Time well spent

[just me]

https://qz.com/970924/the-psychological-importance-of-wasting-time/

I read casually a lot lately as time permits. Same book all the time: my favorite. Yet, I read slowly and not in a hurry. It relaxes me and lifts me up. It calms my soul. It gives me advice and wisdom. It helps me to understand. All this, but it rests my weary mind. It fills my tank so I can go again.

When I rest in bed after working a lot, it revitalizes me. It rests my mind and my body.

In our upbeat world, people get relaxation from different things. To relax a bit is time well spent.

 

[Ren]

I agree that relaxing is absolutely fundamental. The brain can't be active all the time, otherwise it will lead straight to burnout.

I'm a bit of a workaholic myself and have difficulty properly 'doing nothing'. The only thing that works for me is either watching TV shows or playing video games.

When I read I'm very much active, either because I'm reading a challenging book or because as I'm reading I'm trying to get a feel of the author's style of writing.

 

[philostam]

I agree that relaxing is absolutely fundamental. The brain can't be active all the time, otherwise it will lead straight to burnout.

I'm a bit of a workaholic myself and have difficulty properly 'doing nothing'. The only thing that works for me is either watching TV shows or playing video games.

When I read I'm very much active, either because I'm reading a challenging book or because as I'm reading I'm trying to get a feel of the author's style of writing.

What about thinking? is that not something you like doing?

I for example like just lying in bad/walking around the room and think about certain "problem" in my life, analyze it from a different point of view etc. This relaxes me like nothing else. Structuring my worldview.

It can also be about external things, but that's less common. Like I won't often be thinking about "where is the world heading in the next 10 years". This is too speculative for me to enjoy (too Ni-Te I guess.). Although I enjoy reading about it.

 

[Ren]

What about thinking? is that not something you like doing?

I for example like just lying in bad/walking around the room and think about certain "problem" in my life, analyze it from a different point of view etc. This relaxes me like nothing else. Structuring my worldview.

It can also be about external things, but that's less common. Like I won't often be thinking about "where is the world heading in the next 10 years". This is too speculative for me to enjoy (too Ni-Te I guess.). Although I enjoy reading about it.

Look who's here! Where had you disappeared to? ^^

Yeah, I'm on your side when it comes to thinking. I can also find it very relaxing—and in some way, existentially pleasant and reassuring as well, like a cosy home. The only problem is that well, I know myself. Within 30mins I'll have gotten so excited that I'll want to write those thoughts down and make a theory out of it. So I just have to be careful.

I think that's why I usually indulge in thought in the evenings when my internal clock says it's too late to do any productive work. I often even fall asleep thinking about how to piece together different sections of open monism. It's a very pleasant activity, especially now that the pieces of the puzzle are actually close to coming together. It's aesthetically pleasing to picture that, too.

 

[philostam]

Look who's here! Where had you disappeared to? ^^

Yeah, I'm on your side when it comes to thinking. I can also find it very relaxing—and in some way, existentially pleasant and reassuring as well, like a cosy home. The only problem is that well, I know myself. Within 30mins I'll have gotten so excited that I'll want to write those thoughts down and make a theory out of it. So I just have to be careful.

I think that's why I usually indulge in thought in the evenings when my internal clock says it's too late to do any productive work. I often even fall asleep thinking about how to piece together different sections of open monism. It's a very pleasant activity, especially now that the pieces of the puzzle are actually close to coming together. It's aesthetically pleasing to picture that, too.

Oh, many things. I bought some new commodities so I was busy with them (I got a new laptop that I had to install and troubleshoot, while my gf bought a play station). So basically I was busy playing video games for the last few days, lol. But now I am burned out of this escapism. I even took 2 days off work so that I had thursday to sunday free just to play.

I also wasn't feeling the forum, nothing inspired me to participate, so I didn't force it. Now I feel the motivation is back.

Oh, I see. I don't have this issue, because I hate writing things down. It's so...time consuming and doesn't really help me structure my thoughts.

Ti-Si feedback loop can get boring though, and I often find myself revisiting "old" ideas and I just marginally improve them.

 

[philostam]

But yes, would you say you have troubles controlling your urges? For example, I see you said once that you cannot resist visiting the forum in the middle of the night when waking from sleep?

The same applies to this example, I guess. You cannot control your urge to write things down.

 

[Ren]

Oh, many things. I bought some new commodities so I was busy with them (I got a new laptop that I had to install and troubleshoot, while my gf bought a play station). So basically I was busy playing video games for the last few days, lol. But now I am burned out of this escapism. I even took 2 days off work so that I had thursday to sunday free just to play.

Haha, well this fits the INTP stereotype at least What games have you been playing?

Oh, I see. I don't have this issue, because I hate writing things down. It's so...time consuming and doesn't really help me structure my thoughts.

Writing things down is an effort for anyone, even those who actually enjoy writing. But for me it's definitely essential to fully structuring my thoughts. I can do some of it in my head, but not all of it. Then there's also the question of detail. I can have structured thoughts at a low resolution, but if I want to get to a higher resolution, I need to write things down and systematise the whole thing.

Ti-Si feedback loop can get boring though, and I often find myself revisiting "old" ideas and I just marginally improve them.

Can you give me an example, just to see if that happens to me too? (Whatever type of 'looping' I may engage in)

 

[Ren]

But yes, would you say you have troubles controlling your urges? For example, I see you said once that you cannot resist visiting the forum in the middle of the night when waking from sleep?

The same applies to this example, I guess. You cannot control your urge to write things down.

I'd like to answer no, but if I'm honest with myself, yeah I would say I have trouble controlling my urges sometimes.

I'm rather impulsive. I don't think this shows a lot on the forum but it does in real life.

 

[just me]

Self-control can actually have a lot to do with relaxing.