20 THINGS I QUIT to Stop Wasting My Time (Minimalism + Intentional Living).

If there's one thing I've learned, it's that time is precious. And for many of us, we might not always realize just how much of it we're giving away. To things that don't serve us, habits that drain us, or expectations that are unrealistic. What we choose to do with our time impacts our daily life, our habits, even our relationships and our health. And there are so many seemingly harmless things to waste our time on in today's world, that can really add up and take their toll. Through the process of simplifying my life and recovering from burnout, I realized all the little ways that I was wasting my time. So in today's video, I want to share with you 20 things I quit wasting my time on. Some of these might seem small, but these shifts have really made a big difference in my life. So as always, feel free to grab something nice for yourself to drink if you want. I have mine right here, and let's talk about it. I'm also happy to welcome a new sponsor to the channel, which is Surrey. They make electric toothbrushes, and I made the switch to Surrey because they are eco-friendly and built with sustainability in mind. So I've been using mine for a while now, and I've been really loving it. Unfortunately, the toothbrush industry is incredibly wasteful. Each year, billions of toothbrushes are thrown away. They're often also really clunky, with poor battery life as well. Surrey uses plant-based brush heads that can be recycled for free by Surrey. The body is slim and made from aluminum. There's also a magnetic mount that keeps the brush off the counter for a mess-free sink, which I love. And I like the travel case as well. It is really compact and it has a uvc light to keep the brush head bacteria free. The brush gives me a good clean while still being gentle on the gums. It has 33 000 sonic vibrations per minute and an incredible one month battery life. It has a pressure sensor as well, and it's nice and quiet so it's not so loud in my ears. I like that they cut out the gimmicks like apps I never use and just focus instead on making a brush that works well and produces less waste. And they're also a certified B Corp. If you want to try them as well, then you can click my link in the description box and use my code Vera Surrey for 20% off on the toothbrushes and on the travel cases. So big thank you to Surrey for supporting the channel. Number one, trying to be perfect. One of the biggest things I've learned in life is that done is often better than perfect. As a former perfectionist, I used to spend ages trying to do something perfectly, rather than just getting it done. Or worse, I didn't even start because I was too overwhelmed by the idea of it needing to come out perfect, or too scared to make the wrong choice. And then I learned about the 80 20 rule, which means that you can often get 80% of something done with just 20% of the effort. But you have to spend the other 80% of your time if you want to perfect that last 20%. And honestly, that last little part is usually what no one else even notices. So at one point it's better to just say it's good enough like this, and let it go. Number two, being a people pleaser. I used to think that I wasn't a people pleaser, I just thought that I was someone who wanted to be kind and helpful. But looking back on it, I really was. I've caught myself saying yes to things that I really didn't want to do, just to not disappoint the other person. Or I would spend hours crafting the perfect reply to an email, because I was worried about how it would come across. People pleasing pulls you away from your own priorities, and in the end no one really wins, especially not you. I realized that there will always be someone who is displeased with your choices, that's just how it goes. So I try to do whatever feels right for me, and not worry too much about anything more. Self-imposed rules. I'm the kind of person who always kind of liked having a few rules. I think rules provide intentionality, and purpose, and structure. But the downside is that I sometimes held myself back with self-imposed rules. What I should do, what I should want, or what things are supposed to look like. For me, an example of that would be feeling like I have to complete every side quest in a video game, even if they weren't fun. So I tried letting go of these self-imposed rules, and just be okay with letting things go unfinished for example. Because if something is not bringing you any joy or value, it's usually not really worth your time. So letting go of the shoulds. Downloading every app for everything. There's an app for everything nowadays. Sleep, habit tracking, mood tracking, focus, mobile games, grocery planning, loyalty programs. But all those apps end up overwhelming me more than helping me. And if we just download every app that comes with a purchase, or that is recommended for a specific thing that we also just can do without an app, then we end up wasting a lot of time. So now I only have the essential apps on my phone. Just things I need for banking, health insurance, things like that. If it's not truly functional, it doesn't go on my phone. Number five, over committing. I stopped planning my calendar to the max. Because what many people think is just a way to make the most of your time and be productive, really is a recipe for burning yourself out. Saying yes to everything meant saying no to myself. And now I know that I'm the kind of person who just really needs a lot of empty space in their calendar in order to feel okay and well rested. Even just last week, circumstances kind of made it so that I had to plan too much in my calendar. And I figured I would just be able to do it for a week and keep it up. And what happened? I crashed and got a little sick. So lesson relearned. Number six, ironing. I decluttered my iron and ironing board when we moved in here. And honestly, no regrets. I used to iron everything, like bedding, dish towels, things like that. Then I only ironed clothing. And now I'm just like, I will hang dry things and if they still have some wrinkles, I'll just put it on and the wrinkles will at least become less visible within an hour or so. If you enjoy ironing, or if you just really love having those super crisp shirts to wear, then it's probably worth it. But for me, I hate it and life is too short. Mindless scrolling, probably the biggest time waster in human history. When they invented the endless scroll in social media apps, they really changed the game. A comprehensive 2025 report showed that globally people spend an average of 4.8 hours per day on their smartphones. 