How many times have you asked or been asked today "What are you doing this weekend"? I'm guessing quite a few. It's Wednesday afternoon and our minds are already a full day and a half - or more - ahead of the present moment. Think about how much time and energy you spend on weekend plans, I bet you'll be surprised. Making plans and coordinating schedules, deciding what to pack if you're going away, finding babysitters so you can enjoy a date night with your spouse, calling your favorite restaurant to make reservations, scoping out websites to find out what's going on in your area....all that time really adds up! Not only do we spend a ton of time planning, we also have social calendars that are ridiculously busy. Have you noticed how hard it is to pick a date that works for multiple people? Sometimes I have to wait two months for a dinner date with friends. We all have to consult our calendars and negotiate on the best date. A free weekend in the summer? Unheard of! By Memorial Day you know exactly what you'll be doing every Friday, Saturday through Labor Day. We are bombarded with commercials and ads which make you feel like we are missing out and already late. You can buy Halloween costumes and candy in August. Spring clothes hit the racks in January. End of the season summer sales seem to start in June. Christmas décor bombards the shelves earlier each year!
As a recovering “plan everything-aholic” I can appreciate the need for to do lists and schedules. But let me share a secret with you. If you want to increase your productivity and maximize your happiness quota, do yourself a favor and schedule down time. That’s right. Include time for doing absolutely nothing in your calendar. Does the thought of doing this make you feel nervous and uncomfortable? Congratulations! You probably need quiet time the most. I can almost hear you overachievers out there saying “I don’t have TIME to do nothing” and “But what am I supposed to do during that scheduled block of time?”.
First of all – there is always time to do the things that are important. Prioritize down time and make it a non-negotiable. Put it in your calendar and treat that time just like you would any important mandatory meeting at work. Make having free time a priority. What you do with this time is entirely up to you. Here’s a thought – be spontaneous! Grab a cup of coffee and take a walk through the park, really notice your surroundings. Sit in your favorite chair and let yourself day dream. Write in your journal. Enjoy a glass of wine in the hot tub or in front of a fire. Enjoy the sunset or the sunrise if you’re up early. The point is to relax, decompress, recharge and stop thinking. Start with 10 minutes a day. Focus on being present in the moment and forget everything else for a while. Think of this time as a mini daily retreat for your soul! Notice how your stress level decreases, your body feels less tense and your mind refreshed. Now, go schedule your downtime!
~ Angie
As a recovering “plan everything-aholic” I can appreciate the need for to do lists and schedules. But let me share a secret with you. If you want to increase your productivity and maximize your happiness quota, do yourself a favor and schedule down time. That’s right. Include time for doing absolutely nothing in your calendar. Does the thought of doing this make you feel nervous and uncomfortable? Congratulations! You probably need quiet time the most. I can almost hear you overachievers out there saying “I don’t have TIME to do nothing” and “But what am I supposed to do during that scheduled block of time?”.
First of all – there is always time to do the things that are important. Prioritize down time and make it a non-negotiable. Put it in your calendar and treat that time just like you would any important mandatory meeting at work. Make having free time a priority. What you do with this time is entirely up to you. Here’s a thought – be spontaneous! Grab a cup of coffee and take a walk through the park, really notice your surroundings. Sit in your favorite chair and let yourself day dream. Write in your journal. Enjoy a glass of wine in the hot tub or in front of a fire. Enjoy the sunset or the sunrise if you’re up early. The point is to relax, decompress, recharge and stop thinking. Start with 10 minutes a day. Focus on being present in the moment and forget everything else for a while. Think of this time as a mini daily retreat for your soul! Notice how your stress level decreases, your body feels less tense and your mind refreshed. Now, go schedule your downtime!
~ Angie
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