For ambitious people, staying focused on goals and objectives can seem like the only way to achieve results. But I'd argue that this strategy falls short because it neglects to take into account the major boost we get from tending to our daily life priorities as well. There's a reason great ideas pop up in the shower or when you're at the gym. Down time gives your mind a break so it can wander curiously, often handing you solutions that propel you closer to your goal.
Tending your life can have the same impact. I'm not talking about adding things into your already busy schedule. It's more about doing what you're already doing, but in a more caring (dare I say, ritualistic) way.
Here's an example from my own life. Inside the front cover of my day planner (yes, I have a physical book-style planner) I've written four words: useful, restorative, productive, and fun.
About a year ago I realized my weekends always felt blah. There's really no other word that captures it. These blah weekends left a nagging sensation that I was missing something from the formula of life, specifically when it came to my precious Saturdays and Sundays. I have big goals and dreams, which occupy my mental and physical energy Monday to Friday, and somewhere along the line I allowed them to bulldoze into my weekends as well. Creating a sort of never-ending hamster wheel of a week.
What I realized was that there's a bit of a formula for what I need to curate the type of weekend that would leave me feeling like I'd accomplished something, got some down time, participated in life, and set myself up for a great week ahead. That's where those four words come in: useful, restorative, productive, and fun.
Ensuring that my weekends contained some form of restorative activity or space helped recharge my battery. Doing useful things like running necessary errands and staying on top of meal prep was a way for future-Lindsay to be taken care of. Carving out a place for fun helped bring the life back into my life. And of course, staying productive by working on a project (even for a few hours) kept momentum in my goals.
When you take a look at your weekends or free days, how do you use them? Are you wasting them with mindless activities that leave you drained and craving more time off? Or do they build up your life and support what's important to you as your entire self, not just the big goals and dreams?
Consider which four words you'd write down. The way you spend your days off can make or break the rest of your week. Find the formula that works for you, and you discover the secret code to building a life by design.