You have the time
It's funny how we constantly say "I don't have the time right now" when we want to do something that's good for ourselves. Whether that's going for a walk, reading a book or meditating. But then, we spend 1 hour mindlessly consuming irrelevant content on the internet.
Let me give you an example from my life; having a 30-60 minute break between two meetings is usually code for "I'm not going to be able to start/finish anything in those 30-60 minutes so I'll just browse around a bit". This is a lie I keep telling my self constantly.
Why is it a lie? Let's take a 60 minute break between meetings for an example. In those 60 minutes, I could do the following:
- go for a walk around the neighborhood (20 minutes)
- cook a quick pasta dish (15 minutes)
- read a couple of pages from a book (10 minutes)
- meditate (5 minutes)
- ensure that I'm prepared for the next meeting (10 minutes)
See how many things I can do in that hour? After all of which I'll feel much better. I'll feel better after catching some air/sun and doing some light physical activity, I won't feel hungry and won't feel bad because I've cooked instead of ordering takeout, I'd feel more relaxed after reading a couple of pages from a book and meditating for a few minutes, and I'll be ready for my next meeting.
So why is it that it makes much more sense to spend 60 minutes clicking on a couple of links and digesting information which you'll most likely forget after 30 minutes instead of doing stuff that's good for you?
I don't know.
I would blame it on the lack of mindfulness. We tend to constantly live life on autopilot, just doing one thing after the other without taking a step back and thinking. And that's bad.
I'm writing the next part as a note to myself; try making meditation a habit, try becoming more mindful so that when you are faced with making a decision, such as the "how will I spend my 60 minutes of idle time between meetings", you make the right choice.