How to avoid getting distracted by the mind during our idle time?
Answer Podcast
Transcript
This is an AI-generated transcript and may contain some errors.
So, what do we do? How do we deal with the void time when we don’t have anything to do? That’s the time when we tend to do nonsense. Yes, you know, in school we may have this assignment, fill in the blanks.
So, what happens is, as soon as we leave some blank in our schedule, the mind fills it in. So, if I have nothing to do, the mind finds something for me to do. And quite often, that something is destructive.
That something is damaging. So, I am busy doing something, then I am focused. But as soon as I stop, I don’t have anything to do, I find my mind starts thinking, why did this person speak like this? Why did they do like this? Next time when I meet, I am going to show this person.
So, our mind goes into revenge fantasies quite often. So, what we need to do is, rather than leaving the blanks for the mind to fill. See, the mind doesn’t fill in the blanks, actually the mind is so, it is so cunning that if it takes control, there is a blank, it will fill in the sentence.
That means, see, I have 10 minutes right now, and after 10 minutes, I have to go for a meeting. But in that 10 minutes, I get so worked up about something, that I just forget the meeting and I go and I want to beat that person. I am going to do this, I am going to do that.
So, if you just leave things to the mind, then it will make us miserable. That’s why, it is it is best to to plan how we are going to use our leisure time also. Not that we have to fill our schedule to brimming, it is not that we have to overpack our schedule, but rather, whenever I get spare time, what am I going to do? If I plan it out, say if I am reading a particular book, I have the book in my phone, I carry the book with me, as soon as I get some time, I will read it.
Also, we can find out for ourselves, each one of us is different. We can find out what is the activity in which we can constructively absorb ourselves. And, we can do that activity, we can consciously strive to make that our default activity.
That means, say, if I like to hear kirtans, then, I should always have some nice kirtans and I can be singing it, I can be reciting it, I can be learning new tunes, I can be moving onwards in that direction. As soon as I have some time, I can start hearing that. If I, as I said, if I like to read books, I can do that.
So, we have to find out what is the activity in which we can constructively absorb ourselves. And, we should be like, not that, rather than being in a situation, now I have time, now what should I do? Okay, maybe I can, maybe I can read some book, maybe I can call my relatives, I have not called them for a long time. Maybe, maybe I can do some planning for my future work.
Or, maybe, you know, I didn’t sleep enough last night, maybe I can sleep. So, what happens is, if we leave things to the mind, the mind will choose the path of least resistance. And, quite often, the path of least resistance is the path of unproductivity or even counter productivity.
We don’t do anything or we harm ourselves. So, rather than letting ourselves be in a situation where we have time and then wonder, what will I do with this time? We can plan, this is the thing which I want to do in my life. Okay, I want to read this book and keep that ready.
So, as soon as I get some time, I will immediately use it for that purpose. So, look at your own life and think of the things which you really look forward to doing. And, not just in terms of going to some new place and seeing this, that will require some substantial amount of time.
But, simply as I said, like reading, or many devotees, they prefer hearing. Nowadays, with technology, technology has its flip side, but technology also has benefits. If you like to hear philosophy, you can just have lectures of whichever speakers we like to hear, ready with us.
You just start hearing it. So, we can have some targets in the things that we like to do. And then, as soon as we get some time, immediately we will do those things.
So, we need definitely to plan our void time. Otherwise, we will get into unnecessary anxiety, unnecessary negativity, unnecessary frustration. And, having something to look forward to, that also brings energy in our life.
It’s like, it’s good to treat time like money. That means, most often for all of us, we have more things to purchase than the money with which you can afford it. So, we are thinking, as soon as I get some more money, I will purchase this.
So, we are looking, where can I get more money? So, like that, we should always have more things to do than what we have time to do. Now, this doesn’t have to be a burden. Oh, I have to do this, I have to do that.
But, we should be looking forward. So, as soon as I get some time somewhere, immediately I use it for constructive purposes, use it for doing that particular thing. Does it answer your question?