Remember when we had to drive to Blockbuster to rent a movie? We would get in the car, drive to the store, go straight to the New Release section, decide there’s nothing there worth paying $4.99 for, then walk up and down aisles and finally select a movie. Then we’d drive home, watch the movie, forget to bring it back, and pay another $3.99 for the late fee. And most of you (not me) didn’t remember to be kind and rewind.
The Gift of Modern Technology
Technology has come a long way since then. Netflix and other streaming services have been around for years. Now, we just turn on the TV and truly let our fingers do the walking. We have countless choices of movies. And we have actual week by week TV series available that we no longer need wait a week to see what happens to our favorite character. What a blessing! Technology has given us a great gift. Or has it?
When Good Things Lead to Time Waste
While every technology has its upsides, each has its downsides too. Streaming video, for example, saves us the time and resources of going to an actual store, and it’s much cheaper. But now, it is way too easy to watch an episode or two, and then just one more…but wait, we can’t stop there; what is going to happen next?! Pretty soon, we’ve spent 2-3 hours just sitting and watching. Great technology can lead to great time waste without proper controls or stop gaps in place.
Digital streaming is not the only time waste out there. You may not have a streaming service, but do you play games on your phone or tablet? Do you get lost in reading a book or doing creative projects? What is it that is holding your productivity back? Discover what it is, and don’t let it master your life. Use the technology to your advantage - don’t allow it to be a disadvantage.
4 Questions to Discover Your Biggest Time Waster
Chances are, while you’re reading this article, you know exactly what it is in your life that is sucking your time away. If not, check out the following questions. They can help you in the discovery process.
What are you doing that makes you feel guilty afterward, or at least a little regretful?
What is it that your spouse, boss, friends, family or kids keep mentioning you spend a lot of time doing?
When you miss a deadline, what is X when you think, “I shouldn’t have spent so much time on X”?
For what activity do you rationalize, “But I need my down time”?
What’s Next?
Once you discover what it is that is wasting your time, don’t feel like you need to completely eradicate it from your life – we do need to spend time relaxing or involved in a hobby to stay balanced. Instead, set time limits for yourself, and share those with someone you trust to help hold you accountable. Eventually, you will be the Netflix Master!
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Wes Coddington was a Regional Equipper for NAMB where he trained coaches and built coaching cultures in local churches across North America. He had served in churches in New York, Pennsylvania, Canada and Southern California. Additionally, Wes had spent 15+ years working as a leadership and team consultant in profit, not-for-profit and educational environments. He had a B.S. in Bible and an M.S. in Organizational Leadership. He was also a credentialed coach with ICF.
