Huh, well – it’s Friday… and this is my first post of the week. I don’t seem to have had a moment to myself this week, and I apologize for my absence! This brings me to today’s topic: how to find the balance between being too busy and being bored out of your mind?

We all like to go out, have plans, meet up with friends. We all have little chores to do around the house, and favours to do. Everyone has something on their plate or something coming up on their schedule. At times, I feel like I am going non-stop. I have something on my calendar every day and it seems like I don’t have even a moment to spare. I get up early, get all my tasks done, meet up with whomever I have plans with, get my work done, walk the dog, scarf down some food at some point, meet up with someone else, fix that thing I have been meaning to fix, and then look at the clock only to find it’s 11:38 at night and I haven’t had time to sit down for a moment. Then I think to myself – I wish I could just have a day where I do absolutely nothing.

Then there are the days when you have nothing on the calendar. It seems like the time drags. You have no plans, you sit down and watch a movie, or do some make-work. Heck, I’ve even done a puzzle on days like that. It’s kind of relaxing, and at times, even boring! It’s those days where I wish I had made plans for the night, or had the motivation to go to the park, or had told so-and-so that I could help them with their paint job or other favour.

In general, I find that my time is usually spoken for. I like spending time with friends, and going to the park with the dog. I like fixing things up and getting things done. But where is the balance between relaxation and doing too much? I find that things come in waves. I’ll have a week or three where I don’t seem to have a moment to myself. Then I’ll have 3 or 4 days where nothing is happening. Maybe it’s the drastic difference between the busy and the boring that makes the gap seem that much wider.

I have a tendency to say yes to just about every favour. I also prefer to say yes to plans (at least lately) because I like spending time with my friends. But taking time for myself, saying no to that favour, spending an hour relaxing, getting that book read, walking in the park and actually enjoying it… maybe these are steps in the right direction.

I’ll give you a very specific example. I was at the salon on Wednesday evening. The girls there are very good. They give you espresso and magazines and you relax waiting for your turn. Then someone takes you over to the wash sinks, where you sit comfortably in a cushy chair for a hair wash. The hair wash itself is a luxurious head massage that usually lasts ten to fifteen minutes. Absolute heaven. So I’m sitting there in the chair, head back, getting a wonderful head massage and shampoo. The girl is doing an amazing job and it feels fantastic. But where am I? I’m inside my head somewhere thinking about all the things I have to do, and what’s next on the schedule. I actually had to consciously pull myself back to the chair and force myself to enjoy the treatment. It was actually difficult! But once I got back to the NOW, it was quite relaxing.

Maybe it’s just me – but I feel great when I’m being productive. This often takes itself to a ridiculous level. Like planning my schedule while I’m supposed to be enjoying a head massage at the salon! My calendar is even filled mentally…

And this, my friends is the learning curve. At least noticing this behavior and consciously stopping it is a step in the right direction. Why do we in the Western world have to be so busy all the time? We all need to turn over a new leaf in the schedule department and practice taking time for myself in balance with being productive and social! Easier said than done, but why shouldn’t we enjoy life at a reasonable pace while we are here?