2.7 hours of that time is spent scrolling on social media. If I catch myself mindlessly scrolling on my phone, usually I will notice it within a minute or so. I put my phone away and I go do something else, like anything else. And the difference that this has made in my overall sanity and clarity and overall happiness is huge. Number eight, overthinking other people's opinions. This one also goes together with the people pleaser and the perfectionism one. But I learned that other people's opinions are exactly that, their opinions. And it's impossible to control everyone else's perception of you. I used to try and make decisions that other people would agree with, both to avoid their criticism, but also because I valued their opinion over my own sometimes. Because I just felt like they probably had it right. But now I know that the only perspective I really need is my own. And the more I learn to trust myself, the less time I'm wasting trying to get outside approval. Number nine, impulse buying small things. Cheap doesn't always mean harmless. And little impulse buys can really add up. Not just financially, but also in terms of like your physical space and your mental clutter. Making small impulse purchases used to be a way for me to treat myself or cheer myself up. So maybe a pair of cheap earrings, or a little decor piece for my home, or a little notebook. It was always temporary and not a real fix. Now I use very different strategies to practice self-care that don't involve me purchasing something I don't need. And of course it's not bad to buy yourself something occasionally, so please know that is not how I meant it. There's a time and place for everything, and you know what works best for you. Multitasking. This something that I stopped doing to limit my stress mostly, but I also noticed that it did save me time in the end. Constantly switching our attention back and forth not only is mentally exhausting, but it also takes more time. If I'm writing a script for a video with my full attention, I am sometimes amazed by how quickly I can get it done. Because my brain is fully focused in the zone, and it doesn't have to constantly switch around. As opposed to days when I'm feeling more scattered, and maybe I'm also answering some emails or some text in between, it takes so much longer. Because my brain has to refocus every time after a switch like that. So doing one thing with presence, in my opinion, beats doing five things with stress. Keeping just in case items. I used to hold on to many things just in case. Old electronics, outdated paperwork, duplicate kitchen items, and I felt like I was being prepared. But really what I was doing was just making my home and my life more cluttered. Every item we keep ends up taking a little bit of our time. Whether it's cleaning around them, or organizing them, or sorting through them every time you open a drawer. It's like a little bit of background noise. Through minimalism I have learned to recognize this and keep only the items that actually bring me real value in my actual life, and not in a hypothetical situation. And so far it has never happened that I did end up needing that thing sometime later. So the freedom is worth it. Feeling bad about plants I killed. This used to really get me. I would feel so bad if a plant died, like I didn't do enough and that I failed. But now I know that certain kinds of plants just don't do well in certain kinds of surroundings, and that is fine. So I will do my best to take care of them. And usually if a plant survives its first year or so, then it'll stick around for a long time after that as well. But if they do die, for whatever reason, I try to not carry that guilt anymore. I just take a lesson from it that apparently that plant doesn't really do well in this apartment, and I won't buy another one. And yeah, that's it. I won't waste time or energy worrying about it too much. Number 13. Feeling guilty about rest. Rest is often seen as something that we have to earn, like we need to be productive first. But really in reality, like our to-do list almost never truly ends. There's always something to do. So if we wait until we are feeling completely exhausted to rest, then we're not being efficient. It's just a recipe for burnout. I've learned that not taking my rest when I need it will cost more in the long run. And I will also move slower, I will get distracted more easily, or I will make mistakes that I later have to go in and fix. So rest helps me do better, not less. And also, I'm a human being. I deserve rest regardless. I deserve to take it easy and relax and have a nice day. So I am being productive, but with enough rest in between. It's just focusing more on being and less on doing. Number 14. Cleaning around clutter. Decluttering my home has saved me so much time over the years. Cleaning used to take forever, especially things like dusting or cleaning surfaces. With all the stuff that was out there, just moving it around or cleaning underneath it. I'm the kind of minimalist who does like having some things out, like it doesn't have to look like a museum in here. It can look like a home and look like cozy and lived in. But I do make sure to not have too many things out that we have to like clean around all the time. And it's also a lot calmer, because it's less visual clutter. Especially in places where you want to clean frequently, like the bathroom, I try to keep super simple and clutter free. Browsing stores or online shops. I used to browse stores and online shops just to see what they had. Like just for fun, I would go to ASOS or H&M, just to see back when I was still buying things from companies like that. I would sometimes waste hours adding things to cart, and then thinking about which size I wanted or the color I wanted, and taking things back out of the cart and putting them back in the cart. And then waste money buying these things that I didn't even need. Unhealthy shopping habits can make us waste so much money, but also so much time. And once we have those things, we now have more things to deal with. Whether it is washing more clothes or keeping things organized. For the last couple of years, I haven't browsed ever. If I need something, if something runs out, or if I feel like I want to get something specific for whatever reason, I will look for it then. So I will let my home or my wardrobe or my life tell me what to buy, instead of what happens to be available in the stores. So no more scrolling, looking for things to want. Number 16. Doing it all myself. For a long