Unscheduling...then Doing More

I have discovered a new blog and it's changing my life!

Okay, maybe that is a little dramatic, especially since I only found it about a week ago.  But I love what Kel and Tracy are doing in the Dao of Doing. These two friends are spending a year doing.

You know how it goes, we all say we're going to paint/write/travel the world/be in a play/learn Chinese.  But you get busy with your life.

Kel and Tracy decided enough was enough and they are working on their particular interests every day.  Kel paints and Tracy writes.  But it's really more than that.  They have read/are reading some good motivational/inspiration books that are guiding them on this journey.  For instance, right now they are reading BJ Gallagher's Why Don't I do the Things I Know are Good for Me?  This week's task:  go unplugged.  No TV, no radio, no newspapers.  Focus on family, friends, and what really matters.  Potentially daunting, but it also sounds pretty darn cool!

I also picked up the idea of the Unschedule, which is based on books by Neil Fiore.  The gist is that you write down your personal time in your planner first.  Then schedule the have-tos.  I tried it today.  Okay, so I had some have-tos on my schedule already.  And some of the things I added weren't exactly relaxing/inspirational/creative personal time. But it helped me get at least one horribly procrastinated task out of the way.  I actually had two Christmas presents I had never mailed off!  They actually still aren't mailed off (it was after the post office closed) but they are in boxes with addresses on them.  So they are a lot closer to their destination than they were when I got up this morning!

I have Unscheduled the rest of the next four days (I'm off of work on Monday and Tuesday) and there actually is time in there for me!  Writing and scrapbooking.

As a mom of a kid with ADHD and a husband who is trying really hard to be a teenager, having "me time" is very important but is the very first thing to go.  But I know that if I take care of myself, I will have more psychic energy to deal with the stuff that gets thrown my way.  And I won't feel resentful.  No more "Why am I always..." or "When will I ever get to..."

So go Unschedule some time for  yourself.  And visit the Dao of Doing!