This started out as a blog post on the common ways people waste time. Several articles I read covered similar ground: Lack of planning. Procrastination. Email. Social media. Watching TV. As a matter of fact, I wasted about two hours reading articles about wasting time.
Then it occurred to me: so what? Creative people *need* to waste time. We can't be productive machines, after all. “We always assume that you get more done when you’re consciously paying attention to a problem," Jonathan Schooler says in The Virtues of Daydreaming. ". . . But this is often a mistake. If you’re trying to solve a complex problem, then you need to give yourself a real break, to let the mind incubate the problem all by itself.”
Then it occurred to me: so what? Creative people *need* to waste time. We can't be productive machines, after all. “We always assume that you get more done when you’re consciously paying attention to a problem," Jonathan Schooler says in The Virtues of Daydreaming. ". . . But this is often a mistake. If you’re trying to solve a complex problem, then you need to give yourself a real break, to let the mind incubate the problem all by itself.”
The Top 5 Best Ways to Kill Time
Here's my non-scientific list of the top five best ways to kill time:
1. Go for a walk or a run alone. Pay attention to smells and sounds.
2. Stare out the window. Do not apologize for this if anyone notices.
3. Take a long shower. (There's some research about why this produces "Eureka" moments.)
4. Doodle with crayons or colored pencils.
5. Agatha Christie said, "The best time for planning a book is while you're doing the dishes." Vacuuming could also work. Or dusting.
What's your favorite way to waste time?
1. Go for a walk or a run alone. Pay attention to smells and sounds.
2. Stare out the window. Do not apologize for this if anyone notices.
3. Take a long shower. (There's some research about why this produces "Eureka" moments.)
4. Doodle with crayons or colored pencils.
5. Agatha Christie said, "The best time for planning a book is while you're doing the dishes." Vacuuming could also work. Or dusting.
What's your favorite way to waste time?
PS -- Just in case you're looking for a more traditional "time killer" article, here's a helpful infographic.
Top 10 Time Killers - An infographic by the team at OfficeTime Time Tracking
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