What have you wasted your time on?

While you are killing time, time is killing you

I look back on my life and I regret having so much time drinking, going to topless bars, watching football, binge watching Netflix, playing D&D, GURPS, WOW, Civ 2, etc

I mean I have accomplished a lot in life, but I wonder how much MORE I could have done had I applied myself more fully to life. I quit WOW last year when I realized I had spent about 1 out of every 3 hours playing it (somehow I got my masters during that period...I really don't know how)

And it should be understood that people need a break from the grind of life. But 1 out of 3 hours in a diversion is TOO much.

Our time wasting activities can often be linked to efforts to make us happy, and the brain juices that activate that:
Meet Your Happy Chemicals

Consider dopamine in how you waste time. Dopamine is a nice little brain "drug" that makes you feel good when you accomplish something. When you are chopping off heads in PVP, you get a hell of a dopamine rush. When you build another city in Civ 2, you get dopamine. Getting dopamine is a good thing, but how REAL should your accomplishments be?

Writing a Steem post that makes you money...or even that makes you feel successful...is a better dopamine goal than crushing a kajillion candies. Running or exercising to a new plateau has more benefits for you than slaying dragons with dice.

Another set of brain cocktails that makes you feel good are endorphins:
Sex, Drugs, and Over-exercising: The Quest for Endorphins

Beyond the time wasting characteristic of booze and drugs, there is also the possibility that the judgement impairing effects of the drugs can make you make bad decisions. Too much sex might not appear to be as bad as a time waster, but the addiction to sex can also lead to bad life decisions. I lost a very nice office, and got moved into the fishbowl, because I had too much fun and the woman in the next office complained, although I also think she was mad because I never invited her in.

I will digress for a moment to adrenaline addiction since I'm already talking biochem and addiction:
How To Overcome Adrenaline Addiction: Tips From A Former Addict

I'll just say that I used to put myself into a lot of bad situations, and enjoyed doing that. SMH.
Maturity doesn't mean you are any damn wiser, just that you are too tired to raise hell

Moving back to the main idea of killing time, I'd say you can also work too hard. When I started up my business, I was working 12-14 hours every day of the week. Not that was bad, but I made the point earlier that people need to take a break from the grind now and then.

It is a matter of balance. Nothing wrong with logging in once in a while and melting someone's face in an MMO. Nothing wrong with spending a couple of hours in the gym. But beware of spending all damn day doing it.

That time you're spending is taken from the debit card of your life, so get your value for the purchase!