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More Time for Fun 2007-06
Last month, we talked about how to enjoy your favorite pass time and pass on your experience. The most frequent comment was "I don't have time" to enjoy their activities. Be it family commitment or work load, most of our lives are filled with other things to do.
So how do you get more time to enjoy your favorite activities? Simplify your life.
Take some time to think about everything that you "have to do" and things you like to do, write those things down on a piece of paper.
Things you have to do maybe get to your job, pick up kids, food shopping, mow the lawn, clean the house, dentist appointment, walk the dog, etc. Things you would like to do could be exercise regularly, visit with your parents, play golf, read a book, …etc. You can't eliminate the things you have to do, but you can fit the things you like to do into them.
First, you can combine things you need to do with thing you like to do. This past Friday, May 18, was bike to work (Who's Pushing Pedal-Pushing) day. If you live close enough and there is a safe route for you to bike, you can do multiple things together. You got to the office, exercised, and save money on gas.
Do you have a maid service that cleans your house? You can reduce the number of time they come in or stop the service all together. Housework is hard cord exercise!
How about coordinating time to go food shopping together with friends / family you want to visit with? You can go shopping together, at the same time, catch up on things.
Second, doing things more efficiently also saves you time. Do you still pay your bills with paper check and mailing them? Most banks these days offer electronic bill pay. You pay your bills on your bank's web site. No checks to write and no envelopes to mail. This saves you time, money, and the environment.
Do you have a favorite TV show that comes on at inconvenient time? Use TiVo (DVR). You can watch your show faster, at a time that's convenient for you. You can fold laundry or work out while watching your favorite show.
To do things more efficiently, you need to plan. Take 15~20 minutes during Sunday dinner time, talk about everyone's upcoming week. Who is where, when, and how. Once you know what the activities are, it will make it easier for you to see if there are things that can be done together. Once you get into a routine of planning things, you will find the time spend planning pays dividend in terms of more leisure time.
Third, one of the activities that you must use your time for is exercise. If you keep yourself healthy, you won't have to visit the doctor's office as often, and you won't have to spend money on medicine. Time and money, you can use for fun things. The simplest form of exercise is walking. Utilize opportunities to walk during your day. You can take a 15 min walk during your lunch hour or park your car far away from the office door so you walk a bit. Get out of your office chair, and walk the long way to the coffee machine or the restroom. These little bit of distances adds up.
Follow these simple tips will give you more time to enjoy your favorite activities. (link to PDF)
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