Here’s an interesting question I came across on Twitter the other day:
What do you see as unimportant and don’t spend time on that a lot of other people see as important and spend a lot of time on?
I love these kind of questions as they let me reflect on the way I behave and perhaps find things that I should change. This is quite a loaded question and is framed within the context of the lives of the majority of people living in the West.
Here’s my list:
- Social media (except for Twitter ~10 mins a day)
- Religion
- Discussing mainstream news
- TV (I do watch a few thought-provoking series though)
- Celebrity culture
- Daily stock/crypto prices
- Politics
- Group discussions (I prefer deep 1-1 conversations)
- Commuting during rush hours
On the other hand, there are also a number of things that I spend a lot of time on that a lot of other people probably don’t. Here’s a few I thought of:
- Researching restaurants to try out
- Practicing sports (mostly training and playing padel)
- Health (education, check ups, physiotherapy)
- Travel
- Learning languages
- Reading
- Meditation
- Education
- Blogging
- Journaling
- Tidiness (keeping possessions organized and clean, data backups and organization)
On occasions when I want to make a major purchase I will spend an inordinate amount of time on research, which might not be that optimal. On the other hand, I do enjoy the process of research and educating myself about the product I’m planning to buy, and I feel it makes my appreciation of the product I end up getting.
Perhaps after spending some time reflecting on this question, it’s worth reading about the five most common regrets of the dying.
Here’s what the majority say:
- I wish I’d had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me.
- I wish I hadn’t worked so much.
- I wish I’d had the courage to express my feelings.
- I wish I had stayed in touch with my friends.
- I wish that I had let myself be happier.
I guess it’s well worth rethinking how you spend your time in the light of these regrets of the dying.
What would your lists look like?
Cool question! Shopping and watching series are the first things I can think about.
Super interesting Jean, and yeah, I spend my time organising so I don’t waste any when something is needed.