"Learn to enjoy every minute of your life. Be happy now. Don’t wait for something outside of yourself to make you happy in the future. Think how really precious is the time you have to spend, whether it’s at work or with your family." - Earl Nightingale
Each of us have had a sense of being pulled in all directions. Rushing to work, making sure those multiple projects get done, getting supper made, kids picked up at school, something at church and the volunteer project you signed up for.
All sorts of things which can have a crushing effect on our lives.
You say all of these things are important but it just seems like we never get time for yourself. A simple answer would be to drop one thing we are doing, but how do figure out which thing to drop? Most of us do not even realize how much time all of our activities consume in our daily life. To help you, here are a few tips I learned which can help you do just that.
The first thing to do is track where your time goes. For a few days write down what you are doing each half hour. Learn what your patterns are and which times of the day are more open then others.
Now figure out what it is you like to do. List out any activities you participated in over the past couple of months. Put a plus sign by those which excited you and a minus next to those that seemed to tire you out. "Learn from the past, but do not be dictated by it."
When you plan your schedule, plan your leisure time first. Most of us were brought up to believe we must finish our work first before we can enjoy what we like to do. Finish your homework, clean the garage, yet we always tend to fill the remaining hours with more work. Set time aside to relax, allot a certain amount of time for work and stick to that schedule.
Develop a "cone of silence" in which to unplug from all that goes on around you. Keep the radio turned off, maybe not watch the nightly news when you get home after work. Use the time to just sit and not think about anything. It will help relieve bodily tension and help you re-energize.
Build pleasure into each day. Listen to music that relaxes or moves you. Stop for a few minutes at night to look at the stars or take a few moments to twirl your partner on your kitchen dance floor. Taking a few pleasurable moments each day rebuilds your passion. As I learned, "you do not have to wait for the big birthday cake of a vacation. Take little bites of a cupcake each day."
Finally, plan your breaks from work ahead of time. A long weekend here or there and an annual vacation. Save money for these vacations or time off as you would for retirement. Ensure your workplace understands that time off is important.
A big key to this time off and I really have to work on this myself - leave your laptop at home. At the very least, keep it in your hotel room and shut off. You can always take a quick check later for messages.
At the end of the day, we find the enjoyment in life by giving ourselves the chance to actually enjoy it. Make time for yourself, make time to enjoy what life has in store for you.
And stay inspired my friends!
