Every day there are so many things we do without thinking. Yes, every day. Sometimes it’s a good idea to stop and contemplate exactly what we’re doing with our time. How could we improve our environment and way of doing things to maximize the time we have to work on things that are really important to us? 
You are more likely to do this if you have a clear set of goals for your life, written down, in the forefront of your mind. Otherwise, you’ll tend to drift and to put things off.
Your mantra should be, “What’s the best use of my time NOW?” Ask yourself if whatever you plan to do next will move your life forward in the direction you want it to go or will just be wasting time, standing still.
Your goals don’t have to be lofty or pie in the sky. They can simply be to enjoy some time with your loved ones, or to watch the sunset every evening, or read a good book (I like this one—please do!).
But if some of your goals include long-term ones, such as traveling to exotic places, or writing a novel, or painting the whole inside of your house, it might help you to pause every so often and ask yourself, “Will this action help with my long-term goals, or is it just a time waster?”
I agree, it’s good to put some fun stuff on the schedule, too. I for get that sometimes! I live by lists, but need to think more about what to put on them. Another thing about reaching big goals–they all require little steps to get there.
You are so right, Kaye. I try to leave Sunday free to do whatever I like to do. Another advantage to doing that is I try to get everything done before Sunday rolls around so I can enjoy the day, guilt-free.
I have long term goals, and monthly, weekly, and daily goals. All go on the list. I do budget in time for family and fun, too. If I didn’t have a list, nothing would get done.
I wonder how many people now live without lists. This advice is so ubiquitous, I’d be surprised if many didn’t make them.