How to Make Time for Your Passions After Tiring Full Work Days
Evaluate yourself and your time., Get a piece of paper or use colour note or a similar app such as you prefer., Try inserting stars per each day that you engage in the activity., Count up., Now analyse again., Ask yourself which things are really...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Evaluate yourself and your time.
There are many methods that you can use, but you need to realize that they're only useful if they work for you, so be choosy.
This article describes one such possible approach: -
Step 2: Get a piece of paper or use colour note or a similar app such as you prefer.
Now create a list and, if possible, have two columns.
At the header, write this question: "What 10 activities do I really enjoy/love to do?" Basically, you are setting up a visual aid to review answers.
If you really want a detailed comparison, expand your list to 20 items.
Either way, for column 2's header write "How many times a week do I engage in or "do" this activity.
Mentally search your week.
It may help to look at a calendar for this part and, of course, you might do a whole month and calculate averages as there may be some variance. , Then count and observe for each how many times you are participating in your activities.
And whether it's one night a week or one time a month, or never, notate that in some way so that you can determine your pattern of participation.
You may not even have to count the stars, if you used a paper calendar or monthly that allows you to insert characters you can get a real birds eye view of your activity.
If there's any activity you wish you did and actually aren't doing at all, put an arrow next to that. , How did you do? Many people who use this method are able to see readily and determine either "Yes, I'm spending my time as I wish" or "No, I am not".
It's really obvious as to how little you may indeed be be engaging in your favourite activities.
Finally, ask yourself how it feels to note this.
Are you happy, glad, sad, frustrated? You can get really detailed and use number scaling to cite 1to 10 to display the level of happiness you feel when you see your participation.
Many people feel sad or frustrated when they note they are just not engaging in their preferred activities.
Activities that you care about bring your spirit and mind energy.
When you don't get to do them, your quality of life diminishes. , What do you think? What did you notice? Did it work? Can you see how much time you spend? Is it enough? If you're a person with chronic tiredness due to being overworked, or disabled and ably working while tired due to health or medications, you may notice that "mostly all you did was work" for the longest time! If that is the case for you, or if you just wish you would extend your days and can't, it's time to extend you! , This might be taking your girl or guy friend on dates, spa time or gym time for you and/or slow cooking time to bask in your own amazing culinary skills.
Whatever it is, these are the activities that you want to start with, to keep in your mind's eye as you sit in a quiet place to ask yourself: "Why am I not doing or feel like I can't do these things?" Just sit with yourself for now.
You can add friends or doctor's opinions later.
For now, just be you and hear you. , This is important.
Having sat with yourself, and then with your friends, and doing a check in with your doctors or therapists to see what organic issues might be going on that are truly affecting you, the next thing is to find two to three things you can slowly that will positively add or change to add quality and change your energy levels.
You can do a few at once, or do one a month for a period of three months.
You may need to match these with a journal or blog online, where you can have fun noticing what you are doing and motivate yourself when you do achieve the new changes.
Do pick positive things, such as exercise. , The ability to do this may occur as your energy begins to return, helping you to feel better and more able to balance the things you're doing.
Sometimes doing things for others feeds you unexpectedly in spiritual ways.
Whether it's walking your elderly neighbour's doggies, or doing grocery shopping for your mom, cooking for your friends, cleaning your church, visiting sick people at the hospital, washing dishes for your neighbour whose husband is in hospital or participating in an online community such as writing or editing or supporting LifeGuide Hub, or fundraising for a crowdfunding activity or Wikipedia, or other amazing online info fun social connectors, you may well find that the experience creates an energy loop. , Notice the things that detract from your time and tempt you to be your least best self.
This includes eating junk, walking less, working so much harder that you don't get home on time to eat with your spouse, or over volunteering yourself and getting too tired, So this step means.... wait, evaluate! Ask yourself: "How is what I wanted going?" and "How do I sustain and notice my successes and changes I've made and enjoy those? Also consider how you can avoid comparing the "but I wanted " or the "but I still don't haves" into the "wow, I can see my friends more often"
and "I'm feeling more peaceful when I try to sleep at night and don't need as much medication!"
As Joyce Meyers would say: "I may not be where I want to be, but I'm where I need to be, I'm okay and I'm on my way".
Indeed, as some recovery modes say, it is "progress not perfection" that brings you to the final step, so remind yourself of this when evaluating your progress.
Celebrate you! -
Step 3: Try inserting stars per each day that you engage in the activity.
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Step 4: Count up.
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Step 5: Now analyse again.
