“The tragedy of life is not that it ends so soon, but that we wait so long to begin it.” — W.M. Lewis

Have you ever found yourself stuck in a situation where you had to make a terrible time trade-off?

Perhaps you had to choose between a meet-up with an old friend and a new episode of your favorite tv show. Or you had to sacrifice time with your family to work on a time-intensive side hustle.

Terrible time trade-offs are situations where you are forced to choose between two or more options, all of which have negative consequences or trade-offs.

In other words, you lose something valuable no matter what you choose. For example, choosing between working long hours to earn more or spending some of that time with your family and pursuing creative activities you care about.

If you work long hours, you may earn more good money, but you’ll sacrifice quality time with your loved ones and miss out on things you enjoy doing.

When you overcommit to tasks and unimportant experiences, you feel overwhelmed and stressed by the sheer number of activities you need to complete and the limited time you have to do them.

Whether it’s sacrificing sleep to get more unimportant work done, skipping meals to squeeze in more exercise, or neglecting our relationships in the pursuit of fleeting success, these choices have consequences in the future.

While these activities can be enjoyed in moderation, if they become a regular habit, they can take up a significant amount of time that could be used for more meaningful activities.

In fact, trade-offs can even make us feel like we’re “time-poor (have very little free time). If you are trading time for unimportant tasks and experiences, defend your time as your happiness and productivity depend on it because it does.

Mark Twain was right, “Twenty years from now, you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do.”

Making these “terrible time trade-offs” can leave you feeling unfulfilled, unproductive and dissatisfied.

1. Spending time with toxic people instead of building relationships with positive influences. Schedule more time for people in your life who spark joy. Our relationships shape who we are and become.

2. Worrying about the future. It’s a major time suck. When you catch yourself worrying about the future, bring your attention back to the present moment. Notice your breath, your body, and your surroundings. “Worrying does not empty tomorrow of its troubles. It empties today of its strengths. — Corrie ten Boom

3. Obsessing about everything we don’t have. It’s easy to pay too much attention to the things we don’t have, but it’s important to remember all the things we do have. Be grateful, and you will enjoy life more.

4. Staying in the past in your head. Pay attention to your present without judgment. If you find yourself dwelling on the past, or regretting your past, start noticing your environment more.

5. Holding onto grudges. It’s a major source of stress and unhappiness. Forgiveness is a powerful tool that can free us from the past. When you forgive someone, you’re not saying that what they did was okay. You’re simply saying that you won’t let it control your life anymore.

6. Comparing yourself to others. It’s a natural human tendency but can be a significant source of unhappiness. Comparing ourselves to others will only make us feel bad about ourselves.

7. Putting essential and life-changing things off. When we procrastinate, we essentially say we don’t value our time or goals. It can lead to a vicious cycle, where we procrastinate more and more, which makes us feel even more stressed and anxious, which makes us more likely to procrastinate.

8. Choosing not to take meaningful risks. Taking risks can be scary, but it’s also one of the most rewarding things we can do. When we stay in our comfort zones, we miss opportunities for growth, learning, and happiness. We also limit our potential and keep ourselves from achieving our goals.

9. Mindless scrolling. Smartphones are major time sucks. It can take away time that could be spent on more productive or meaningful experiences. Set limits on your screen time.

10. Saying yes to tasks and activities that don’t align with your values or priorities. It’s okay to say no to things, even if it means disappointing someone. Defend your time. It’s essential to protect your time and energy for the things that are important to you.

11. Spending excessive amounts of time on work and neglecting personal interests and downtime experiences. You end up burnt out, overwhelmed and exhausted. Life is too short to spend it all working. You deserve to have time for yourself, your family, and your friends. You deserve to enjoy your hobbies and interests.

12. Prioritizing short-term pleasure over long-term goals. When we focus on immediate gratification, we often neglect or postpone our long-term goals, delaying a much better life.

13. Focusing on perfectionism and wasting time on small details instead of taking action. Perfectionists spend excessive time on tasks that are not critical or may take longer to complete a task due to their relentless attention to detail.

14. Spending time with people who drain you. Spending time with negative, critical, or toxic people can take a toll on your mental health and set you back in life.

15. Multitasking excessively. It can lead to decreased productivity and lower-quality work. When we try to do too many things at once, we often complete none of them well. We may make more mistakes, take longer to complete tasks and experience more stress

16. Staying in unfulfilling relationships or friendships that drain your time and energy instead of investing in those that bring you happiness and support. Life is too short to be unhappy. You deserve to be in relationships that make you fulfilled.

17. Dwelling on past mistakes or regrets. It can prevent you from moving forward and making progress in your life. You are not your mistakes. Don’t let your past mistakes keep you from living a fulfilling life.

18. Focusing too much on superficial goals, such as material possessions or status, instead of pursuing goals that align with your values and bring you true happiness.

19. Spending too much time on unproductive meetings. Meetings can be a valuable way to collaborate and share ideas, but they can also be a huge time suck. More meetings can quickly become a waste of precious time.

20. Worrying excessively about the future or things beyond your control instead of living in the present moment and enjoying your life. Worrying is a normal human emotion, but it’s essential not to let it control your life.

21. Choosing not to set boundaries in your personal or professional life. Not setting boundaries with others and allowing them to take up too much of your time and energy can lead to resentment and burnout.

22. Responding and reacting to distractions. Spend your attention wisely. Everything outside “focused time” is a waste of time. Try to eliminate distractions as much as possible when working on a task. That means turning off notifications, closing your email, and finding a quiet place to work.

23. Working long hours at a job you hate and missing out on time with loved ones and pursuing creative passions. Many people work long hours at jobs they don’t enjoy. It can be draining and demoralizing. If you’re in a job you don’t enjoy, start drafting your exit plan before that “regret realization” kicks in, leaving you feeling like you wasted your life.

24. Overcommitting to social obligations or activities that drain your energy and time, leaving little room for self-care, personal growth, or pursuing your goals. Take a step back and reassess your priorities.

In summary, remember what Seneca said in his book, On the Shortness of Life: Life Is Long if You Know How to Use It:

“It is not that we have a short time to live, but that we waste a lot of it. Life is long enough, and a sufficiently generous amount has been given to us for the highest achievements if it were all well invested. But when it is wasted in heedless luxury and spent on no good activity, we are forced at last by death’s final constraint to realize that it has passed away before we knew it was passing. So it is: we are not given a short life but we make it short, and we are not ill-supplied but wasteful of it… Life is long if you know how to use it.”

This article originally appeared in Medium.