Disclaimer: You might hate some of them.

The following 20 points are aspects I learned that are not worth it in the long term… even though some might be as attractive as gold at the start of the day.

They are from my personal experiences in both career and livelihood…encompassing of all the crucial “not worth it” aspects that I could cautiously contemplate.

I’ve thoroughly read most of the answers and did a little research on Google, mashed it up with my own knowledge and tada:

1. Falling for “beautiful” people

A few days ago I read an article where a famous YouTuber left the hottest weather reporter in the world so that he could spend for time to play competitive Call of Duty.

Beauty helps, but what matters most in the long run is the inner beauty. If you only chase physical beauty, you will surely be left regretting.

(Yes this guy right here that I mentioned in the answer is the….”genius” YouTuber)

2. Multi-tasking

Research has proven that we humans don’t really multi-task, we actually shift from one task to the other very quickly. The point? Even if it seems like more work is being done, you’re actually taking less information into your brain, which at the end of the day is not worth it.

(unless you’re Elon Musk…that is)

3. Trading Time for Money

This one is especially true to those who have an entrepreneurial mindset or aspire to become an entrepreneur. You’re time is the most valuable asset and you will never get it back. NEVER. Let that sink in. Now take my case for an example okay? I am a freelance writer at Fiverr…this is the platform where I started and I essentially traded my time for money. I wrote ebooks for clients and got paid really less for it. But now that I have experience, I can write e-books and publish them myself. I advertise them myself. I spend my time on projects that will benefit me in the future and make me money on autopilot (passive income). See, I realized trading time for money (unless you’re just starting like I was) is just not worth it in the long term.

4. Not taking the risk

It was my first meeting in an organisation where I had a great idea and wanted to share it. Unfortunately, due to the anxiety I could not speak up (in front of many accomplished and exceptional people much older and experienced than me). I instantly regretted it as another guy uttered the same idea and everyone loved it. That could’ve been me. That might be you. it’s not worth keeping your hand down when your heart tells you to take the risk.

5. Agreeing because society tells you to

This is especially true for Asians where we constantly hear phrases like “stop crying like a girl”. While you always can’t blame society, you can always disagree. You have your own opinion, you know what’s right and what’s wrong. Staying quiet and agreeing to everything will only decrease your self-esteem. Now, before you go around protesting on the roads wearing a mask and holding a sign that says “I can’t breathe with mask on” (yes an American woman actually did that), read and understand the 5th point.

Be as swag as this guy.

PS: NO YOU’LL END UP IN JAIL!!!!

6. Being stubborn because you “think” you’re right

When Jacob was a kid, his parents didn’t let him play Grand Theft Auto (you know the game where you killed people for fun) deeming it was too violent for his little mind. Jacob was infuriated stating that his parents were too outdated and conservative. He knew he was smarter and that gaming wasn’t bad. 18 years later, now Jacob doesn’t let his son play Call of Duty stating that its too violent, there’s too much blood and shooting people (in games) shouldn't be normalized. Now Jacob’s son is mad at his dad. Being adamant is just not worth it, because if Jacob had a better understanding, perhaps he could have come to a consensus with his son, negotiating and fixing specific times where he was allowed to play after scientifically proving whether or not FPS games actually affected the brain. I write this in length because, even if anti-mask supporters think they are right, the scientific community (and the community with common sense) disagrees with them. Stubbornness here isn't just worth it.

7. Ignoring someone’s pain

I had a very peculiar junior in my school who almost everyone bullied. While playing football, he was always left out. I could relate, because when I had surgeries I was always left out from the team too. I offered him a spot and even though he didn’t play well, he gave it his best. 6 years later now he plays for a local club and I’m the only senior he knocks on a monthly basis. Every time I think about him, I feel good about myself. Ignoring someone’s pain eventually makes us unconsciously feel bad about ourselves, which is not worth it.

8. Not letting go

Sometimes some relationships become toxic and the best thing that you can do for yourself is let that person go.

Consequently, sometimes we tend to live in the past, comparing all our present experiences to the past. For example, if a friend has betrayed you in the past, you might be resilient to make new friends thinking he or she will betray you. While you should be cautious, you have to remember that history doesn’t always repeat itself. If you compare everything to your past or the mistakes you made in the past, your future won’t change.

9. Letting go

Confused? Don’t be. You see, this one is for all those friends that we forgot along the way. You should cultivate all the relationships you ever make and never forget them just because you found someone or something better. If they did you wrong, sure leave them. But if someone helps you, never forget them. Reach out to them. Express your gratitude. Knock your college friends. Send that text to your friend who you never contacted on Facebook. What’s the worst that can happen? I say this because, just letting go of friends who haven’t done anything wrong to you is not worth it in the long run.

