There are tons of ask hn's that inquire about the best way to do a given thing, or figure out the best in class, how to be successful, etc.

But a lot of actually being better, happier, and more successful involves NOT doing certain things. Thinking about that got me curious enough to make this question. There's a whole class of things not indicated by existing ask Hn's.

I know this site is startup/tech focused, but I'm intentionally not specifying any sort of topical constraints on this question. Business weaves into life and back again - anything goes. More, I'm intending this as a sort of catch-all for advice you'd like to give but never had the right question to prompt.

When you think back about your biggest mistakes, regrets, or even/especially hard-earned lessons where your understanding of the time you spent in the past has completely shifted, that's what this question is after.

How can I waste my time in the worst (or best) possible ways?