Songfacts®:

• A look at instant gratification in the digital age, "Not Wastin' Time" is a track from the Los Angeles-based singer-songwriter Charlie Kogen. He told Songfacts the story behind the song:
  
  "The first thing I came up with was the chorus hook. I was messing around at the piano, working on something in the style of the Doobie Brothers or the Pointer Sisters. My left hand was doing some imitation slap bass and my right hand was playing some rhythmic chords, and I knew I had to do something with that riff. For whatever reason, the words 'wastin' time' popped into my head as a part of the hook, and I went from there, really trying to keep it as simple as possible with the chorus lyrics. I wanted them to feel good and sound right.
  
  When it came time to write the verses, however, I wanted to use them to give the chorus a different kind of meaning. 'Some people say that I'm just wastin' time.' Well, why do those people think that? Is the 'you' of the song dangerous or harmful to the narrator in some way? The most obvious interpretation is a love story, but some of my favorite love songs are not necessarily about people, or at least they can be interpreted to be about other things. And then I thought about my own life, and specifically my relationship with my phone. Between social media, dating apps, and games, everything is literally designed to keep users on them for as long as possible. Sometimes it shapes my behavior more than I realize, whether it's a 'phantom buzz' or a feeling of withdrawal if I haven't checked it. I am always horrified when I see my screen time at the end of the week, and as much as I can try to change my habits, I always get sucked back in. Sounds like a toxic situationship to me!
  
  The first verse is more of the 'honeymoon stage' where you are just getting used to something or someone and that relationship is beginning to feel more and more essential to your being. But the second verse is more coming to terms with the way that this relationship has affected your life (maybe you're making excuses to yourself and not just to others), but ultimately being okay with it, maybe even happy! I'm not sure if the message is overall a positive one, but it is trying to portray the character of someone who ultimately chooses this relationship over the advice of the people who care about them the most."
• Charlie Kogen has a degree in International Relations from Stanford, but he chose a career in music instead. He's influenced by artists from the '70s, including Toto and Todd Rundgren. "Not Wastin' Time" he says is "yacht rock for Gen Z."