The rule focused on for Week 7 of the Tranquility by Tuesday challenge was take one night for you. The purpose of this rule is to take some time off from family and work commitments each week to explore doing something that is worthwhile and fun. Think of it as a date night (or day) with yourself. This rule is a habit I developed many years ago (while teaching 2nd grade at HGCS) after reading Take Time for Your Life by Cheryl Richardson. I was burnt out; I felt like all I did with my time was work and take care of everyone else except me. Richardson suggested in her book to make some time each week for yourself, and that is exactly what I started doing at that point in my life. The activities I have chosen over the years have changed based on the opportunities that were available at the time; however, making time strictly for yourself is important and makes life more enjoyable. Additionally, the chosen activity does not have to take a huge amount of time; however, ideally it would be nice to do the activity on a regular day/night to have that time to look forward to each week.
Before the week started, I pondered the planning questions for Rule #7 that Laura sent us on Friday, 03 March and made a plan for the week.
- Do you have any recurring fun-for-you commitments outside of work and family? (Examples might include a book club, choir rehearsals, or a weekly golf game.) YES! I attend an improv class on Thursday night from 6:00-8:00 p.m. I also run the Chills, Thrills, and Kills Book Club with my friend Kelsi, and we meet with our members on a Tuesday night once per month. I also buddy read books with my sister Rachel, and we generally meet one night per week to discuss the chapter(s) that were assigned for the week.
- If you don’t already have a weekly fun-for-you commitment, what would you do with one night off (or an equivalent amount of weekend time) per week? n/a
- If you are not currently taking a night just for you, what would you need to do to make this happen? If you are currently doing this, how have you created the space? I treat my one night for me as an appointment and put it on my calendar.
- What might prevent you from taking one night off? At this point in my life, I really do not have anything that will prevent me from attending my improv class or book club meetings. Occasionally, another commitment with my family may come up at the same time as my activity. For example, my husband got a free night stay at a hotel, so we went to Orange Beach and left on a Thursday which meant I missed my weekly improv class. Spending time with my hubby is equally important, so I do not mind those type of conflicts. My sister and I adjust our schedules if either one of us have a confict. As for my book club, we either reschedule, or I miss that month’s meeting.
- How can you address these challenges? Thankfully, I have a thoughtful and supportive spouse and helpful children who will step up if something should crop up that is not a family commitment or an emergency type situation.
RESULTS
As I have already mentioned, this rule was easy to implement. For this week, I did have an unexpected big adventure replace one of the nights that I take for myself. I also did fairly well with the other 6 rules. Giving myself a bedtime is still my weekly challenge. I do not see this changing until I can get a bit more organized overall.
REFLECTION
- Did you take a few hours off from work and family responsibilities this week? What did you do with this time? YES! I met with my sister to discuss Chapter 7 of The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck on Sunday evening at 7 p.m.
- If you didn’t take one night (or another block of time) just for you during the past week, do you have an idea for what you might do with a night off in upcoming weeks? n/a
- What effects did you see from taking a few hours for your interests? Positive effects galore! Meeting with my sister weekly strengthens our relationship. After we discuss the assigned chapter, we usually talk about other stuff like our upcoming trip to Sicily.
- What challenges did you face while trying to take some time for your interests? I would not say this was really a challenge, but more of a choice to not take time for my weekly interest. I chose not to attend my Thursday night improv class because I wanted to attend the opening of Andrew’s Juried Student Exhibition at SLU. He had two photography projects selected for this exhibition. I am so proud of him and wanted to be at the opening to show support for him and for a few other students I know who had exhibits on display as well.
- How did you address these challenges? n/a
- Did you modify this strategy? If so, how? I replaced one of my nights for me with a big adventure. My night was still meaningful, fun, and something I wanted to do with my designated night.
- How likely are you to continue taking one night for you? VERY likely because it is important to me
- Did you observe a bedtime this past week? Not really, but better than last week; I went to sleep two nights by 10:30 p.m. or earlier; both of those nights I read before going to sleep. One night, I climbed into bed at 10:40 p.m. I worked on content, and then had to wait for my software to update; otherwise, I would have made it to bed on time. There were three nights that I made it to bed at 11:15 p.m., 11:05 p.m. and 11:20 p.m.; All three nights, I spent some time completing chores, taking my shower, and then went to sleep. The latest night was 11:50 p.m.; I was editing my vlog before turning in for the night. Even though I did not consistently observe my bedtime, I did NO scrolling before going to sleep any night during this week. I am wondering if I should adjust my bedtime.
- Plan on Friday? Not on Friday, but on Sunday morning.
- Move by 3 p.m.? Yes, three times; On all three days, I walked outside in my backyard.
- Do your chosen activity three times per week? I read Choose Joy (3-minute devotions) 4 mornings. I got outside for at least 23 minutes, 3 times this week, for the #Outside23in23 Challenge.
- Create a back up slot? Yes, I had two back-up slots on Wednesday evening and Thursday morning. I used Wednesday for a little adventure and Thursday morning to film an extra video.
- Have one big adventure and one little adventure? YES, two of them each. My two big adventures were attending Kaitlyn and Marc’s wedding on Saturday night AND on Thursday night, attending Andrew’s Juried Student Exhibition at SLU’s Art Gallery; then, attending dinner with friends afterwards. For my little adventures, I got a pedicure on Saturday morning, AND on Wednesday night, Barry made it to Hammond, so we went to have a quick dinner at Chipotle (my first time eating at this restaurant).
With completing Rule #7, I finished Part 2 of Tranquility by Tuesday, dear reader. Rules 4-7 are meant to “make good things happen.” I will continue striving to implement all of these rules plus the first three. I am also looking forward to the third part of the book as well as the final two rules which are focusing on wasting less time. I am ALL for using my time wisely. Happiness!
“Committing to fun means the fun happens.” ~ Laura Vanderkam
The Kat Files 