We’re all bombarded by well-meaning experts telling us not to waste time. They acknowledge the need to take a short break between tasks but remind us that “time is money” or caution us about the need to get back to work.

Truth is, most of us don’t want to follow this advice and most of us don’t.

We’d go nuts working eight hours a day every day focused on nothing but work.

So, offered for your approval is another approach–two ways to “waste time” productively.

When you feel the urge to stop working on whatever you’re doing:

1) Work on another case or something else important.

A bit of research, knock out some emails, make calls, dictate some letters or pleadings, or work on marketing.

You may not be working on your main task but you’re doing something productive.

Keep a list of tasks you can turn to when you tire of whatever you’re currently working on. Your mind craves variety so give it some.

Or

2) Do something mindless and unimportant.

Go have some fun, run an errand, play a game, watch a video.

Distract yourself from your work by taking a bigger break than usual, and don’t feel guilty about it because your “fun” break serves a purpose.

It allows your conscious mind to rest, so you’ll have more energy when you get back to work. And it allows your subconscious mind to work on the problem while you’re “goofing off”.

When you return to work, you may find that the break has allowed your subconscious mind to bring you new ideas and solutions.

Take 20 or 30 minutes to play and do something that doesn’t require a lot of thought or effort.

But do put a time limit on it or you might find yourself spending the rest of the day binge watching pet videos and getting nothing done.

Taking a marketing course is never a waste of time