How Can You Play More and Still Get Things Done?
by Sally ~ June 16th, 2009. Filed under: fun, Ideas, joy, play, time management.
Do you remember those endless summers when you werea kid?
You had time to play all day and into those light filled nights without a care in the world.
How can you bring some of that carefree feeling into your life right now?
The other day, to celebrate my friend’s birthday, we took the day off, and went on a short hike in Roxborough Park in Littleton, Colorado. It is a beautiful park with striking red rocks that looked even more dramatic against the fresh, spring green of the hills and meadows.
Before we even began our hike, we saw 5 beautiful deer grazing on the hillside.
Afterward, we had lunch at a nearby golf course overlooking the red rocks and a clear blue sky.
We wondered why we didn’t do something like this more often. We felt as if we were on vacation, and yet this gorgeous spot is only about 30 minutes away.
What if you reward yourself with more experiences that really help you relax and feel like you are on vacation?
I love the term “guilt free play” that Dr. Neil Fiore uses in his book, the Now Habit.
He advocates spending short, focused amounts of time on the next small steps in accomplishing your goals, and then rewarding yourself with enjoyable activities.
What are those experiences that give you the feeling of a carefree summer? Is it eating an ice cream cone, sticking your toes in a cold stream, going to the farmer’s market, listening to live music in a park, or laying in the grass watching the clouds go by, or reading a book in a hammock?
How about writing down one or two priorities that you want to work on, along with a couple of play time activities that remind you to have fun every step of the way?
July 17th, 2009 at 7:18 pm
Oh boy do I ever remember those long summers. Now that we’re older it seems they go by so fast!
Not long ago I went North into the Black Hills of South Dakota and fell in love. I love being in the middle of nature. A nearby stream of running water would make the perfect picture for me.
There are some bike trails in a nearby town, I think it would be wonderful to go walk them with my husband (no kids). We could stop and just listen to the peaceful sounds of nature.
Thanks for writing this post, it helped spark a wonderful idea.
July 18th, 2009 at 10:47 am
Tanya, That sounds wonderful!! I’ve been hearing some great things from friends about going to Mount Rushmore and the nearby area. I was there…oh my, has it been over 30 years ago …time is flying by! So South Dakota is on my long list of places to go!