Why Sitting Idle Is Toxic To Your Mind – 3 Ways To Eliminate It

Are you wondering why I chose this topic of ‘sitting idle’ for my weekly blog today? Well, this wasn’t planned at all.

The other day, when I was on the train, traveling to the office, and for the first time, I did not open the book that I always carry in my bag. I was so busy thinking about something that I literally forgot about my daily ritual.

First time in the past 4 months, I sat idle for that 15 minutes journey (Parel to Kurla). While I walked across the foot over bridge to board the train to Vashi from harbor line, I was puzzled at the sudden fatigue that I felt.

Rewinding the 15 minutes of the morning, I realized it was all because of the thinking process. It had actually sucked out some energy out of me.

So after I boarded the train to Vashi, I opened my book (Interpreter of Maladies By Jhumpa Lahiri) and read till my station arrived. Then when I walked to the office (which is a 2-minute walk from the station), I felt much better and lighter.

Are you with me? Did you find out what change took place when I was idle and when I was busy doing something?

“Its the regularity of doing something makes the person happy rather than sitting idle.”
― Sadhana Devi Chauhan

Why I feel sitting idle is toxic to your mind?

Do you know why successful people are so productive in their lives? It’s because they make every minute count. You’ll find every successful person indulged in something or the other task every moment of his life.

Be it reading a newspaper or a book, learning new sports when on vacation or even watering plants when at home. He/she is engaged in something rather than sitting idle and staring far away nowhere.

When you are sitting idle, your thoughts always take over you, and you lose your senses. The moment you’re stuck somewhere between nowhere unwittingly you start overthinking. This intoxicates your mind, and you’re left drained out emotionally and to some extent, physically also.

Rewind a couple of hours of your life and count your idle time. (Idle time is the time when you’re unproductive). If you find that it’s piling up, then you’re at danger.

What happens when your idle time is piling up?

• You overthink your overthinking and end up stressed out. (Download the guide to a stress-free living)
• You waste the precious minutes (those minutes that are never coming back) that life has bestowed upon you.
• You water the proverb “An idle mind is a devil’s workshop” and actually implement it.
• You scroll up and scroll down on your phone and feel bad about yourself when you see people on their pre-wedding shoots, getting married, having kids, going abroad, succeeding in life and ultimately waste your time gazing at them. The time which you could have invested to become a better version of yourself.

“Working on something despite certain failure is better than sitting idle.”
― Udai Yadla

There’s a difference between Me-time and Idle-time.

If you wonder if me-time and idle-time are the same, then let me correct you. Me-time is the time when you’re spending quality time with yourself.

When there’s no one expect you around while you contemplate about the things going on in your life. It’s the time when you are working on yourself. When you’re molding yourself into what you’d like to see yourself shortly.

On the contrary, idle-time is the time you’re wasting doing nothing. Yes. When you do nothing, you tend to think about all sorts of wrong, unhealthy things around you.

You think how unlucky you are that you don’t have a car or a 3 BHK. You envy others in your idle time. Your soul is filled with negativities when you sit doing NOTHING.

Sometimes, you may experience an idle time even while you’re watching TV at home. That’s the moment when you’re lost in your own thoughts and are looking at the TV but not watching it.

I think that’s even more dangerous. That there is something bothering you and you’re unable to concentrate on anything.

So, in that case, you should completely eliminate this idle time from your life and make life more beautiful and meaningful. Here are a few things I would suggest you do when you think your idle time is piling up day by day.

1. Write down your goals.

A study was done on Harvard University’s student on whether they write down their goals.

The result of the study was, 3% of students did write their goals in a book, 13% had goals in their minds but never penned them down, and 84% had no goals at all.

After 10 years, the same group of students was interviewed again, and the result was astonishing. The 13% of students who had goals in life but did not write them down earned twice that of the 84% without a purpose. 3% of students who had written everything down made 10 times more money than the other 97%.

Where do you think you belong to? The 3%, 13% or the 84% group?

If you’ve not yet written down your short term and long term goals, use your idle times to do that.

2. Read or listen to audio books.

You’d be thinking, why do I mention reading, and it’s an advantage in almost all my blogs. It’s simple. Reading has no alternative, and it comes with many benefits.

Related blogs: How To Improve Your Reading Habit With These 6 Simple Hacks

8 Life-Changing Books That’ll Shape Your Thinking

3 Astonishing And Never Read Before Advantages Of Reading Books.

Get into the habit of reading in your idle time. It’ll only add up to your knowledge. Won’t it?

Just think about the knowledge you’d have when you read books. I started a little late to read books, but I don’t want the same happen to you. So, start today!

3. Go for a small walk.

I would always feel walking was an annoying thing to do. But my father never gave up on encouraging me to go for walks.

It was late, but I’ve now understood the importance of walking. It not only burns your flab but also rejuvenates you.

You’d be surprised if I say that I walk in the evening after coming from the office. And you know what magic it does to me? All my fatigue is washed off, and I’m ready for the latter half of the day. After my walk, I have a bath and sit back to write blogs for you to read or read a book.

Also, when you walk, you are engulfed with some invisible energy that helps you attract positivity towards you. You suddenly feel excellent about yourself, fresh, and evolve an optimistic.

So, guys do you still want to dwell in your idle time or get your ass working?

Let me know your thoughts on this blog in the comment section below or simply reply to this. I’ll be waiting.

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