time, I felt like I should be able to do everything myself. And I had unrealistic expectations of what one person should be able to do. But it was also to save money, because I felt like, why pay someone to do something if I can do it myself? But I've learned that this isn't always the best use of my time and energy. For example, my accountant, she knows exactly how everything works. She has the right tools and the right software, and she can do in like an hour what would take me a full weekend to do. Plus give me a good headache and some amount of existential dread. So letting go of this pressure to be a one-person team has saved me a lot of time and stress. So if it's something that I could easily do, or where I feel like it would be good to learn how to do it myself, I will probably still try. But sometimes spending money on the right kind of help is just a way to buy back your time, your energy, and your peace of mind. And that can be very much worth it. Endlessly researching before starting. Oh my gosh, I've wasted so many hours on this. Just researching, reading reviews, watching tutorials, watching videos, comparing every available option. But this was 100% procrastination out of perfectionism, disguised as preparation. I learned that the only way to get things done is just to start. And most of the time that means starting without feeling fully prepared. That means making mistakes, learning from them, figuring things out along the way. That is how people achieve their goals. This might be starting a hobby or a side hustle, starting a youtube channel, picking out a vacuum cleaner, launching a project, picking the perfect planner, whatever it is. We don't have to turn it into a research paper. Number 18. Doomscrolling the news. There's staying informed, and then there's spiraling and doomscrolling. We are always surrounded by news. It's on your phone, it's on the tv, it's on the radio. You can be subscribed to it and get it in your inbox. Maybe you go to the pharmacy and they have news on. All of these little inputs of news can keep us in a constant state of anxiety. Because when you hear all the awful things that are going on in the world, even in just one day, it can take a toll on your mental health. So I learned to give myself limits. I check the news once a day max, and I only check certain sources. I don't watch videos or pictures. And instead I focus on the small area of influence that I do have, to try and make a positive difference. I recently made a full in-depth video about this, about how I try to protect my peace in chaotic times for patrons and youtube members. So I make two extra videos every month for patreon and youtube memberships. And for a small monthly fee, you can also join and get access to all of these videos that I've made so far. And the income that I make with this helps me to keep the channel going and keep making these free videos for everyone here on youtube. So I will leave the links in the description box below. You can decide for yourself if you'd rather join on patreon or here on youtube memberships. They are the same videos, so it's just a matter of which platform you prefer. And a huge thank you to everyone who's already there supporting my work. Filling every silent moment with noise. Many people always have something playing in the background. Whether that is music or podcasts or a show. And even if we're not actively listening to that, it helps to distract us and keep us from feeling bored. Or we might feel like we're being more productive that way. From my burnout I realized just how powerful a few moments of silence can be. When we don't feel every quiet moment with stimulation, we can give our brain a little breather. And it can help to avoid feeling mentally cluttered, overstimulated and more tired at the end of the day. So I might clean something in silence, or go for a walk without my headphones, or drink a cup of tea on the couch enjoying the quiet. And this used to make me feel sometimes a little bored or uncomfortable. But after practicing with it more, it really now recharges me a lot. Number 20. Worrying about things outside of my control. I used to waste so much time worrying about things that haven't happened yet, or things that might not happen at all. And I felt like all that worrying was somehow making me feel more prepared, or gave me some sense of control. But really all it did was make me feel really anxious and exhausted. I haven't been able to fully let this go yet, but I've made good progress with it. And there's a graph that I really like that asks if you have a problem, is there something you can do about it. And if the answer is yes, then great, no need to worry, you can just do that thing. And if the answer is no, then great, no need to worry, because it's not under your control. Because if a problem can't be solved or prevented by me, then worrying does absolutely nothing. So when I find myself spiraling now, I pause and I ask myself, is this something that I can do something about right now? And if the answer is yes, then I take action. And if the answer is no, then I practice accepting that and letting it go. This shift has been helping me to save so much time and energy. And I know now that inner peace doesn't come from controlling everything, it comes from knowing what's yours to carry, and gently setting down the rest. So these were 20 things I quit wasting my time on. And of course it's not about doing all of these perfectly, or never slipping back into old patterns and habits. I do. But when we become aware of this, we can be mindful of how we're spending our time. And we can stop giving it away so easily to things that don't serve us, so that we can give it to the things that do. I would love to know from you which of these 20 things resonated with you the most, and that you would like to start practicing with. As well as any other things that you have quit wasting your time on. I always love reading what you have to say, so I will see you all in the comments. A huge thank you to Suri for supporting the channel. And if you want to check them out, you can use my link in the description box and my code Vera Suri to get 20% off their toothbrushes and travel cases. I highly recommend them, so check them out. As always, questions, comments, conversations down below. Have a wonderful wonderful day. Thank you much for being here, and I will see you all again really soon. Bye bye. Speaking of plant care, I really need to repot so many of my plants, and I've been putting it off for so long. So remind me in a couple of weeks if I remember to repot my plants.