There are some great time-wasters out there – TV comes to mind – but there is something else that I think is an even greater waste.
People – specifically ignorant, stuck in the mud, unhappy with their own lot so they need to bring everyone else down, type of people. People who don’t understand you or what you are trying to accomplish and have no compunction about letting you know. You can argue back and forth with these people for hours and they still hang about refusing to be convinced but aren’t willing to agree to disagree.
My solution: kick them to the curb. You don’t have the time or energy to deal with these ignorant, time-sucking vultures. In your personal inventory of friends or associates (or social networking gateway – Facebook, MySpace, etc) hit delete.
What if they are lifelong friends or even family? Well, then don’t hit delete, but avoid contact with them as much as possible at least until you get to where you want to go. Then you can resume regular contact with them, but I suspect by that time you will have changed enough that they won’t bother you or you won’t even like them anymore.
The amount of mental energy consumed in dealing with these people is time better spent on building a business, pursuing your hobbies, spending time with those you love and don’t cause you aggro, or on social projects to better the world.
In order to build a better life. Sometimes you have to destroy a little bit of the life you already have.