What are your Lifeblockers?

Lifeblockers are time-sucking behaviors we voluntarily participate in that get in the way of living the life we want for ourselves. Whatever benefits you may glean from these activities are heavily outweighed by the chronic states of procrastination and inertia they foster. Consider how the following lifeblockers may be inhibiting you from reaching your goals.

Candy Crush

Total lifeblocker. The most popular games app is causing hoards of men and women to mindlessly whittle the minutes away, minutes that turn into hours—hours that could be spent doing something productive, creative or worthwhile. But hey—we made it to level 578—so that’s something. Next time you feel the urge to crush candy, instead spend it on calculating the time you have already spent playing. Let’s say you did reach level 578; at 10 minutes per level (a conservative estimate), you have spent 96 hours on Candy Crush. Four entire days! Is this what you wanted for yourself??? Are you kicking yourself right now? Kick the Candy Crush habit instead.

Reality Television

On average, people watch 2.8 hours of television per day, and increasingly, reality television has taken center stage. We spend our time either cringing at others’ awkward, socially inappropriate behavior or fantasizing about leading their decadent life of fame and fortune. Not all reality TV lacks value but any way you look at it, you are spending your time watching other people live. So the next time you want to turn on The Kardashians, Pawn Stars, any of the Housewives…ask yourself, would you rather watch a life worth living or live a life worth watching?

Online shopping

Hours can go by when you’re caught up with this lifeblocker. Not only is online shopping time-consuming, but it can break the bank! It’s easy to get on your phone or laptop and check out the latest sales or the best deals, and it can sometimes be a cost-effective and efficient way to shop. But take notice of how much time (and money) you are investing and whether you could be doing something else with your time that may lead to more satisfaction, and perhaps less guilt.

How do you identify your own lifeblockers? Write down every activity you participate in and for how long for one week. Distinguish what you have to do from what you choose to do. Of those that you choose to participate in, decide which activities are lifeblockers—they are the behaviors that distract you from your goals and take up too much of your free time.

Now you know, what are you going to do about it?