It took me a long time to realize that the most valuable thing we have in life is time. It is maybe the one thing no one can influence with money. Neither can we buy extra time nor can we buy back time we have wasted.
When a man sits with a pretty girl for an hour, it seems like a minute. But let him sit on a hot stove for a minute — and it’s longer than any hour. That’s relativity.
Albert Einstein
Time to change
So, when you spend either your whole day or even only a tiny bit of your day with killing time, then there is something really wrong in your life. Whether it is because you are bored, just too exhausted from work to do anything meaningful or for any other reason, it is time for a big change. It is time to either find a purpose or to restructure your life, so that you can feel joy again. This is not an easy endeavor, and it will take time and a lot of reflecting, but it is definitely worth it. It is important to remind ourself that our time is limited and that we need to align our life accordingly. This might go as far as changing our profession, moving to a new country, finding new friends or just looking for a new hobby.
How to apply
However, even more important is that you also need to apply this in your daily life. When selfish and self-centered time suckers try to steal your time you need to be firm and just say NO. For instance, I receive many emails and messages everyday. But I do not feel obligated to answer or react to any of them. I never asked them to send me these boring pictures or stupid questions. I am also very piggy with whom I spend my time with. I hence reject most of the invites I receive for coffee or dinner or even meeting invites, because I feel that person is not worth time to spent. We need to remind us that an invitation is a friendly request and not an order. Hence, it is your own decision, whether to accept or not.
Finally, when my wife agreed to marry me, she basically gave me her most valuable gift by willing to spent her time with me for the rest of her life. I do remind myself about this gift every time I look at her. Even if she might not realize it, it makes me love her even more.