Zero-Time Waste — An Unconventional Way to Manage Time
In a letter to his father in law, Roman Stoic philosopher, Seneca, concluded, “It’s not that we have a short time to live, but that we waste a lot of it.”
The day revealed itself to me. I worked from home and played games with my partner that we made up; I laughed so much I thought I was going to pass out. And then we drifted to sleep. We didn’t waste time.
But, thinking about my day didn’t clarify what Seneca wanted his reader to understand. I didn’t internalize anything that would benefit me sustainably. I reread the sentence, my eyes focused on “waste.” My brain jumped to a phenomenon in actual waste management.
Biodegradable Products Institute defines zero waste as — “a philosophy that encourages the redesign of resource life cycles so that all products are reused. The goal is for no trash to be sent to landfills, incinerators, or the ocean. The process recommended is one similar to the way that resources are reused in nature.”
This practice promotes a sustainable environment and reduces your carbon footprint. While it’s a concept worth looking into, the five principles of zero waste can be reimagined and applied to how we spend our time.
Principle I — Refuse
I recently took a solo trip to Hueco Tanks in El Paso, Texas, to rock climb, write, and reflect. While I was there, I scribbled how much time I spend doing “essential” vs. “non-essential” things during my typical week, which is 168 hours.
This is what I found:
29% — Sleeping (7 hours/night)
24% — Working (40 hours/week)
3% — Commuting (50 minutes to and from work/day)
2% — Getting ready for work (30 minutes/day)
1% — Errands (2 hours/week)
— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
59% — “Essential” things (~100 hrs.)
If I have to spend 59% of my time doing “essential” things, I’m going to make them enjoyable. And if I have 69 hours of free time (41%), assessing what activities or thoughts are worth my time is imperative. According to a 2017 Nielsen Report, millennials spend an average of 25 hours a week on social media. That’s 15% of the week spent watching other people live their lives instead of living one’s own. I can do better.
In zero waste, the refuse principle centers on stopping the consumption of products that result in trash, which prevents items from being put in landfills or ending up in the ocean. Applying that to how we spend our time, we need to be mindful not to get caught up in doing things we have no actual interest in participating. This is not being close-minded. It is a way to focus on the things that make us whole. Next time someone asks if you want to participate in an activity, realize it’s okay to say, “No.” And when you reach for your phone to check Instagram, even if it seems like you spend a few minutes at a time scrolling, know that it adds up.
Principle II — Reduce
“How’s your week been?”
“Super busy. I feel like I’m doing too many things. And I barely got any sleep.”
“Me too. You want to grab a beer to wind down after work today?”
“I can’t — I have too many things to do at home.”
In a world where we are always on, we tend to overexert ourselves. Sure, you may have to work a little more to get things done, but if you’re always tired and overwhelmed, you’re doing something wrong. It may be that you’re not prioritizing well or taking on too many things.
Reducing, the 2nd principle of zero waste, asks you to look at your lifestyle and find ways to reduce consumption and save resources. When we reimagine and apply this principle to how we spend our time, we can reflect on what eats away at our day and energy. We can then reallocate that time and energy to something more desirable.
Working at a technology company, it’s apparent how ingrained tech is in our society and personal lives. But it doesn’t take someone working in tech to know that if you look up, the majority of people’s noses are stuck in their phones too.
One of the principles I live by is to only use technology for personal matters in the following cases:
- Outsourcing repetitive/undesirable tasks
- Sharing things, I’ve created at a large scale quickly
- Opening my mind to different ways of looking at things (but remembering to never let technology replace my critical thinking)
- Communicating with loved ones in meaningful ways, if I can’t meet them in person
To reduce unnecessary tech time, I have done a few things. I cut time spent parsing emails by using unroll.me, an application that automatically unrolls me from email subscriptions. I deleted social media apps from my phone, opting to use my mobile browser only (always logging out without saving the password to make it harder to access). And when I take breaks at work, I stopped engaging in activities that involve a screen, replacing that time with activities such as reading a book, eating lunch outside, or going for a walk with colleagues.
