“Defer no time, delays have dangerous ends.”

- William Shakespeare

This is a question I ask myself a lot, “Wow, I’ve got some free time, what should I do?”

It’s not that I have a lot of free time, mostly working, or spending time with my family, or other obligations. But every once in a while, I’m caught with this question. And, to be honest, it’s a very hard place to be in. In fact, I hate it. I hate not knowing what to do, and being at a fork in the road so to speak, and not knowing which road to take. Should I read this? Should I start that project? Should I write in my journal? Not an easy place to be in. It’s especially hard when you’re caught in that moment, and to have clear thoughts as to what your values are, or the things most important to you. It’s very easy to just start doing the first thought that comes to mind. That’s why you need a plan.    

1. Make a list of things you can do when you have down time.  Sounds easy right? Well, the hard part is actually sitting down and making the list. It’s amazing how hard simply sitting down with a pencil and paper (or fingers and laptop) can be.

While making that list, keep some of these things in mind:

• What’s most important to you? What are the top 3 things in your life? When you’re creating your list, try and think of what would help or influence those top things in your life. Family, Spirituality, and Work come to mind for me.

• Think of things that would produce dividends in the long run. Does watching TV, or reading a book produce lasting influence? Do they produce something that will live with you forever? Think of things that might ‘keep producing’ after the fact. Working on a book comes to mind. Little by little you construct your book. And that book will live on day after day. It’s not gone the moment you stop working on it. And with a little luck, it might even produce monetary value down the road. The point is that it should be something that produces dividends (monetary or not) in the long right, creating value that lasts. Think leverage. Spending time with people is another big one that comes to mind. When you invest in a relationship, you’re quite possibly producing huge dividends for the future. You’re getting education (from the other person), possible help from them, and endless opportunities for personal growth. Building relationships is a great way to invest your time to produce lasting dividends.

2. Think About it.  Once you’ve constructed your list, think about it. Try to prioritize it, memorize it, and put it in a place you can access it at any time. Then…

3. Go do it. I would suggest not working through it like a checklist, but have it ready and available when the time comes. Then move along the items in a sort of free style way. Do one thing one day, do another thing the next day. Do whatever feels right at the time, try to listen and follow your instinct as much as possible. You know you’ve spent time making your list according to your values and priorities so feel free to let instinct choose which one to do at any given moment.

Rate This Article:

(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)

 Loading ...