Wake Up, Human 015: On Wasting Time in the Corporate World

Welcome to Episode 15 of the Wake Up, Human podcast. In this episode I’m trying something I’ve never done before: I’m going off-the-cuff and free flowing in conversation about a topic that inspires me. No interviews, no outlines, just talk. 

I’ll be conversating (is that a word?) on the theme of ‘wasting time in the corporate world,’ which was loosely inspired by an article I recently read. 

Are you wasting time in the corporate world, or do you feel you’ve wasted time? For those of us who worry we’ve wasted time—in the corporate world, or anywhere else—I think we might be being too hard on ourselves. 

So in my talk I’ll be reflecting on this common modern-day struggle with time. How can we address regrets about wasted time, and reframe past choices in a way that’s more empowering? I’ll suggest possible sources of our anxieties around time, and ponder how we might let them go in service to something kinder. I’ll also touch on cultural narratives of success and productivity that don’t serve us, and the importance of defining for ourselves what is worth pursuing in life. 

Along the way I’ll draw a bit of inspiration from “Dead Poets Society,” and even fit in a couple of metaphors about gas stations and flower beds. 

May it be of benefit.

P.S. If you’ve got opinions, I’d love to know them: what do you think of this off-the-cuff experiment…yes/no? It’s a trial run. Let me know.