Stop Killing Time

Stop Killing Time. You can think of hundreds of things to do better than that.

Several years ago, a retired person I knew told me about a game on their phone. I told them that I don‘t play games on my phone, and they said, “It‘s a good way to kill time.” Kill time? Why would I want to do that?

Benjamin Franklin, in Poor Richard‘s Almanack, said, “Dost thou love life? Then do not squander Time; for that’s the Stuff Life is made of.“ Centuries before Franklin, Seneca said, “We’re tight-fisted with property and money, yet think too little of wasting time, the one thing about which we should all be the toughest misers.“ And more recently, Tony Stark quoted his father as saying, “No amount of money can buy a second of time.“

I am not saying that you shouldn‘t enjoy yourself. If you want to play a game on your phone or binge-watch Netflix, then do it. Think it through, and do it with intent. Hang out with your friends and gossip. Fine. But do it with purpose. Do not do it because you are just killing time between getting home from work and going to bed.

Stop killing time out of habit. When I was practicing medicine, patients told me they had no time to exercise. A few minutes later, they mentioned the shows they were watching. I like television too, but if you cut back a bit, you would have time to exercise or do many activities more productive than ten straight episodes of Larry David, or whatever his show is called.

It takes effort to stop killing time. Since January 18, I have not had a job since I graduated from medical school over thirty years ago. I do not have a strict agenda. If I want to be productive and do something meaningful, I must think ahead and make a plan. It‘s not difficult. Think of a few activities that you find meaningful and do them. I exercise, write, manage this blog, shop, cook, learn to draw, and play piano. When my wife is home, we find meaningful activities we do together. Plan ahead and Begin With The End in Mind.

Spend time with your loved ones. Make them something, write them a letter, or plan a trip. If you‘re bored, don‘t drink alcohol, don‘t eat junk food, and don‘t go on TikTok. Any book on any shelf is better than social media. If you have trouble avoiding social media, check out Cal Newport and his book, Digital Minimalism.

The hardest part is not coming up with productive, meaningful things to do. There are blogs and books devoted to activities both before and during retirement. The hard part is starting. Once you start, it‘s easy. Say you want to learn to cook. Go to Udemy.com and sign up for a good book, drawing, painting, learning about money, writing, design, sewing, or photography. I could go on and on, but I don‘t have time. But whatever you choose, start immediately. Tomorrow never comes if you‘re procrastinating. And one day, it won‘t come at all.

Whatever you choose to do, make it meaningful. It doesn‘t have to make money or save the world. It only has to be meaningful to you. Don‘t mindlessly stream shows or flip channels (if people still do that) without any purpose. Even if you have a full-time job, don‘t kill the few hours you have for leisure. Act with intent. Stop Killing Time.