It might not seem like much at first, but in the long run you could find yourself in a friendship as old as them.

PS: Why’s Chandler always missing?

10. Netflix

Before you stop reading, hear me out. You see, I used to binge on Netflix all the time. But then I realized how much time it was consuming. Afterwards I pledged to watch Netflix only during meal times (3 times a day for 20 minutes, so basically 1 hour). It has drastically increased my productivity . At the end of the day, you’ll always have great movies and great shows but you won’t always have the time to watch all of it (Except for Avengers Endgame that shit is too awesome!)

Interim: Wow I’m halfway there. If you’re still reading then you’re awesome! I can see below that many other people have just answered 5–10 points insisting that they are providing quality over quantity… but the question read “20”, so that’s what I’m giving you… trying my best to deliver both quality and quantity.

11. Gaming

I’m not telling you to stop playing, no. I’m a daily consumer of everything EA, Riot Games, Rockstar Games and Tencent has to offer. However, I’m saying when you get addicted or get close to addiction, its just not worth it anymore. Just think about it, you play football outside as long as you have friends who play with you. So sure, play online games with your friends (we need that break) but when everyone leaves don’t find yourself in the training grounds or in arcade matches (Unless you are or want to become a professional E-sports player, then play as much as you want)

12.Social Media

I’ll keep this short as most of you can already guess what I mean. Most of the time when you’re in social media all you see is how great people’s lives are (which really isn’t the case). This often deteriorates your self confidence. Not worth it.

13. Believing Self-Help Gurus

Most of the Gurus on the internet (especially YouTube) are a scam (yeah we’ve all had those stupid ads). They repeat the same shit, tell you stuff that’s already one Google search away from you and ask you to pay for a $999 course (Not all though, some are actually helpful but no self-help course or book should cost anything close to that much). Watch a few motivational video on YouTube, but don’t get addicted to it. Watching TedTalks can be more educating and inspiring. Believing everything a self-help Guru on the internet is saying is not worth it, because most are just doing it for the cash.

PS: If you believe in fake gurus, I suggest you watch videos of a YouTuber named Coffeezilla. He’s known for exposing famous fake gurus.

14. Infidelity

The problem with cheating or infidelity, from a purely self-regarding point of view, is that you are hurting and breaking something, and someone, in which you are deeply invested. Love is the most profound and valuable investment one can make in life. So how does cheating not also come at your expense?

15. Smoking and Drinking Regularly

Don’t need to write much for this one. However, notice how I added “regularly” beside drinking. An occasional drink wont harm you much, but smoking and entering alcoholism surely will.

16. Arguing with People

Have you ever wanted to shoot yourself in the head after witnessing the stupidity and stubbornness of a particular person? Congratulations, because you (like me) have wasted your time. While a healthy debate is understandable, arguing for just for the sake of arguing is not worth it

17. Procrastination

It’s when your 10 minute break stretches for hours that it becomes a problem. Procrastinating only makes things worse: it reduces your self confidence and deludes you into pressurizing yourself at the end.

18. Looking Down on People

Would you date a person who speaks to you in a honey-coated manner but then screams at the waiter? Don’t be that person who looks down on individuals with less-income job… because

At the end of the day, we are all humans and even many billionaires started off with odd jobs.

19. Going to Bed Frustrated

It doesn’t help you and you never want your last words to be something you’d regret. Just hammer out the issue and move on. Don’t sleep with problems when you can just solve them.

20. Not Telling People You Love Them

I saved this for last because you never know when it might be the last time you’re talking to someone. You should tell your family and loved ones that you love them. Expressing love only reciprocates more love. Even if its just a friend, tell them you appreciate their existence. You have no idea how much it will help you…. and them. It’s not worth it to pile it all up inside.

BONUS: 21. Not Starting Your Online Business

This one’s coming from my freelance writing career at Fiverr. Getting into freelancing, “trying” to start my businesses were a jackpot towards knowledge and happiness for a number of reason. Not giving it a shot is not worth it… because if you succeed you win…you’re rich and happy…. but if you fail….you still win because you’ve learned so many new things.

Failure is the best teacher.

I hope I provided value to you.

PS: I take hours of my time answering questions, trying to help you. If you found this answer helpful, do upvote it, and for more content hit the follow button on my profile!

EDIT: OMG thank you so much for all the upvotes and lovely comments. I even received a comment from my Quora idol. I’m truly blown away by all the love!!!!