I Could Have Use My Time Better

I'm currently traveling in Turkey with my housemates for the winter term break. While waiting for the bus to Istanbul from Cappadocia just now, we had about 2 hours of free time after our tour till the bus departure. We sat in a cafe and had Turkish coffee. What else was I doing? I posted my photo of my hot air balloon tour from this morning on Instagram and Facebook and was switching between the two apps to see who liked them. Yes, I did that for almost 2 hours. Shame on me.

Could I have made better use of my time? Definitely. However, when I say that, I do not mean that I should have been working. Working is not the only way to make use of my time. I could have been writing my weekly blog post since today is Sunday. I could have been reading the book (How To Win Friends And Influence People) I brought with me. I could have been more engaged with talking to my housemates and made deeper conversations. I could have been writing the postcards I want to send home. All these activities are certainly more meaningful or useful than checking how many people liked my photos.

On hindsight, it may be very obvious that I should have chosen the other activities instead. However, it is very easy to lose ourselves in such mindless activities, which also include watching the TV. We do not have to use any brain power yet we receive instant gratifications when our friends like our photos or when the show is funny.

I do not believe that it is possible or necessary to eliminate all mindless activities entirely from our lives. It is alright to check how our friends are doing through their posts on Facebook or get inspiration for our next creative work by watching related videos or reading relevant articles. However, it is important to be aware of how much time we are spending on them and limit ourselves if they hinder us from leading a productive and meaningful life.

(I just wrote this blog post on the bus with wifi. Many things are tough and takes a lot of effort and time, but that does not mean that they are impossible. Running a mile under 4 minutes was "impossible".)