In a time where doing nothing has never been more acceptable, are we actually wasting our lives by not instantly leaping out of bed every morning? The answer, according to one Medium article, is a definitive yes.

Writer and, er, ‘life changer’ Megan Holstein listed 5 signs you are wasting your life, through a high handed, sergeant-esque approach. Daydreamed or watched your favourite Netflix series lately? You loser, what are you even doing with your life? Don’t you know you could have been aiming towards becoming a miserable, never relaxing, perpetually engaged robot.

Balance can’t be disputed, but to quote “people with a purpose don’t spend too long doing these sorts of things because they are aware that every hour sucked away by aimless activities is another hour they will never get back.” sounds like the thought process of some ruthless CEO whose lone existence is to work, work, work. No fun allowed!

Text like “someone who spends all their time daydreaming is not someone who spends all their time doing” was perhaps intended to be a sort of philosophical realisation, but instead comes off as naive. Think of the writer who dawdles and dreams about their next story, a necessity to create their doing.

To split people either as those with a purpose and those without, positioned solely on 5 vague signs just doesn’t sit right. The idea that someone can even ‘waste their life’ is awfully disdainful. A projection of both the author’s own particular idea of accomplishing life and domineering inner personality are on full display in the article. It’s either their way, or no way.

Life doesn’t have to be a full throttle race to gain the most accomplishments with zero downtime. Spending too much time working repeatedly tops the bill of most common regrets in those who near life’s end.

Enjoying the little things, taking a moment out of your day to daydream and think, distracting yourself, looking at YouTube videos and watching films, can be wholly essential and relevant to a healthy mind – and to aim to deprive people of that in the name of giving them a ‘purposeful life’ is criminally misguided.

Am I really petty enough to say reading that article should be sign number 6? Yes, I am. Keep on enjoying the things you like.