Pretend to encourage having wasted time (8)
I believe the answer is:
simulate
'pretend' is the definition.
('simulate' can be a synonym of 'pretend')
I can't explain the remainder of the clue.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for simulate that I've seen before include "Assume" , "counterfeit" , "pretend" , "Amulets I use to imitate condition of" , "Mimic" .)