Self discovery begins with an internal scrub. The point is not to change who are you but discover the things that you have picked up along the way. We pick up a lot during our journey. I like to think of these as Core Instances. If you have ever seen the movie Inside Out you know all about core memories. They shape our personality and essentially what makes us who we are. These instances can be relationships good or bad, career choices; the list goes on. More often than not we have picked up ways that we haven't realized we have.
Identifying where you spend your idle time helps to pinpoint these ways. Are you productive when you are able to steal a few minutes to yourself or do you spend your time scrolling on social media. There are times when both are necessary but are you able to shift between the two or are you a consistent scroller that lets priorities sit on the back burner.
Now that you have a good background let's journal.
How do I spend my idle time.
I must admit I don't have a lot of idle time. I am on the go from the time I wake up at 4 am to the time I go to bed around 9 pm. Between Uncle Sam, my family and my business I fill just about every moment of my time.
When I think of idle time I think of long car rides
I typically am sitting in the passenger seat while my husband drives us to our destination. This is the only time I am completely stationary and forced to not move.
If you asked me this question at the beginning of 2021 my answer would have been. Scroll. I scroll on social media the entire drive. Headphones in, I zone out and indulge in mindless scrolling.
TODAY... I spend the majority of my time researching. I have invested in a
creator community that helps clarify the small business atmosphere and I must admit it has helped motivate me when it comes to my business and content creation. Now I spend long drives researching products for my shop, brainstorming ideas for content, and blogging. I've learned to use my idle time to further catapult my business in the direction I would like it to go.
There are times when the toddler is sleeping, my husband is in the lab ( he has a print shop) and I am able to pour myself a glass of wine and relax. I don't see this as idle time because decompression is necessary. I am an advocate of self care of a daily basis and sometimes a few moments to myself with a good movie or book is all that's needed.
Now that I've share with you how I spend my idle time it's time for you to pull out your journal and have a conversation with yourself. First identify what would you consider idle time in your life. Is it only during car rides like me or are there certain times in your life when you simple have nothing on your to do list and can do whatever you desire. How do you spend these moments. Are you always choosing to indulge in the lives of others (social media). Are you a movie watcher or book reader. Are you someone who opts to take a nap. All of these things are A - OK but are there other things that would make an impact in your life, business, relationships that you could be doing. Maybe reaching out to a loved one that you haven't spoke to in a while or watching a movie with the kids. Maybe catching up on household chores or finally reorganizing that room you have been putting off.
What does how you spend your idle time say about you?
Idle time is honestly a block of time that we don't truly calculate so this journal entry may be the first time you've actually thought about how you are spending your downtime and that's ok.
Now that you are aware of how your spending this down time what ways would you like to spend this time. If you are ok with your reflection that's great. At least now it is a conscious decision. If you are unhappy with how you've been spending your downtime what tweaks can you make to begin using your time more wisely.
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