By reducing tech consumption, I have engaged in more activities that fulfill me. While some may say I’m replacing one activity for another — it’s not about doing fewer things, per se. It’s about doing fewer things that are not providing me with substantive, subjective value.
Principle III — Reuse
The third principle, reuse, and repair, states we should reuse and repair items instead of buying new ones. To use time well, we can “reuse” activities that repeatedly bring us value.
During the week, I noticed I have the most energy throughout the day if I go to sleep between 10 PM — 10:30 PM and wake up at 6:30 AM. I have time to write, exercise — do anything I want. It makes a difference because I get to focus on me before anyone else.
I reuse and repair the practice by tweaking it based on what my body and mind need that day. If I go out one night during the week, I adjust my sleeping schedule to still get 7 hours. I may read less that morning, but the point is I reuse and repair the behavior. This practice of reusing and repairing is vital because it ensures I do activities that are a good use of my time. Things may change, but it’s best to use ideas to the end of their life cycle.
Principle IV — Recycle
Biome, an online market for ethical suppliers, asks its customers to “maintain a closed-loop system by recycling as much as [they] can.”
We recycle items so that we can reuse their materials. It reduces the need to dump things in landfills and harvest new raw materials for production.
In the context of time, we reuse behaviors and activities useful to us. Recycling time is about sharing those behaviors or actions that you find helpful with others. Stay with me here.
When you learn about a fun, new activity or movie, don’t you share that knowledge with other people? And don’t you have habits that were good for you at one point that you don’t practice anymore, but that other people can benefit from learning?
By sharing this knowledge with other people, we breathe new life into it. We reuse plastic from recycled water bottles. It’s the same concept.
We can share knowledge with others from an earlier part of our life, whether that be how to handle personal finances in your 20s or how to ride a bike. If we recycle well spent time, we can help friends, family, colleagues, and ourselves.
Principle V — Rot
The final principle of zero waste is to rot (compost). Composting your food waste can provide a garden with fertilizer and reduce greenhouse emissions.
When I wrote about the principle of reducing, I discussed how decreasing the consumption of certain activities grants you time to do things you genuinely enjoy. And while reducing and replacing activities can be an excellent use of our time, we should also make room to do absolutely nothing.
Not reviewing our stocks or looking at social media for likes. I am not saying you have to twiddle your thumbs. But maybe it means sitting on the beach with a beer in hand. Shut off the world’s needs. Let the time rot. As you let time rot in the soil, it will produce flowers.
We are not wasting time if we let time rot purposefully. When we allow time to rot, we permit ourselves to take time to grow organically instead of forcing productivity.
Today’s world neglects the vital principle of time rot because people are scared to take 30 minutes out of their day to relax; they believe everything will fall apart. It’s arrogant. If you choose to take a few minutes to yourself to do what you want, I guarantee you — the world will keep spinning.
So, kick off your shoes and take it easy. If you don’t, you’ll end up old and grey saying, “What was I thinking?”
In the novel, Flights, Olga Tokarczuk describes various theories of time that range from “circular time” to a “traveler’s time,” which “is a lot of times in one.” Looking at time from these different vantage points allows for infinite possibilities. The shifts in perspective may bring you sadness in the beginning, but it will ultimately lead to freedom. We must study and neglect time simultaneously to have any chance to make it infinite. The goal is not to look at your watch every second, but to remember that time will never stop. And while we can’t control the flow of time, we can harness what we do with it.
As the world and humans continue to evolve, our ways of thinking will transform. Higher life expectancy and overreliance on technology have already shifted our perspective on what it means to live. If we can master our time, or at least make a conscious effort to make good use of it, we can live fulfilling lives. Zero-time waste is a peculiar vehicle that you now have the knowledge and keys to drive. Start the engine and drive.
