Killing Time-Wasting Impulsive Pleasures

[adamsoprano]

That one quote in david's 2nd book said it best "every morning I wake up and am torn between saving or savoring/enjoying the world. That describes my situation correctly. In my workoholic goal-oriented mind, I'm thinking maximum time to productiveness and the only "fun" time is with my wife and future kids and in the future when there's money, to spent time w/ friends playing paintball to get that nice social family/friends balance.

I'm "trying" to cut out 100% of my personal fun time such as computer games, guitar, music, movies, tv, etc. but am finding it difficult. I beleive this is mostly an impulsive thing as I don't think before doing I just think "instant gratification! yea!" instead of work & productivity. And becuase I have spent most of my years as a kid/teen (I'm 19 now) doing mostly fun things. How do I stop this impulsive pleasures? Some might suggest to schedule a time for personal fun such as 1 hour a day/7hrs a week etc. or something but I do not want to have any personal fun becuase my goals are too important and maximum time must be devoted to it.

Any tips on effectively cutting the personal fun out?

[jmarkey]

Any tips on effectively cutting the personal fun out?

Alas, I cannot be a conspirator in eliminating all fun from your life. IMHO, it would be akin to eliminating all sleep.

[adamsoprano]

Alas, I cannot be a conspirator in eliminating all fun from your life.

I did say:

the only "fun" time is with my wife and future kids and in the future when there's money, to spent time w/ friends playing paintball to get that nice social family/friends balance

So I woulnd't look back and say "I spent all the time on productivity but had no social time w/ family & friends" that's the source of fun. I'm talking fun that has no meaning/purpose, w/ no social aspect, and is completely sacrificable especially for my extremely important long term goals.

IMHO, it would be akin to eliminating all sleep.

You're saying that I would "need" fun. I agree, "social" fun w/ family & friends, but not non-social counter-productive time wasting fun which slows me down from achieving my goals.

[ceehjay]

I need alone time for renewal. I don't think playing the guitar is counter-productive or wasting time. Nor do I see computer games that way. Sometimes I come home so zonked that 10-15 minutes of a mindless computer game is just the right thing. I have no desire to be social when I'm feeling that way.

When I was 19, I think I did want to be with other people all the time. No more. I like a balance of work and play, social and alone. My spirit needs the balance. My productivity falters without that balance, too.

Carolyn

[adamsoprano]

I do agree that personal fun time may be "fun" but at what price? The price tag for me is that I'm delaying achieving my long term goals and I want them achieved as soon as possible (Having lots of money and businesses). Social time I cannot sacrifice, and personal fun is definitely sacrificable.

[Jamie Elis]

at your age you can and should be investing heavily in developing your job skills, life experience, and your education. Unless, the music and computer games fit into that, or into joint goals you and your wife have, you need to keep that to a reasonable amount of time. Different people have different levels of stress tolerance and dneed differing amounts of "down time", and different kinds of work takes more out of you, but overall, you have to set some priorites. If you have a time-bound "day job" that is knowledge based, and you have physical energy, you and your wife might take a night or weekend job together or even might start a business that requires activity (or vice versa, if your work is active, do some other kind of work or form of learning). You would also be wise to invest at least 5 hours a week in community service of yur choice, it could be tutoring, teaching computer skills to the disabled, or performing music in nursing homes. You will never have the time and energy you have now and the capacity to learn somethings is easier at different ages. You also have the opportunity to keep yourself from getting into debt, either by earning moe, preparing to earn more, or living wisely within your means. End of sermon.

[adamsoprano]

Unless, the music and computer games fit into that, or into joint goals you and your wife have, you need to keep that to a reasonable amount of time

Keep the music/games into a resasonable amount of time? I want to cut it out completely.

Different people have different levels of stress tolerance and need differing amounts of "down time", and different kinds of work takes more out of you

Brian Tracy said it best "winners/successful people do what losers/unsuccesufull don't want to do, whether they feel like it or not" and I beleive that if I dont' feel like doing something, I can get myself to feel like doing it via affirmations "I'm energized! I'm energized! I'm energized! I'm energized!" or let my physiology influence my mental state by acting like I'm energized and soon I will be energized.

You would also be wise to invest at least 5 hours a week in community service of yur choice, it could be tutoring, teaching computer skills to the disabled, or performing music in nursing homes.

Why? I can understand working for a company for free for the experience or doing something to improve financial/business-related skills, but I don't see nothing in community service.

Back to the main question, any tips on cutting impulsive personal fun out?

Thanks.

[trishacupra]

Amount of Time spent on Goals dictates how fast you accomplish them - Adam Soprano

I have to disagree with your quote. You could spend all day 'working' on your goals, yet if your strategy is bad and/or you're subconsciously sabotaging your efforts, it won't matter how much time you spend in the process.

It's like beating your head against a brick wall. You can bang your head harder and for longer, but all you'll end up with is a headache.

Work smarter, not harder. The smarter you work, the less time you'll need to work on your goals, and the faster you'll achieve them.

What's the big rush, anyway? You could get hit by a bus tomorrow (God forbid). You can choose to work hard now and play later - if you live long enough by not giving yourself a heart-attack first.

Some things can't be rushed, anyway. You can't plant a seed and force it to grow any faster than it's designed to.

All work and no play makes a boring person. Nothing sparks creativity like relaxation and playing.

I think a better question is "How can I organise my work and my goals so I have more time to play and enjoy my life today."

Today may be all you have, so work smart AND have fun!

Trisha

[beyerst]

Adamsoprano,

you need to find a balance between work and social life/fun. You say you want to cut out pleasure completely to focus on achieving your long term goals: lots of businesses and lots of money. Once you have those, you will spend more time with you wife and future kids.
How long will it take to achieve your long term goals? 10 years, 15 years? It takes time to grow a business. After 15 years, you would want to build a social life? with whom? After 15 years of 100% work, there will be nobody to socialise with.

You need to find a balance: for some people, this is a lot of social life and as little work as possible. For others (like you) it is the other way around. I too like to work a lot (I like my job, it helps). I noticed that I am more productive after a truly relaxing weekend or holiday. Your body and mind need to relax every now and then.
The fact that you feel the urge to play guitar, go to a movie, ... might be your body telling you that it needs rest.
You are pretty youg, so you will probable need less time to relax and reload the batteries than an old guy like me (31). But you need to take the time.
I am sure you have some people that you admire who have achieved great things themselves through hard work. I am pretty sure that they did a non-working thing every now and then!
After all, it cannot be your goal to be the richest man in the graveyard.

Summary: don't cut all the fun. You might as well stop living right now.

After this sermon, I start to feel old. i sound like my dad
br,
beyerst

[gekko]

I'm "trying" to cut out 100% of my personal fun time such as computer games, guitar, music, movies, tv, etc. but am finding it difficult. I beleive this is mostly an impulsive thing as I don't think before doing

You might try rearranging your stuff so the games, tv, etc aren't right in front of you. I once put my TV in my storage unit (5km away) when I had exams to study for ... even though I knew perfectly well I had important stuff to do, I'd waste so much time watching TV.

If you remove the visual triggers that start the unwanted behaviours, perhaps you can build some new habits which align more with your goals.