Do You Feel Like You're Wasting Time?
Our days are outlined by the sun rising and setting. During the summer, the days can be more than 16 hours long, depending on where you live. It can be tempting to make the most of every hour and not waste a moment. How do we strike a balance between being productive and enjoying life? Do you feel like you're wasting time when you're not working?
As an entrepreneur, I have been caught in this trap often. What I know now is that feeling guilty when you're working and feeling guilty when you're playing isn't healthy for anyone, myself included.
“Life is not just the passing of time. Life is the collection of experiences and their intensity.” Jim Rohn
I say enough is enough! It's time to let go of the guilt when we aren't being productive or using our time wisely. One of the reasons I encourage waking up with gratitude is that gratitude helps to instantly eliminate guilt. Try it! Next time you're feeling guilty about being outside on a beautiful summer day instead of working on your landing page, try gratitude. When we stop for a moment and think of what we are grateful for, the guilt evaporates.
This is something I struggle with. Being an entrepreneur and in the process of finishing a course and launching a new mastermind - it's tempting to want to make the most of every moment. Yet....I know that it's just as important to go to the beach and play; or sit by the campfire and eat s'mores; or spend three hours reading Harry Potter and The Half-Blood Prince for the 4th time.
These are all valuable ways to spend my time. As my friend Jennifer put it, "it wasn’t “work” productive, but it was filling my cup productive."
We have to remember that the grind isn't the only way to live. In fact, it's about time we realize that the grind is killing us. Stress is the number one underlying cause of death for both men and women. When we are grinding without playing, we aren't giving ourselves time to relieve stress.
Share what you did over the past week that wasn't productive. And if nothing comes to mind - do something FUN today!
Love this blog post Julie! I can totally relate to that guilt! And I understand the importance of enjoying life’s pleasures as often as possible. How else can we, especially as women, be full of Joy? My non work productive thing has been reading. I love Nora Roberts and the way she brings her characters to life. Sure many of the plots are similar AND that does not bother me one bit! I have definitely been reading to escape the stress of my life over the past three months, and I can feel a difference just by letting things go. It makes it easier to open my eyes again to my business ventures ahead.