People today are undeniably busy. They have a lot to do. A lot they’re planning to do. This fact makes it difficult for everyone, especially the ones working a job or two on top of managing a household — to make time for leisure and recreational activities.
What’s so bad about not having time for activities outside our list of tasks?
The sound of someone not being able to have time for themselves has been glorified enough for it to be something people are proud of. But there’s nothing worth praising about working oneself out to that point. Lack of rest will lead anyone — even the most hard-working ones — to a spiral of burnout and stress. Most of the time, the spiral can lead to serious health complications.
Humans need to fuel themselves with rest. Rest can be done through the form of resting — sleeping — or doing things that they consider relaxing. If people don’t have time to recharge, they’ll be overwhelmed with the same old things that suck the energy out of them. There’s nothing wrong with being a hard worker, but there is something wrong with a system that encourages working to the brink of extreme fatigue in the name of achievement.
Some tips on how you’ll be able to manage your time
1. Make a distinction between work and personal time
The coronavirus pandemic’s effects included sealing people inside their homes for months. The situation prompted employers to arrange remote work schemes for their employees. Now, this might sound like a delight — you’d be spending all your time at home — working. Who’ll know if you’re not actually working?
Newsflash: everyone you’re working with. The remote work setup that has been under implementation for over six months now isn’t exactly the best set up. It has been reported that the scheme caused overworking and the loss of distinction between work and life. Doing this is already difficult when we were working inside our actual offices. At least then, we knew it’s out of work time once the clock hits the go home time.
But when working at home, receiving work emails all day, we lose track of when the time for work is and isn’t. Time your work. Start when you’re required to, finish what you must, and end the 8-hour work when it’s time.
2. Know that it’s okay to take a break
Back in the office, you might feel like you’re procrastinating for taking breaks, especially when your coworkers can see. But at home, you have plenty of wiggle room. You can set your breaks, and spend them lying down, dancing, or doing whatever floats your boat. The current mindset about busyness being a sign of success shouldn’t be looming over you and preventing you from giving yourself a break. If you’re reading this, you’re not getting enough of the break you deserve.
You’re reading this because you’re looking out for someone? Tell them they’ve been working hard, and they deserve a breath of fresh air to recharge.
3. Gravitate towards non-work activities that fulfill you
Picture this: you used to be very into doing something before you started working in the real world. You’re looking at yourself now and you see that you’re all about your professional title — you let it define you. You let it define your time and how you’ll spend it. It happens without us knowing. Things we value start to own us and that happens. What we can do is to take control back. It’s our time — our lives.
Go and re-engage with old hobbies that make you feel good. Did you use to love jumping on trampolines? Hop on one and shake the stress out of your body. Start new hobbies. Do things you know gives you the time away from stress.
What are some activities you can engage in?
1. Sports and recreation
Sports is known for being a good way to unwind and to exercise. It’s not good to sit for hours every day and not do anything to get all parts of your body grinding. Start engaging in sports that you know, then transition to making a schedule to remind yourself that you need it. To make it easier for you, engage in sports that you can play inside your yard.
2. Gardening and home improvement
The popularity of gardening shot up during the coronavirus pandemic. It used to be something people with a lot of free time had the privilege of doing. With remote work setups on the rise, people are given the chance to take care of their own greens to improve their surroundings.
If you want to start small, take care of some succulents. They’re nice to look at and easy to take care of. If you want to go big, start your very own garden inside your yard. But you’ll need some gardening tools. The basic ones such as shovels, gloves, weeder, etc. and the ones that will make gardening seamless — air compressors and air dryers. You don’t need the extra stress.
3. Activities with your loved ones
They might be around all the time even when you’re buried in a deep pile of work, but it is important to make time for them. One might think anytime can be a time for their loved ones, but that isn’t always the case.
They’re the ones you can rely on. It won’t hurt to make them feel like you appreciate that they’re there for you.
Time for ourselves doesn’t always have to be time spent alone. We can spend it with the people we love while doing the things we love. Work can be found anytime. But our time for the important aspects of our lives? We can’t take them back or find them once lost.
