One of the first steps in solving a problem is identifying there is one. Many people will not realize that they are wasting time in their day to day lives. The authors of the book "Make Time" have given these phenomenon names which we can relate to and identify whether we are falling prey to these constructs.
First up is Busy Bandwagon. The concept is tied to how we field requests for work, re-actively. By not taking charge and not identifying that it is someone else's priorities that we are fulfilling, we have somehow glorified the culture of being busy for someone else. We keep fielding requests from our colleagues, bosses etc. never stopping to think that there actually is no end to this. Once you fulfill one request, other will come up. So on and so forth.
Second is Infinity Pools. This is something we all know and do. We all, almost subconsciously, start checking Facebook, Whatsapp, Instagram, news websites etc. These are constantly replenishing content websites with a reward mechanism that is so unpredictable that there is a thrill every time we consume it. Our stupid brains love the unpredictable nature of dopamine hit every time we check our feed or messages.
So what is wrong with all this you ask ?
Well, Everybody is allowed to do some work for their boss and check facebook every now and then ..but it should not be reactive - it should be proactive and thinking about the end goal. Not falling into the infinity pool and spending countless hours on the internet but purpose-driven hours.
Some quick tips are Remove the news apps from your phone. Unless you are in the media industry, it is not of any use to us what the president says. Prefer to have a static medium like a condensed half an hour bulletin or a news paper which have definite end to it.
Also if you can, remove social media apps from your phone or atleast log out of them. This way there will be a barrier between you and the infinity pool.
References:
1. Make Time - Book by Jake Knapp and John Zeratsky
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