Is it a waste of time if we enjoy what we’re doing?

Time you enjoy wasting was not wasted.

john lennon

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In this era of efficiency and productivity, the anxiety around “wasting time” is real.  But I wonder, is it really a waste of time if we enjoy what we’re doing? We can feel like we’re perpetually “behind.” We can feel guilty when we’re not constantly “on task,” or “getting things done.” And we can feel small when we’re not seemingly working towards a lofty goal, or constantly pushing to reach our full potential. Self-help books are king and I would argue that it’s actually having a negative impact on our well being.

What would happen if we decided that enjoyment was more important than efficiency and productivity? Would we become more productive by the shear removal of this judgement? Would nothing ever happen or get done again? And besides, can we really say that it’s a waste of time if we enjoy what we’re doing?

To waste time is, at most, a human concept based on a perceived discrepancy between what we think we should be doing and what we are doing. It’s almost as if we’ve unintentionally created a space where guilt and negative self talk can thrive – a place full of the tension between what is, and what should be.

Well I’m here to tell you, I don’t buy it… not any more. In my life, enjoyment… JOY; deep and meaningful joy is so much more important. And truthfully, it’s what we are all searching for in our drive for more productivity. So maybe we ought to change the dialogue around wasting time because I believe that,

Regardless of it’s perceived value, doing what we love is value enough to make it worth doing.

We don’t need to continue to beat ourselves up with beliefs of inadequacy. We’re not in a race or competition with anyone. And if we enjoy some simple pleasures that, from the outside, may seem inefficient or pointless, we need to ask if that’s our own inner voice or the voice of our critic – our grumpy troll – that needs to be put back in its place.

Remember to honor your choice to spend time doing what brings you joy. Because while it’s true that time is precious and finite, filling the time we do have worrying about how we are using it, feels a bit… mmm… counter productive.

And isn’t that ironic, considering the fact that we spend so much time seeking ways to find more fulfillment and happiness. Don’t hear me wrong, it’s true that we can feel like we’ve wasted our time and energy (ahem… Netflix you’re not helping). But in truth, if we can genuinely say we enjoyed how we spent our time, can we actually say we are wasting it? Of course there’s times when we need to shake things up and infuse some new habits, but in general, I see and hear people beating themselves up way too often for indulging in a few simple pleasures now and then.

With so much talk about how we should be “more,” want “more,” strive for “more,” I fear we’re losing our ability to find contentment with what we already have. And in the process, our happy places are being criticized and trampled on.

Enough trampling!

Whatever it is that makes you happy, do it! Do it in spite of grumpy troll, or popular opinion, or the eye rolls of your coworkers. The pursuit for joy has never been a “waste of time,” and it comes in all sorts of forms.

Regardless of it’s perceived value, doing what we love is value enough to make it worth doing.