8 Things You Should Stop Doing Because They’re a Waste of Precious Time!

"Time is not infinite". At least in our lifetimes this statement is true. We have only a limited number of years here and now in which to enjoy the greatest gift of all. Even if the average life expectancy keeps increasing: Who knows if we’ll be healthy and fit in our old age? The future is uncertain for each and every one of us. It can give us many more good and carefree years, but it can also quickly teach us in the form of illnesses and other strokes of fate that we should make the most of every day. In this article, we would like to introduce you to eight things and habits that really only waste your time and have no added value for you.

1. Reopening old wounds.

If you live in the past, you miss the present. But not only that: if you simply can't let go of old grievances and wrongs from long ago, you'll never find inner peace, let alone joy or happiness. Letting go of things we can't change is an essential skill that distinguishes contented people from the chronically dissatisfied. Lock up those old stories and bury your anger and frustration in perpetual obscurity. They're still inflicting more suffering on you than it was ever worth.

2. Waiting for the ideal time.

Wanting children, a career jump, a year abroad, a breakup, a wedding: no matter what other milestone you have in mind for your life, the perfect time for it doesn't exist and never will. If you're just looking for excuses not to take the next big step out of your comfort zone, you'll always have some at the ready. In addition, there will always be objective reasons that speak against big changes. The really big goals in life all require courage, a willingness to take risks and sometimes simply a flexible mentality. Waiting around never saw anyone achieve great things.

3. Striving for perfection.

Perfection is not only a myth among us humans, it is also a decidedly boring state of affairs. What does perfection mean in the end? That everything has been achieved, every battle won and every resolution kept. So once we are perfect, there is nothing left for us to do. All we can really do then is lie down in the graveyard. We humans will never be perfect for that reason alone, because then we would have no goals and no perspective on this earth. When all is said and done, what are we still here for? Those who torture themselves daily and strive for optimization in all aspects of life will ultimately only get out of breath faster and reach the end of the line. It's better to accept the little weaknesses that we all carry around with us and then enjoy life to the fullest.

4. Maintaining bad relationships.

We stay out of convenience, sometimes because we don't see a solution to our financial existence, and for many other reasons that, in the end, unfortunately, just fall into the excuse category. It may well be that starting over in middle or later years is not easy, but persevering in bad, perhaps even toxic or abusive relationships until the misery runs its course is not the meaning of life. We should not have to spend our days in fear, nor in unhappiness, nor in constant disappointment. If every day is just more shared torture, one or the other party needs the good sense to end this torture.

5. Squandering time on social media.

A real waste of valuable life time is senseless scrolling on the smartphone. Instagram and other apps indeed provide a tailored amount of information that spontaneously captivates us and draws us into their world. But what do we gain? Where does the added value for our existence lie when we watch other people stage their lives purely to attract public attention? It starts with the fact that many of the lives on display are not real at all. We now need to see through filters, and for more than just photos. The next critical point in this context is that comparing ourselves with others only makes us unhappy. We'll never look like that, we'll never be able to afford all the expensive things, and very few of us live a life in the party zone. The third point of concern regarding excessive social media activity is judging, also called "liking." With just one finger we can decide to participate in the rat race – even an anonymous comment is quickly written. Needless to say, very few of them are encouraging, flattering or motivating. Those who want to voluntarily hand themselves over to this globally operating pillory are of course welcome to do so. But you will certainly not become a happy or satisfied person in this way.

6. Don't trust your intuition.

We should all listen to our gut feeling much more often. Our mind knows and can do many things, but most vibrations we perceive are rather on a subconscious level. Especially when dealing with other people, we could benefit enormously from listening to our inner voice more often. We could then spare ourselves the analysis and hours of speculation, the playing out of the most diverse scenarios and irritating internal cinema.

7. Sinking into self-pity and regret.

Remorse is - except perhaps on a deathbed - one of the most pointless ways to feel bad. Being sincerely ashamed of something or wanting to make amends is a fine thing. But this could be done and over with a sincere apology, and forgiveness is ideally followed by forgetting. So if you want to constantly flagellate yourself for missing opportunities or treating people wrongly, you're not doing anyone any good. The same applies to bathing in self-pity. Here, too, no one gains anything from it – on the contrary. Those who constantly fret about their supposed misdeeds will very soon undertake this journey all alone, because people who constantly rehearse their victim role and get on the last nerve of others end up alone sooner or later – if they are not already.

8. Meeting the expectations of others.

This point is difficult and certainly not so easy to crack. Many of us grow into a very specific role that family, tradition or general opinion has predetermined for us. Like the frog in the pot of water slowly heating up, we don't act as the temperature rises, barely feeling the heat. Outsiders, on the other hand, looking at the dilemma objectively, would immediately leave the hot water behind with a single leap from the pot. Having to live a life that does not correspond to one's own ideas is certainly the worst form of prison that we can lock ourselves into. There may not be an easy way out of it, but get out while you can, for at some point it's too late for alternatives.

Today’s Conclusion

Later is too late. Even though life expectancy is on an upward trend, life is not predictable. It can be over for all of us tomorrow morning. That it will be at some point is the only certainty we have. Or as Anthony Hopkins put it, "Nobody gets out of here alive."