Stop letting people waste your time. Time is your most precious asset. Once it’s gone you can’t get more of it. If you lose money, you can make more; if you lose a job, you can get another one; also if you lose friendships, you can form new ones. Time is the one thing you can’t make, earn or get more of, so it’s best to use it wisely. While there are a number of time wasters, unfortunately, other people can be one of your biggest time sucks. Here’s how to stop letting people waste your time.
If You Don’t Respect Your Time, No One Else Will
You are the first person who you have to stop from wasting your time. If you don’t respect your time, no one else will. Ouch. Now, that might hurt your feelings a little bit, but it’s the truth. You can’t expect others to care more about your time than you do. If you allow it, folks will waste your time every day of the week and twice on Sundays. When you realize how valuable your time is and respect it, you won’t let anyone else waste it. So, look at how you’re spending your time and identify places where you’re wasting and disrespecting your own time. Are you wasting time at a dead end job? Do you keep wasting time in a raggedy relationship? Take a look at how you might be wasting your own time.
Remember, You’re in Charge
When it comes to your time, you’re in charge. Therefore, no one can waste your time unless you allow it. Time for a little story time. Once upon a time, I used to have an acquaintance that would always want to link up, but was never on time. And when we did connect, it was always all about her. Always. One time, she was more than half an hour late for one of our meet-ups. When I saw this pattern continuing to repeat itself, I took control of the situation, since it was my time that was being wasted. The next time she wanted to meet up, I set parameters on how and what time I was willing to invest with her. Me taking control of my time ultimately ran off a time waster. So, the next time you feel like someone is wasting your time, remember, you’re in charge.
Identify When it’s Happening
In order for you to stop people from wasting your time, you have to identify when it’s happening. In my example above, I identified that my former acquaintance was always late for our get-togethers that she set up. Also, I identified that our relationship was one-sided. Those are just a few examples of how to identify when someone is wasting your time. If you’re not getting any benefit from the relationship, you’re not being appreciated, or fulfilled, those might be indications that someone is wasting your time.
Form Your Response
Now that you’ve identified that someone is wasting your time, you have to decide how to respond. Do you continue to allow them to waste your time? Do you ignore them from now on? Should you have a conversation and give them a chance to do better? However you decide to respond is up to you. Just know that your response will help dictate whether or not they continue to waste your time, so respond wisely.
Set Boundaries and Stick to Them
Once you’ve decided to stop letting people waste your time, you have to set boundaries and stick to them. What? You didn’t think that telling someone to stop wasting your time that s/he would actually do it, did you? Come one now, you know better than that. So, what does setting boundaries look like? It could be as simple as not answering the phone when that one person calls. You know, the one who’s always talking about nothing, but manages to talk about nothing for 45 minutes. Setting boundaries could also look like not responding to that “wyd” text from that dude who ghosted you six months ago. Once you’ve identified those people who waste your time, you have to set boundaries because they will be tested. Setting boundaries and sticking to them is the only way you can stop people from wasting your time. Others might not respect your time, but as long as you do, you’ll be alright. We, as Black women, have been conditioned to put others’ needs before our own, oftentimes to our own detriment. Put yourself first, for once, by setting boundaries with your time and sticking to them. You owe it to yourself to protect your time.
Are you letting people waste your time? What boundaries are you setting up to stop it? Drop a comment below.
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