How to Cultivate Leisure

How to Cultivate Leisure

Did you know that the word “school” comes from the ancient Greek word for leisure? The point was that you have time to study if you aren’t scrabbling everyday just to put food on the table, if you have a table.

So now most of us have leisure time, that is, time when we aren’t at work. The question I put to you is this: How do you spend your leisure time?

If you are like a lot of people I know, you have your time off packed so full that there is hardly time to breathe. With your stuff, and your kids’ stuff, there isn’t time to lollygag, or dillydally. It’s the time we get to ask my favorite question, “What do I want to do next?”

What I have found out is that I have to put it on my calendar. I do what I can to have three chunks of lollygagging time a week, two with friends and one alone.

What makes me lollygag?

I have also discovered that building sleek routines into my days gives me more time to be flexible, to be spontaneous, and still get done what I need to get done.

I check the weather report and my todo list, give the cats their snack, prep my work satchel for the next day, and make sure I know where my boots/umbrella/sunglasses etc are for leaving the house.

I lay my clothes out for tomorrow, put on my jammies, and practice my qigong in one fluid motion.

I hang up my coat, put my keys in the bowl, set my cell phone out for recharging all as one thing.

Why do I enjoy my routines?

I don’t do those things without thinking, I do notice what I’m doing, but they are my groove, and since I am not reinventing the wheel every day, I figure I gain about 20 minutes in the morning for 10 minutes in the evening. I like that return. Plus, my mornings stay calmer, so my day starts smoother.

Why am I peaceful?

Sometimes, what we need to do with our leisure time is waste it. Wasting time, as a treat, is a glorious thing. Giving myself an hour to lie on the floor and stare at the ceiling, so to speak, is rare treasure for me.

And like so many treats, more of it doesn’t make us feel better, but can set up a routine that leaves us feeling depleted, guilty, and bad. It’s like procrastinating. And when I can find the beginning of the habit loop, and disrupt it, I take control again over my habits.

What do I want to do next?

How have I changed from filling up my free time to savoring my time off?

(c) Pam Guthrie 2013 all rights reserved 10292013