With our busy lifestyles, it is important now more than ever that we take time to rest. Flexible working means we have the opportunity to work from home. Owning laptops and iPads means we have the opportunity to work and take calls on our commute. Owning mobile phones means we are contactable for pretty much all of our waking hours.
Some have no problem with resting whenever they need to whilst others work themselves into the ground. The work will still be there in the morning yet there seems to be a compulsion to do it now just because you can.
Take doing the laundry, no matter how much you try, you just cannot keep that basket empty. I have resigned myself to the fact that I will have to do on average one load a day and if I fail to, I will have to do two loads the next day. There is no point in trying to race the laundry- it will beat me every time!
Housework is another ball game- it is tedious and repetitive but required for us to live in clean and orderly homes. There is always something else that could be done but there comes a point when you decide that today will be Netflix binge day/snooze day/reading the bible day/ – basically anything but doing work day.
The world will not collapse if you decide to relax for a day. When we first married I remember my husband would tell me to relax on a Friday evening whilst I darted around the house doing “this and that”. Looking back I cannot even tell you what I was busying myself with. We were childfree so no little people to clear up after. I am convinced it is a mindset – the inability to rest until you are satisfied everything is done. The question being “is work ever done?”
Even now I am more likely to rest when on a holiday or break as when I am home, my mind ponders on what I could/should be doing.
How much rest time do you have?
How flexible are you with this time?
organisedlady 
Ah, yes. I too am a flitter while my husband can contentedly relax with a glass of wine and the TV. There I go–round and round again. Let’s you and I make a pact to stop and spend more time in the right now!
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Yes, let us do this! I may slip up though as my mind is programmed to do what needs to be done there and then. My husband disappears to rest when he is tired – once he goes quiet I know he is napping somewhere!
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Ha! I got as far as your reference to laundry and realized that’s on my list for today! You are so right about the challenge to set aside “me” time. I’m single and still struggle with it. I’m getting a little better though – I took last weekend off for a mini road trip and even treated myself to a movie and lunch with friends. Now I’m determined to not wait so long to do it again! Thanks for the reminder. 🙂
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The dreaded laundry! Movies and lunch sounds nice. In my teens and twenties I went to the cinema almost weekly – now it is more like twice a year!
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I find it a constant struggle. With three small kids work never ends. Sometimes the sheer load of work paralyzes me. I do nothing at all, yet am not resting. I used to teach yoga every day, and my message was that we have to take good care of ourself if we want to be able to take care of others. Still trying to master that one.
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When you think too much about all the tasks you have to do, you become completely overwhelmed. I have been there many a time!
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Absolutely. If we don’t rest we will ruin ourselves. There are far too many people in the world that are burnt out because they feel guilty if they don’t work 24/7.
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Guilt is an awful thing.
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Indeed, Your own time is your ultimate luxury, one should not lose it. You can never the win in the race of work.
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It certainly is a luxury!
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Another point on post. “Why such hurry and waste of life. We are determined to be starved before we are hungry. Men say a stitch in time save nine, so they take a thousand stitches to save nine tomorrow.” Henry David Thorear.
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Thank you Marvin. I always appreciate you commenting on my posts.
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