Wasting time is an Element of a Balanced Life.

Humans are constantly been schooled on ways to stop wasting time and improving productivity.

In today’s functioning way of being, we have allowed all free space to be filled with tips, tricks, procedures and someone trying to tell you how to satisfy yourself with efficiency. Humans have constantly been schooled on ways to stop wasting time, getting more done and improving productivity. We the People live in a world that holds great value and validation of the results on what is accomplished. Here in this 70- and 80-hour work week, the time spent at work has become a badge of honor. The concept of “wasting time” provokes a sense of guilt and worry.

While "wasting time" might sound illogical and to some counterintuitive, it's actually an important element of a balanced life. Constant working or stimulation can lead to being mentally lethargic, which drives you to overload and burnout.

Wasting time allows your brain to relax, process information and recover, which in turn makes you more efficient and productive. It’s like recharging your batteries. To function at your best, you must have some downtime. When your mind is free, relaxed and allowed to wander, you will see that this is when creative breakthroughs peak the highest.

Taking time to de-stress and engage in relaxing activities like taking a walk, meditation or spending time in nature helps reduce stress and anxiety. This in turn improves your mental and physical health and overall well-being. Reducing stress also makes you more likely to look beyond your own needs and help others.

Getting back to nature for the improvement of self is something that the Japanese have brought back from the past in a stronger way. It’s being implemented to help the working force as well as everyone else. It’s known as shinrin-yoko, or Forest Bathing. It is a nature-based practice that involves immersing oneself into the forest atmosphere to promote physical and mental health.

Forest Bathing is not about hiking or exercise, but rather about slowing down, engaging your senses and connecting with nature. It is a process of therapeutic relaxation. This method is supported by scientific evidence showing its potential to reduce stress, lower blood pressure, improve mood and boost the immune system. creating, energy and concentration.

Practicing Forest Bathing means spending time in nature and mindfully engaging within a natural environment. It is done by walking through a forest at a slow and gentle pace, without carrying any electronics and taking the time to notice and absorb the environment. It is letting nature enter, bringing life to all five senses. It’s methodically listening to the sounds of the forest. It’s touching the ground, the trees and the leaves. It’s smelling the flowers, plants and the trees. It’s observing the surroundings, the scenery and tasting the crispiness of the air while breathing. It's the recharging of positive energy levels with the purification of negative thought.

We started losing who and what we were as humans with the Industrial Revolution. It may have brought about significant increases in productivity, but it also had several negative consequences that affected both workers and the environment.

The drive for increased production output led factory owners to prioritize profit over a worker’s well-being. This resulted in the exploitation of workers with harsh working conditions, long hours and low wages. Often the workers, including children, were compelled to work 12-14 hours a day for minimal pay.

As people migrated to cities seeking factory jobs, overcrowded and unsanitary living conditions became common, with inadequate housing, clean water and sanitation. While industrialists and business owners accumulated vast wealth, the working class often experienced deteriorating living and working conditions, leading to a significant disparity in the distribution of wealth.

Then, as soon as we thoroughly desegrated ourselves, we were introduced to multitasking. In today’s circles of employment, the ability to multitask is listed as a “must” in every job description. Multitasking has become the norm.

We have been taught to pride ourselves with the ability to juggle multiple tasks simultaneously, believing that it makes us more efficient and productive. When we speak of multitasking, we are referring to situations where we’re doing two or more things at the same time.

Our brains are incredible organs capable of processing vast amounts of information, but they do have their limits. When we engage in multitasking, we are essentially asking our brains to divide their attention and switch between different tasks rapidly.

What is unsaid about multitasking is that it can lead to decreased productivity, increased errors and impaired cognitive functions like attention, memory and problem-solving. When the latter happens, multitasking will increase stress levels, reduce creativity, and negatively affect temperament. While it may seem efficient, multitasking often leads to getting less accomplished with a significant negative impact.

As we all have been hornswoggled with the industrial revolution and multitasking, so too was the importance of wasting time being hidden from us. To follow this nonproductive doctrine in living is not beneficial to those that have been brainwashing us to work harder and longer.

Whenever you slow down and refuse to be busy, your mind daydreams and your thoughts are released to wander. The time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time, Lazy afternoons can help solve problems. Somehow the relaxation and mental breaks invite epiphanies, breakthroughs and solutions to whatever the challenges are.

There will always be an endless list of chores to complete and work to do. In truth dutifully responding to them is dull and unneeded. Wasting time is highly fulfilling and necessary. It’s about recharging your battery and decluttering your mind. Taking time to be totally and gloriously unproductive will ultimately make you better at what you do.

Charles Darwin, history's most famous biologist, worked for about four hours a day. The point being is that long-term productivity that avoids burnout and exhaustion requires some amount of brain rest. To get that kind of rest you need to waste a little time.

Historically, many writers, scientists and artists have split up their days into chunks of time. They can devote intense focus to work and then the remainder of their days are for long walks, personal pursuits and other projects of passion.

Your brain needs time off to recharge and prepare to refocus. That means taking both long breaks and short ones. Take a quick walk, calm down and remove yourself from the moment. Moving away from work-related tasks gives your brain a chance to recalibrate. Wasting time is your brain, as well as your body’s way of recalibrating and resetting.

It’s not that much, but it is what it is. Sitting quietly while surrounded with blissful silence. It’s not too much to completely be filled with joy and understanding as you experience the relish with the morning's first cup of carefully fresh brewed coffee. You stare into nothingness; your freethinking mind opens wider to grant entrance and welcomes the arrival of thoughtful contemplation and unobstructed thought. In short, wasting time is considered time well wasted. - dbA

You can find more of the unfiltered insight and the Art of Dan Abernathy at www.contributechaos.com.