The past few months have been strange. Most of us will have found ourselves with more time on our hands than we could have ever imagined. It's an extraordinary occurrence and one that we should take pleasure in - even more so as we begin the process back to 'normality'. Endless hours are a bliss, a luxury…
but still we sometimes find our hours are infiltrated by anxiety. I am one who suffers a lot when I am not feeling productive or feel like I don’t ‘deserve’ to be taking time doing nothing. It’s good in some ways because it keeps me ‘busy’, but there is a huge difference between being busy and being productive and it is hard to always commit your time to doing the latter. My days and hours are hit and miss, but the anxieties that have ensued have had me trying to think in a new light and to become more focussed on the time that I have. Anxiety has been training me to trust in daily energies,to reconnect to what calms me or inspires me, and to remember that moments of downtime is not a lull in life, but a gift that many of us have only ever wished for. As we return to a new normality, we may once again find that our work time, play time and downtime is nearing impossible to balance. Most of us will prioritise work, some will prioritise play, and rarely can we find somebody who centres their day around their time for doing ‘nothing’. All the more reason then, to try and find time in your day that is dedicated to nothing, and learning to manage your time with a little sympathy for yourself. Some of my methods take five minutes and some are more of an investment, but the pleasure you can reap from these moments of emptiness, aimlessness or simply existing is guaranteed to lighten your load, aid your anxieties and make you much more productive when your working hours need it.
Some ways to take time in your stride:
Build a time buffer. Look at the tasks that you have ahead of you and allow five minutes extra to the time it normally takes you for each. This is your breathing room. It will ease up on your time restrictions and give you leeway if you run over. You don’t have to do this every moment of every day, but it is a useful tool to try out and use as often as you want to.
A morning buffer is useful too. Set your alarm ten minutes earlier but instead of getting up, just lie there with the new day in mind. Lay with your thoughts, meditate a little, listen to a little radio, or just listen to your breathing. Once your ten minutes is ended, you’ll be wanting to get out of bed and grasp the opportunities of the day ahead.
Write a to do list, but only if it will help you feel organised. Yes, even to-do lists can be anxiety inducing! But sometimes they are a great help you get through the day with a clearer mind, an outlined schedule, and to make you feel accomplished as you tick off each task. Some days it will work, and some days it won’t, so don’t get het up if today is not the day!
Learn to say no. If you don’t have the time, don’t do it. We are all guilty of committing ourselves to something that we could have done without. It’s ok to say no, people will understand, and time is better spent being dedicated to a moment that you have than being anxious for the next.
Stop skim reading. If you rush what you’re reading not only will you miss information or fail to grasp the complexity or emotion of the piece, but you’ll sub-consciously stimulate a sense of being “rushed” and can trigger deeper anxiety as a result. Whatever it is you are reading, do it as if you are going to be questioned on it afterwards. Comprehension is key, understanding is knowledge, and calm will ensue.
Silence is golden. Set a 30-minute window where you continue your daily activities whilst keeping yourself and those around you quiet. Switch off the radio, turn off the kitchen fan, don’t speak. You’ll be amazed how a sense of stillness will permeate the whole house and affect everyone in it whatever time of day you decide to do it. It also makes you more efficient as you can really concentrate on the tasks in hand and get through more by the time the time is up.
Take the longer route home. Have you heard the phrase “it’s the journey that matters more than the destination”? This applies to your day-to-day life too. Sometimes, it’s better for your mind and soul to take the route that brings you the most pleasure. This may be the scenic route, maybe through a park, maybe down a road that invokes a particular memory for you, or even a busy street in the city centre with a buzz that infects you and awakens your senses. Whatever it is, move at your own pace and enjoy every second that you steal there. It refreshes you and at the end of the day you will reflect on it as “time well spent.”
Kitchen timing goes beyond the cooking. If your dinner takes time to prepare then you should take time to enjoy it. Don’t restrict your eating time by thinking of all the things you need to be doing afterwards like clearing up in the kitchen or sitting down to catch a new episode of a series as it airs. This will only detach you from your meal and it will be gone before you know it and with no enjoyment or satisfaction gained. Respect the time you spent thinking about or preparing for your meal. Slow down when you eat too: this will benefit digestion and those happy endorphins released when you enjoy something yummy.
Get your sleep in. I read everywhere that you should set a bed-time and stick to it each night. I strongly agree that we should all have a regular pattern, but you should never worry about hitting it every evening. Some nights are much better spent lounging with your loved ones or reading an extra few chapters in your latest book. But I still urge you to reserve a period before you plan to sleep where you switch off the big lights and put your devices on do not disturb, removing any external distractions and spending the time in technology-free silence. Read a little, write a reflection, sit in darkness and focus on your breath. Whatever it is, don’t let it be something that will stimulate you. Use the time to realign with the minutes in hand, and to bring focus to your body and mind after exerting energy all day.
Finally, remind yourself that there is no such thing as doing nothing, even if your sat alone with just your thoughts or no thoughts at all!When you aren’t outwardly busy, you may feel like you’re being judged by the people around you for not being productive. But it’s okay not to be and you shouldn't feel guilty for this. Whether you’re taking a break at work or want to sit a few minutes in quiet before starting dinner, you’re not “doing nothing”, you’re recharging for the future.
Time might be of the essence, but life isn’t a race and it’s ok to be the Tortoise for once.
AE.
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