Are you sleepwalking through life, doing things as part of a routine without thought? Stuck in the drudgery of it all and seeing time pass without much merit? Let’s have a look at some causes and solutions.

Things on autopilot

It’s incredibly easy to get stuck in a rut. Once we become competent, we often become complacent – completing tasks without much in the way of thought.

After all, we know we’re good at doing them. Why would we need to find better ways to complete them?

But what about when this results in prolonged periods of absent-mindedness? Extended times where it’s been a while since we felt challenged?

Well then we have a problem…

Netflix and scrolling

Society’s current need to constantly be occupied has led to this state of inaction of the brain, which carries over into our daily routines.

We binge Netflix whilst scrolling incessantly on our phones. But why?

Well quite simply, we need to feel ‘engaged’, even when this engagement actually only further detaches us from engaging the brain.

Another episode, another timeline refresh or another thing done without thought is simply another another period of time wasted.

Check your screen-time usage on your phone for things that actually added benefit to your life. I dare you.

Finding a way to change it

So what can we do when we’ve identified that there is an issue? Well then you have to decide if you actually want to do something about it.

Whether the idea of challenging yourself with a new hobby, a new skill or a new book is something that you actually want to commit to.

Things won’t change if you don’t actually want them to. Fail to commit and you’ll find yourself back again, slumped on the couch with your social media feed being constantly being refreshed.

Find out what it is that you want to improve at or something that you have an interest in; then find ways to delve deeper into it.

Podcasts, articles, videos, books – there has never been a better time to teach yourself new things!

Committing to the now

So now that you’ve committed to change, you need to commit to the here and now.

Time is finite. It is the most valuable currency that we have. Spend it wisely.

Take the first difficult steps to start the compounding process of improvement now.

Stop living life on auto-pilot, expecting greater results from the same thoughtless processes.

If you’re not moving forwards, you’re being left behind.