So it’s okay to spend hours playing video-games but watching television is a waste of time?

I just sold a bunch of those “wish I had time to play” video games this past month. I’ve had the games for quite a while and I kept meaning to try them out, but just never had the time for it. when I do play there are usually one or two games that I play. So off to craigslist and ebay the games go – time to simplify!

I buy my husband games as gifts and I think that they fall into the “I wish I had time” category. This was a good post.

Wow, Trent, I was actually using very similar phrasing to explain to some colleagues why I avoid certain hobbies at present (hunting, golf, and go kart driving like some buddies do). It all comes down to the fact that I’m a bit competitive and to get to the level of competency that doing it would be more than an exercise in frustration would take too much money and TIME than I have to invest right now. I get a better ROI out of time spent playing with my three little kids and taking them on bike rides.

The “I wish I had time” category is widely spread. Not only games, but also other kinds of hobbies, or things in need of repair. I try to be realistic and to let go, otherwise the ’stuff’ would become ‘clutter’.

This is an area of concern for me, too. My weakness is crafting supplies. I have, literally, a closet full of supplies and don’t have (won’t make) time to craft. Yet I want to go to the craft stores and buy more supplies. Hopefully your post will inspire me to 1) start crafting more, or 2) get rid of the supplies I have.

I think most people who wish they had more time really DO have time, they just idle it away in a variety of ways, making it SEEM as though there just isn’t time. If a person were to take away all the screen time during the day, except in the case of playing more video games, many of us would have a surplus of time with which we could do a great many things.

I am curious as to what people are so busy doing that they don’t have time to enjoy life? Are our lives really that hectic?

Trent, your posts often help me reflect on something in a new way, and I really enjoyed this one. This is a habit of which I am definitely guilty, as well as wasting time wishing I had more time! Keep up the good work.

In our house, any time we want to buy something other than food, we go through the ‘fantasy vs. reality’ exercise. Many times, we decide not to buy the item. Right now we are dying to buy kayaks, but when we run the idea through the ‘fantasy vs. reality’ filter, we realize we’d use them only a few times per year. Not worth it. (Of course, we are referring to our own fantasy and our own reality.) We have no debt and could easily afford them, but the ‘not having time’ factor is what stops us. I’d like to reorganize my life to HAVE the time to kayak on weekends and am working to accomplish that. THEN the purchase will fall into the reality column and not the fantasy one. Until then, we are renting them.

I wish I had read something like this a couple years ago. I have the gear to embark on a climbing expedition, a kayak adventure, a paintball mini-war, and numerous other hobbies. I havent looked at them in a while. The only upside is now that Im making changes in my life, I may have less of an excuse not to do these activities.

My husband realized his lack of time a few years ago and spends a tiny fraction of what he used to on computer games and other gaming systems. A college kid living on his parents money had a lot more time than an adult trying to get a Master’s…he has several hobbies, but he stopped spending on ones he doesn’t have time for. :-)

Fantastic article this one. I absolutely agree, we buy stuff to make us feel like the person we want to be, and not the person we are.

And I am definitely as guilty of it as everyone else… so thanks for the reminder that I should be focusing on getting more time, not more stuff!

I have watched that show “Hoarders”. It seems many of them keep or buy things they want to have time for. There are many different reasons for hoarding, but keeping things you want to use but will not realistically have time for is one.

It’s funny how strongly we picture ourselves living out our fantasy lives. Even clothing catalogs take advantage of this. I haven’t gone so far as to buy sailing gear, but I’ve bought certain clothes based on a catalog photo, thinking, “If I’m ever invited to someone’s summer home in Maine and am laughing with friends on a sailboat, THIS is exactly how I want to look!” As if…

@ Annie, I was in the same situation and finally put my foot down. I sorted through all the different projects, chose one that really sang to me, and gave the rest of my stuff away. My productivity has shot up.

It was as if getting rid of the things I *didn’t* truly want to do made it possible to get moving on the things I *did* want to do. The amount of time available hasn’t changed.

If you are already occasionally making things in your One True Craft :-) you might consider opening an Etsy Craft store and selling the rest of your supplies in a Supplies store there.

I’m feeling energized following TSD right now, re-doing my GTD collection phase and really enjoying the articles!

The only place to disagree here is your example of footwear. Many types of inexpensive or well-work “athletic” footwear can give newbie joggers a repetitive stress injury. For most folks, walking’s a-okay in oldies, though, and you can build up your walking mileage quickly without worrying about hurting yourself.

I agree with #16.
If you want to start running, start with walking. A brisk walk a few times per week will get you going with no gear needed. Once you’re into it, if you’re going to start running, it’s worth putting the money into *running* shoes. Or you’ll cost yourself much more in fees trying to fix what you broke. Don’t run in old shoes.

Run barefoot if you have appropriate ground and appropriate feet. But don’t run in junky shoes.

This reminds me of a fashion consultant’s advice to ask yourself the question when you see an item of clothing in a store that you want to buy, “Where am I going in that?” This question has saved me many times from buying an outfit that is really for the “fantasy me” and not the “real me”. I bought so many things that I never ended up wearing because they were for some lifestyle that I really didn’t have. Great post!

This is why I have so many books. I have about 10 books queued up waiting to be read – I’ve them for 1-2 years. I just don’t read as much as I used to. I finally banned myself from the bookstore until I finish my current reading list.

re # 18 – the eye-opening exercise I did regarding shopping for clothes was to map out a representative week of how I actually spend my time, then assessed my wardrobe against that. I was buying a lot more clothes (or at least spending more) than I needed for the smallest segment of my time, & not enough for the largest.

I agree with this post in general, but I wish you’d stop telling people to run in their old shoes. This is bad advice.