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Step 6: Ask yourself which things are really important for you to have more time to do.
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Step 7: Keep the flame of motivation in your heart by selecting your three top activities (or more) that you want to do.
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Step 8: Give back to community.
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Step 9: Realize the ways in which you are tempted to fall off the path of balancing yourself.
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Step 10: Be gentle on yourself when evaluating your progress.
Detailed Guide
There are many methods that you can use, but you need to realize that they're only useful if they work for you, so be choosy.
This article describes one such possible approach:
Now create a list and, if possible, have two columns.
At the header, write this question: "What 10 activities do I really enjoy/love to do?" Basically, you are setting up a visual aid to review answers.
If you really want a detailed comparison, expand your list to 20 items.
Either way, for column 2's header write "How many times a week do I engage in or "do" this activity.
Mentally search your week.
It may help to look at a calendar for this part and, of course, you might do a whole month and calculate averages as there may be some variance. , Then count and observe for each how many times you are participating in your activities.
And whether it's one night a week or one time a month, or never, notate that in some way so that you can determine your pattern of participation.
You may not even have to count the stars, if you used a paper calendar or monthly that allows you to insert characters you can get a real birds eye view of your activity.
If there's any activity you wish you did and actually aren't doing at all, put an arrow next to that. , How did you do? Many people who use this method are able to see readily and determine either "Yes, I'm spending my time as I wish" or "No, I am not".
It's really obvious as to how little you may indeed be be engaging in your favourite activities.
Finally, ask yourself how it feels to note this.
Are you happy, glad, sad, frustrated? You can get really detailed and use number scaling to cite 1to 10 to display the level of happiness you feel when you see your participation.
Many people feel sad or frustrated when they note they are just not engaging in their preferred activities.
Activities that you care about bring your spirit and mind energy.
When you don't get to do them, your quality of life diminishes. , What do you think? What did you notice? Did it work? Can you see how much time you spend? Is it enough? If you're a person with chronic tiredness due to being overworked, or disabled and ably working while tired due to health or medications, you may notice that "mostly all you did was work" for the longest time! If that is the case for you, or if you just wish you would extend your days and can't, it's time to extend you! , This might be taking your girl or guy friend on dates, spa time or gym time for you and/or slow cooking time to bask in your own amazing culinary skills.
Whatever it is, these are the activities that you want to start with, to keep in your mind's eye as you sit in a quiet place to ask yourself: "Why am I not doing or feel like I can't do these things?" Just sit with yourself for now.
You can add friends or doctor's opinions later.
For now, just be you and hear you. , This is important.
Having sat with yourself, and then with your friends, and doing a check in with your doctors or therapists to see what organic issues might be going on that are truly affecting you, the next thing is to find two to three things you can slowly that will positively add or change to add quality and change your energy levels.
You can do a few at once, or do one a month for a period of three months.
You may need to match these with a journal or blog online, where you can have fun noticing what you are doing and motivate yourself when you do achieve the new changes.
Do pick positive things, such as exercise. , The ability to do this may occur as your energy begins to return, helping you to feel better and more able to balance the things you're doing.
Sometimes doing things for others feeds you unexpectedly in spiritual ways.
Whether it's walking your elderly neighbour's doggies, or doing grocery shopping for your mom, cooking for your friends, cleaning your church, visiting sick people at the hospital, washing dishes for your neighbour whose husband is in hospital or participating in an online community such as writing or editing or supporting LifeGuide Hub, or fundraising for a crowdfunding activity or Wikipedia, or other amazing online info fun social connectors, you may well find that the experience creates an energy loop. , Notice the things that detract from your time and tempt you to be your least best self.
This includes eating junk, walking less, working so much harder that you don't get home on time to eat with your spouse, or over volunteering yourself and getting too tired, So this step means.... wait, evaluate! Ask yourself: "How is what I wanted going?" and "How do I sustain and notice my successes and changes I've made and enjoy those? Also consider how you can avoid comparing the "but I wanted " or the "but I still don't haves" into the "wow, I can see my friends more often"
and "I'm feeling more peaceful when I try to sleep at night and don't need as much medication!"
As Joyce Meyers would say: "I may not be where I want to be, but I'm where I need to be, I'm okay and I'm on my way".
Indeed, as some recovery modes say, it is "progress not perfection" that brings you to the final step, so remind yourself of this when evaluating your progress.
Celebrate you!
About the Author
Sharon Chavez
Enthusiastic about teaching creative arts techniques through clear, step-by-step guides.
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