Brevity is having a field day with this title. It explains the concept. Zero value friends. That’s what they are — zero value friends. Folks you know, who are you friends, you have to spend time with them but they do not add any kind of value to your narrative.
With high speed networks came the era of instant gratification and constant communication. Everything is no longer a thought but a click away. The charm of letting good things brew, slow and steady, is lost to the process of instantaneous validation. #send_friend_request #liked_and_shared #text_back #reply_asap
Swift and 24 X 7 connectivity does reduce the transactional costs involved in making human relationships but it does little for building them. Living this in-the-moment-fast-paced-urban-life can gradually drain the meaning out of your story, making yours just another run-of-the-mill standardized normal curve kahani. Best sellers aren’t created this way, you rarely feel worthy if you haven’t worked for it, good things don’t come easy.
While everyone fine tunes their habits and surroundings to help them function in the most efficient way possible, the continuous cacophony of noisy information tends to interfere with one’s autonomy over their time. Engaged in this constant war of allocating mind space, one ends up being investing time in zero value activities. You will say — Preeti, the luxury of choosing how to waste your day lies with few, most of us have to spend on monotonous mechanical activities, sometimes we have to do things because we have to do things, there is no reason, and there is also no escape.
Well I cannot argue with that. Some things are beyond our control. The trick lies in recognizing those things, finding your zero value activities, and spending less time on them. And more time on things that matter. Because contrary to popular belief the scarcest resource today isn’t oil, but time.
Once you become aware of your zero value activities, you can either automate or delegate them. Or you can turn them into background white noise for pursuing other useful interests. You take the train to work everyday? Why not read a book, or listen to a podcast? But not just any book or podcast. I work in comms industry and on my way to work I often listen to 5G and new tech podcasts. Do this for 7 days and you will have yourself a new habit and much more knowledge. Agatha Christie had said that the best time to plan a plot is while doing dishes.
Managing zero value friends is slightly tougher. You cannot escape such kind of people except perhaps if you incessantly phase out around them. Sometimes you are bound to them by routine other times it is by choice. To tackle those in routine you could still exert some autonomy over your time and learn to say no, after of course a pros and cons evaluation of how your selfish behavior might affect your meaningless relationships. For those by choice, one make better choices, two choose better. Spending time with a friend is like savoring a good drink, if you don’t leave with a good after taste and a nice buzz you should probably reconsider your options. If you have no options, don’t settle for a hangover, pick sleep instead.
