Take Your Time With the “list of Unexpected Opportunities”
Perhaps you walked, walked, walked away, and you feel like you haven’t had a break for several weeks. Or months? Who knows? And then, out of nowhere, it amazes you. Random pocket of time. Maybe a neighbor is offering to take your kids to the movies this afternoon, or your morning appointment has been canceled, or your boss decides to close the store early today. At first you love it! But then you are disoriented. What are you going to do with this unexpected freedom? You get nervous. And then you start googling. The best resorts near me. The Netflix series to start watching the binge. All hikes can be completed in 30 minutes or less. You’re so obsessed with making a decision that before you even know it , your hiatus is over.
Next time you need a list of unexpected possibilities. I first read about this idea in the book ” Parents’ Time” , written by the organization’s consultant Julie Morgenstern. You put together a short menu of enjoyable activities that you rarely do, and then when suddenly time is given to you (it can happen!), You pull out the list and leave .
This can help you organize your list by amount of time. What would you like to do if you had 15 minutes on your own? How about half an hour? Or two hours? Or half a day? (Okay, now we’re going to dream a bit.) To get rid of any guesswork, when it’s time to play, you need to be as specific as possible. Instead of “going shopping,” write down the exact vintage record store you intend to visit. Instead of “self-service,” set aside one shiatsu massage spot that allows entry into the room. The point is to be prepared. Because when time is at your disposal, you don’t want to waste it.