How will you waste time today?

That’s right. I want you to think about wasting time productively. I can feel you struggling with the dichotomy of my previous sentence. But that’s okay.

Look, we both know that you’ll waste some time today, and that’s okay because so will I. Whether it’s daydreaming, scrolling the internet, or any other time-wasting activity you might have.

Allowing yourself to spend some time letting your mind aimlessly wander might sound counterproductive, and it can be if it continues for too long, but it can also allow for much-needed rest and recovery.

Over the years, there’s been a vast body of work focused on being productive and getting things done, so much so that you might feel as though you need to be on task all day long, but that’s not possible. You’re not a machine. And even machines eventually need some downtime.

One of the hidden benefits of wasting time is that it might be an underlying symptom. You might be avoiding a task that you either don’t want to or can’t do for one reason or another, so you drag your feet and do something less productive. But quite often, it’s during the time-wasting, you can come up with a creative or different approach to help you complete your unwanted or unfinished task.

I realize that wasting time is not often viewed as a virtue and is rarely recommended, especially by productivity gurus, but that’s okay because each to their own. And I’m by no means suggesting that you waste all your time. What I am saying is that it’s okay sometimes to allow yourself to be off task.

So, the next time you find yourself wasting time, do so without guilt and use the opportunity to introspect and inquire why you’re wasting time. It might be that you’ll learn more about yourself during your time-wasting than when you’re being hyper-productive.

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