Sunday, June 27, 2010

Leisure Time

I find that I have to make a conscious effort to give myself permission to relax. Yet when I am busy, all I want to do is stop and take a nap, watch TV or surf the internet. I feel like I should always be doing more or working more or making progress of some kind. That is a good attitude to have but there has to be a balance or I will never be able to be happy and enjoy where I am today.

And where am I today? I am in good health, have enough money to support myself, have a roof over my head and all the basic comforts of home. I have my animal companions that give me a purpose and something to care for. I have goals and plans. I have family and friends and things to do in the community. I would say I am happy right now.

I think I will give myself permission to hang out with my dogs and watch some internet TV. After all, tomorrow will be here soon enough and then it's back to work to make the money so that my dogs and cat and I can enjoy this life we have together.

7 comments:

Dave said...

Daizy, once you retire (early, we hope), every day will feel like a Saturday. Surfing the Net, playing with your dogs, watching TV, and taking naps will be the norm. Especially taking naps. :)

Lizzie @ her homeworld said...

I am the same but i think it works out just fine for us. I just make sure that there is some sloth time in the plan, that way i get to do pleasurable things but still think I have achieved something. The key to my understanding of and release from the tyranny of housework was reading that it will never be finished. Once I realised that then the pressure was off to finish it and now I actually enjoy it!

Over the Cubicle Wall said...

That pup has the right idea!

Daizy said...

Dave, did it take you a while to acclimate to a slower paced lifestyle?

Daizy said...

Lizzie, never be finished is right, especially with 3 dirty dogs.

Daizy said...

Over the cubicle, I know, he was so cute with his little rawhide stick, just posing for my picture. I need to take a lesson from the dogs and learn how to relax...although I would appreciate it if they would relax a lot more on Saturday mornings.

Dave said...

Actually, Daizy, the biggest change to my daily lifestyle began in 2001 when I switched from working full-time to working part-time with the mostly telecommuting deal. The telecommuting included one day per week to my office on the awful trains, down the previous 5 days per week. The other days I worked from home for about 14 hours, some during regular work hours and others whenever I felt like it.

It did not take long to get used to that big change. I was able to do my shopping and other errands during the day on weekdays instead of the busier evenings and weekends. The naps I treasured only on the weekends I could now do 6 days per week. And I had to wake up early with the alarm clock only one day per week, and that was about 45 minutes later than before.

It took me about one week to get used to that. :)

Retiring in October, 2008, was not nearly the big change to my everyday life. I was working only 2 days per week and with no telecommuting. So to go from that to working zero days per week compared to working 5 days per week switching to 1 (the working from home was not even like "working" LOL although I took considerable measures to not abuse this great privilege) was not a big change.

If and when you retire early, you will be going from 5 days per week to zero, bigger than either of my reductions.

I should add that within a few weeks after I made my first switch in August, 2001 (to the mostly telecommuting gig), I had already lined up two things I wanted to do. One was my volunteer work with the local school Scrabble program. I needed to get my application process done in time for the school year to begin in September (which I did). The other was to resurrect a dancing hobby I had not done for 13 years because it was in the evening and I was just too tired to do it. Within a few weeks I contacted people and resumed it. I still do both activities but I can do them more and with fewer scheduling conflicts now that I don't have that pesky work thing to muck things up LOL!

I suggest you line up one or more things to do prior to your retiring so you can pursue them and start doing them once your schedule opens up.