Last Updated on April 7, 2024 by Dennis
Today’s post is an update of a post I made almost exactly a year ago.
It still applies, so I thought I’d share it again.
I like to take time at the end of each year to reflect upon things, in hopes of improving for the next year.
Although I was able improve upon last year, I feel that I still failed in one category this year…
FOCUS
Once again, in 2023 my biggest mistake was spending too much time consuming news.
Of course it was important to stay up to date on the pandemic, especially with local news. But I feel that I could have limited my consumption more than I did.
I’d tune in for updates on the dire situation, especially in the U.S., then I’d end up wasting many hours and days watching the soap opera that is American politics. Watching it on TV, reading web pages, posts, comments and, well, you get the idea. It was consuming me. And I am not alone.
Then one day I read a PDF about productivity. It made me see clearly that I had very little control over the outcome of almost everything I was spending my time on. Even the presidential elections.
But when it came to the hours of news I was consuming, almost all of that time was being completely wasted.
Staying Informed is a Slippery Slope
Sure, it’s important to stay informed and knowledgeable about current events, but it is easy to get carried away. It truly is a slippery slope that can have you wasting far more time that imaginable.
When it comes right down to it, the only way for the average person to maintain sanity in this news-by-the-second environment, is to limit exposure. Particularly with political news.
When it comes to politics these days, you have to understand that changing other people’s minds, especially online, is nearly impossible. Have an opinion. And vote. That’s all you can do on that front.
Convert Wasted Time To Creative Time
When I reflect each year on how I spend my time, it helps me redouble my efforts. A hard look at myself and my habits lets me cut the nonsense almost completely out of my schedule, and move on from my mistakes.
That allows me to use all that recovered time more creatively. It lets me create new ebooks, increase my income, and most importantly, help more people.
What About You?
Let me ask you this… will you take a closer look at what you’re doing day in and day out? Consider not only your habits, but your mindset. It could be an eye opener, or even a life-changer as it was for me.
It’s OK if you find mistakes (past or present!) that are holding you back from reaching new levels in your life. That’s the idea of this — take a step back and look at yourself objectively.
If you think it’s even remotely possible there’s room for improvement, here’s something to help you see mistakes for what they really are…
It’s an ebook that explains why mistakes are necessary for growth, and how to use them to improve your life to levels you may never have thought possible. (Just click that ecover to access it for free.)
I didn’t write it. But I loved it so much I bought it as part of this Growth Mindset package with PLR rights so I could give it away to my subscribers.
It’s my gift to you for 2024. I hope you enjoy it and find it useful.
Dennis Bancroft