether you're using time well. You operate with a haphazard mix of inherited and assigned life goals—sometimes conflicting—pulling you in different directions.

The cost is greater than simply wasting time and mental resources. To avoid feelings of discomfort, many people fall into the trap of filling their schedules with “busy work” just to feel productive, creating the illusion of time well spent. The problem is that your repeated misaligned decisions and actions can compound, leading you nowhere at best or away from your true life goals at worst.

Seneca recognised this common human struggle 2000 years ago

Our perception of time scarcity often stems from misuse rather than actual limitation. It’s not that we have too little time, but that we allow too much of it to drain away through worry, indecision and misaligned actions.

How to shift this default

Time is a finite resource that's constantly depleting. To use it well:

1. Get clear on your life goals - Without a clear target to measure against, you can't assess whether you've used time well.
2. Make opportunity cost decisions - When you choose to spend time on one thing, you are choosing to not spend it on something else. With clear goals, you are better equipped to make decisions aligned with what truly matters to you. Your decisions may not always be perfect, but you can rest easier knowing that based on your current set of misconcepts, you're making better choices that compound toward your life goals.

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Think about the last time you felt deeply satisfied with how you spent your time. What made that experience different?

Whose definition of "time well spent" are you currently living by?

Thanks for reading!

Learn more at https://misconcepts.kit.com/67493256c0​

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