by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig
I mentioned in April that I was trying a new approach to my free time. I actually had very little free time and found that the little time I did have was quickly used up as I’d check emails and social media.
Even the longer breaks at the end of the day weren’t being maximized. I’d be trying to remember what great book I’d heard about and look online for books until I fell asleep in the middle of searching. Or I’d be aimlessly looking for something to watch on Netflix or PBS.org or Amazon Prime movies (we’ve mostly unplugged, so channel surfing doesn’t really happen anymore, but it’s still a long browsing process).
After reading a post by Emily Tjaden called “4 Reasons to Be Intentional With Your Free Time,” I decided to be more thoughtful about my approach to free time. Whenever heard about an interesting title, I’d either buy/download it then, or I’d add it to my wish list on my account at the local library.
I discovered that each month, sites like Digital Trends, Slate, and Vox list the best streaming movies for that month. I’d scroll through, find films that sounded interesting, and add them to my watchlists on Netflix and Amazon (even PBS offers a watchlist now). There’s also a site called Documentary Addict that is, indeed, proving addictive.
For the past few months, I’ve found that I’ve felt a lot more relaxed in my downtime. Checking email and social media just isn’t something restful for me.
What’s more, having more relaxing downtime has resulted in less overall stress. It’s not that my stress is completely eliminated, only that it’s not overwhelming for me.
How has less stress impacted my productivity? I’ve been a lot more focused and have written more and faster. My 21st book is finished early and is with my editor.
Is it easy for you to immediately relax during downtime?
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I can understand about losing time just trying to find a movie to watch. By the time you finally find a movie to watch you’ve already wasted enough time to have watched half the movie. Thanks for the links to the best streaming lists.
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Mason–I use those lists a lot! But it really does help me make the most of my free time to have some sort of a plan for how to relax.
Oh, I know how to relax all right! I relax so much I about slip into a coma.
Congratulations on your twenty-first book. That’s amazing.
Alex–Ha! Well, count yourself lucky! I bet your stress level must be pretty low, which is a good thing. :)
I’m in productive mode most of the time, so I have to force myself to relax. I’m reading so much now through DLP that I really don’t want to read anything else. I usually end up on the couch with Craig and looking through Pinterest.
Diane–I’ve heard that when you read for work (agents, editors, publishers) that it makes it really tough to read for pleasure.
People really do need free time, Elizabeth. They need to re-charge, rest, and relax their bodies. Only then can we really be productive. To me, anyway, it’s an important part of the life balance. And it really does improve one’s productivity. I’ve found, though, that with modern technology, I have to be very careful to protect my free time, or it gets eroded.
Margot–Technology definitely makes it harder to escape, doesn’t it? It can *provide* an escape, but it can also deny us one.
Hi Elizabeth – I need to dust myself off and settle into productive mode – this weekend I shall finish my chores – or at least put them into a timeline, settle into writing … and make sure I finish the tasks … simplifying things if I can as I go along. That’s great news for you – so good to read – cheers Hilary
Hilary–Putting tasks into a timeline is key, I think! Good luck with it. :)
Good question! Hmmm. I tend to do at least 2 things at a time – there’s always music or TV on while I’m doing everything else. I’ve found that lessening the amount I’m trying to do at once does help me settle more. I do have a bouncy brain and if I hope to truly relax I have to have a book in hand to entertain it :)
Jemi–Have you found that your attention span is shorter than it used to be? I know that mine is.
That April post was inspirational! I’ve pretty much stopped using social media (even cut down on blog reading!). I always said those things were like reading magazines: you could work through them quickly while keeping an eye on something else. Well, I’ve become someone who doesn’t enjoy magazines anymore either.
The free-time activities I’m spending the most time on now are single-person games and movies. Yes, it’s been relaxing, but it’s also been a mental reset; I feel like I’m more productive when I get back to work, so to speak.
Deb-That’s wonderful! I’m glad you’ve had such good results with it. I’m with you on the magazines…too hard to keep up with them. I’ve found I’m so much more productive this way and I think I have much better focus than I did before.
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