Staying Focused
While I'm on vacation in the Philippines I can honestly say that one thing has become very apparent. Some people have more money than others. Some people live a luxurious lifestyle here or at least one that is comfortable while others are just barely scraping by and others still have virtually nothing. In short, there is a huge difference in peoples wages. However, in general all people have a lifespan that is roughly similar. Yes, yes, you could say that rich people live much longer because of better access to healthcare, nutrition, and lifestyle. Still, even assuming that rich people life to 100 and poor live to 50....that's only double. When you compare billionaires to the poor its not 2x the wealth the difference is a million or more times.
Considering that everyone only has a limited amount of time, making the most of that time is important. Will you use it forming friendships? Will you use it having fun? Will you use it gaming, exercising, writing, creating, learning, or will you just try to kill the time and get it over with?
Idle time is a huge waste. If you only have so much time and you never get it back why would you ever want to waste it? It is so much better to take "free" time and use it for something productive or at least entertaining. Just as I'm taking this vacation morning to write a post here rather than aimlessly staring out at the ocean.
STAYING FOCUSED on making each moment count and be beneficial is important. It is all too easy to let minutes fade away into an endless doom scroll through Facebook or other such time vortex.
Non Productive doesn't mean not beneficial
View from the patio of the hotel
Now while on vacation my wife tends to think that any moment not spent doing something is wasted. She wants every moment to be full and productive. Same thing when we are at home. I often get the time audit of "What did you do today?".
The emphasis in today's culture is to be productive. Do things. Make things. Learn things. However, spending time "Enjoying things" is often looked down upon as non-productive. On this I would tend to disagree. Enjoying time with friends and making connections with others is one of the most important thing.
Playing games with my kids may not seem important but I'm pretty sure when I'm on my deathbed I'm going to cherish those memories far more than any minutes I spent at work. Having coffee with my wife may not seem important but honestly I'm pretty sure it is.
But some time is "Dead" time
Image from a seat i the middle of plane
As much as I wish every minute was a useful minute, some minutes are low value empty time.
As much as I try to keep "dead" time to a minimum it just happens sometimes. When I'm on an airplane from Vancouver to Manila, that is 14 hours I'll never get back. When I spend 3.5hours waiting in a baggage lineup for my inlaws that is time I'll never get back. The two hours spent between connecting flights? Yeah, I'm not getting that back either. The 90 minutes I spend at the SM Mall while my wife and nieces get manicure/pedicure/heaircut? No, not getting those minutes back either.
The question then comes down to: What do you do with those minutes if you can't effectively use them as you would like?
The fight against boredom
Now there is a quote
Only boring people get boredRuth Burke
And with the invention or Wifi and Internet at everyone's fingertips that becomes even more true. When I'm stuck in a Doctor's office waiting, or in the airplane lounge I'll be thinking of something to research. When I'm sitting in a taxi getting to a new place I'll be actively looking at the shops, landmarks, people or anything else to try and learn about the area around. There is always somethin to think about, learn about, research or generally dive into.
Except when there isn't.
There are a couple of exceptions. On long roadtrips where there is no internet and nothing new it can indeed get tedious and boring. Indeed 15 hours of driving a road from Abbotsford to Terrace can get pretty boring. I can't read, can't surf, can't write, can't sleep. I have to focus on the road to get where I need to go. The same could be said about a 15 hour plane flight. I can't leave. I can't go anywhere. On the last trip I couldn't listen to music or watch a movie. No internet. In both cases my body is stuck in one spot for a very long time.
So, how to fight boredom in that scenario. The trick is imagination. Imagination is a wonderful thing. Imagine how to make the world a better place. Imagine how to make different things, create stuff, invent a world to write about, play through a scenario in your head. There are all sorts of places your mind can go with some free time and imagination.
More importantly developing an imagination can help in tough times too. For example not too long ago I had a brutal toothache and then got dry socket when the extraction didn't go according to plan. I'm stuck alone with my pain. Bored and hurting is a bad combination. Imagination to the rescue. Closing your eyes and using imagery techniques to take yourself away from the pain is a very useful technique. Sure the tooth still hurts. Sure it still sucks. But....if you can make it less painful and suck less that's a good start. If you can pass time in an imaginary yet beautiful place in your mind, well, its a free vacation away from your pain.
Do I believe in the saying "only boring people get bored?". Not exactly. I believe that everyone gets bored sometimes, however, imaginative people are better able to fight the boredom. A person with a good imagination is typically less boring than someone who has no imagination.
Could I be wrong, of course. Still, its my opinion and I think I'll hold onto it :)
So, in response to the hive learners post prompt. How do I stave off boredom? Imagination. Although mostly I try to stay engaged or learning things which means I'm not bored all that often. How well does imagination work? Usually pretty well, unless I'm tired, then it gets much harder to focus on imagining things. Or when I'm hungry...then I can only imagine food :)
Agree? Disagree? I love comments and thanks for reading.
Love this post. Imagination is a form of brain exercise. I'd prefer to be a very imaginative person, with a vision of the future or using it for something creative and learning rather than someone who is not. As for using imagination when your tooth is hurting, that's a good move, some people do meditation to ease pain and it's very effective. I know because I do it too. It's very good for our overall well-being. :)
The brain is very powerful. Biofeedback, Imagery, Meditation, Hypnosis and even just laughing and a positive frame of mind can all have positive health benefits and a very real outcome on your life.
Harnessing imagination is incredibly important. I'm always looking for a creative way for a solution, an imaginative way to solve problems of make a better future. Sometimes my ideas are crazy but in general I'd much rather be a little crazy with a good imagination than no imagination, boring, and dull.
Thanks for reading my post, I really appreciate it and the positive feedback :)
You're right. Imagination. Once you have this little ingredient, so many things will come easy to you and fighting off boredom will be a child's play for you. I also try my best to put mine to work, it's not easy, but it gets the job done.
And imagination. The more you practice he better you get
There may be some subjectivity in that thought. Do those cushion sitters consider doing nothing as a waste of time or one of its higher accomplishments? Namaste. 🙏
Hehe.... too true. The idea is you have to relax from something. Have to be a mix of work and relax. All work... no good. All relax...no good.