Don’t skimp on running/exercise shoes. It’s not worth it. Also, if you start running in bad shoes, you *won’t* be likely to pursue running.

If this is your approach to exercise, I am not surprised you can’t find the time for it…

I disagree about the cheap pans from the Goodwill Store. The bottom of the pan actually has the function to distribute the heat evenly, so do yourself a favour and get a halfway decent pan, even if you cook only occasionally.

Wben you are an experienced cook, you can switch back to crappy cookware, and compensate for its defects by cooking technique ;-)

I agree with the intent of this post, but like Marta, believe one should not be skimping on running shoes. I am in need of a new pair myself.
But in general I have been following this advice for several years now. 90% of my purchases revolve around productivity gains. Tools, Equipment, etc. It’s the stuff that I am constantly going “Man I really need..XYZ”. That’s the stuff that sticks to my shopping list. Esp w/Books. My reading list is still 18inches tall.

This is why our economy is in such bad shape because people buy stuff that they don’t or can’t even use

Sometimes I find myself buying something I’m unlikely to use. But I rationalize the purchase with this line of thought: “if I spend the money on this thing, then I’ll feel guilty if I don’t use it.” To be honest, that does work sometimes, but fails more often than not. In other words, I attempt to use the purchase to motivate a behavior in myself.

But I find Trent’s approach more effective: first motivate myself to do the thing, then reward myself with a purchase that supports the new behavior.

With regards to running… There’s growing evidence that says modern, ultra-padded running shoes are actually bad for you. The solution: run barefoot, or in the most minimal shoes you can find that still protect your feet (e.g. Vibram Five Fingers, Converse Chuck Tailors, Adidas Samba).

I saw a video demonstration on YouTube that showed someone running (on a treadmill) with modern running shoes. Her foot strike was “heel to toe”. Then the same person ran on the treadmill barefoot: this caused her forward strike to land on the *ball* of her feet instead of the heel.

The theory is, in the absence of a padded heel, our bodies will naturally land on the the instep when running. The idea makes intuitive sense to me: when you land on your heel, your leg is straight, and you rely on the cushion of the shoe to absorb the blow of your body weight. Chances are, the shoe can’t absorb the entirety of the strike, so you joints absorb the rest. Compared to when you strike with the ball of your feet: you leg is bent, so the *muscles* of the leg can absorb the shock. Muscles are meant to be used (abused?) in this way, bones are not.

Just something to think about. There is a website dedicated to barefoot running. See also the Pose running technique, as it can be done barefoot as well.

I call this phenomenon “amulet buying.” Before we had kids, I would notice hubby buying groceries that neither of us particularly liked but were considered “healthier.” Things like veggies nad fruits that were not favorites, lower caloried foods that tasted nasty, etc. I began calling these the food “amulets” as they represented what people “should” eat. We were eating healthfully enough otherwise, but dang, the money that got wasted! I finally approached hubby about buying these token amulets towards good health and how unless it was something actually done or consumed, it was just waste.

Over the years, we have come to notice other areas of amulet like buying and try to curb it. One biggie was holiday decoration buying. In the end, it had become a big old token of my trying to provide a picture perfect childhood with photo ready holidays for the kids– not what anyone actually needed or wanted. Now, I just put out a few decorations we have come to like and at Xmas, its just the tree and a few other items.

We try to discuss and dig into the “whys” of what we buy to tap into wise buying… and as such, we have cleared out a lot of our wishful thinking in the process.

Awesome. It’s kinda like asking before you make a choice to ask yourself if the decision is a strengthening or weakening decision. Is it moving you towards your desired life or away?

@Matt — I am all for minimalist / barefoot / boiled Puma insoles tied to your feet (!) / Vibram running and agree that it’s the way feet are supposed to work.

The issue is mostly folks doing too much too quickly, coupled with what it’s like for your body to run in worn-out shoes…

…especially with respect to pronation, or how your foot tips back and forth between the inside/arch and outside as your feet are in contact with the ground over your stride.

So I’m still thinking that Trent might consider only encouraging folks to start a _walking_ program in the “shoes they have.” Because you’re not striking the ground as hard, you’ve got a lot more flexibility with respect to the type of shoe you can wear without doing yourself damage.

I started running last summer. During cold weather I ran on an inside track and developed a knee problem as a result. I’m getting back into it and I’m still using the old shoes I had last summer. I’ve thought about the shoes and heard about the modern padded shoes being bad for you. Trouble is, I have big feet. The width is mostly the problem, which makes it hard to find shoes that fit. When I do, they usually cost more. And good luck finding those “minimal” shoes in a wide width. I don’t have a lot of money for shoes, but I don’t want to develop more knee problems. Not sure what to do.

Trent- Another excellent post. I think you could really tease into this a bit more based on the comments. It’s part of a happy life – knowing your limits. It’s one of the reasons many aren’t happy – because marketing professionals know how to make us want more – even when that’s not realistic.

OMG #14 I am laughing my head off!! your post about the catalog is so funny!!! And I so identify.

But hey what a great article, Trent. I just have to say that last summer I started a workout program. I wanted to immediately start purchasing stuff for working out, but I made myself wait until I had completed the initial 90 days before I could buy anything, even new clothing.

So what a great awareness. Now, I just need to practice that with all my books….6-7 in progress and just bot another – impulse purchase because it was on clearance….argh

Re: running shoes – Trent is right. The best way to start a running programme is by walking. If you can fit in half an hour of walking 3-4 times a week, after a couple of weeks you will be fit enough to start running, and you will know that you have the time available and commitment to keep it up.

@ steven #7 “why can’t people find the time to do things?” – if you have young children every child-free minute depends on the good will of a spouse/friend, or paid childcare. This situation doesn’t last forever, but it is reality while they are young.