I find that I like to have one or two moments of down-time, often 15-30 minutes of checking email, reading blogs, and browsing the Pavlina forums. The tricky part is refusing to allow a 15-minute moment to turn into a 2-hour time sink. The thing is, thought, that down time doesn't have to involve a screen. Sometimes a little dejunking or house cleaning feels just as good, if not better.
Back in October, I did a 7-day experiment where I chose to do no reading, no TV/movies, no audio books, no long phone conversations, no forums, no news, no comics, etc. (I checked email once or twice per day, limiting myself to under 5 minutes and only responding to things that were scheduling related.) It was a worthwhile experience—one I will consider repeating 2-3 times per year. Here's what I wrote about it at the time:
How did the experiment go?
I enjoyed it. It felt great to take a break from the self-imposed obligation to stay caught up on reading blogs and forums. Without the distraction of reading, movies, etc, my mind had the space and quiet to think about other things. I realized that I don’t benefit from the blogs and forums as much as I thought I did and they’re not providing as much inspiration for growth as they used to. Also, I appreciated the challenge of filling my time in other ways, as if refusing to read gave me the opportunity to consider other activities. I discovered a box of art supplies that I had forgotten about, and it inspired some fun ideas for hand-made Christmas gifts. I played with Sculpey, drew pictures, practiced horn more, and went outside to work in the yard even when the weather was cold.
Refusing to read wasn’t always easy, and I did have a few slip-ups. Sometimes I’d wake up from a nap and stand around for several minutes before finding something to do that didn’t involve sitting in front of the computer. Thursday night, I consciously and intentionally chose to watch movies while knitting.
I noticed that I became more conscious about what I do with my time instead of defaulting to my habitual activities with little thought of other options. With those default activities removed, I put more thought into my choices. When I had 15 minutes before teaching the next horn lesson, I often found myself cleaning or de junking, not internet browsing or checking my email for the 10th time in as many hours. Because finding new things to do was a priority, my awareness of possible activities expanded and my sensitivity to my environment increased. I realized that the cork board near my computer with several long-term project lists tacked to it had been causing a low level of anxiety, irritation, and dread. I cleared it off, copied the lists to a computer file, threw the old lists away with satisfaction, and pinned up a picture I had drawn. In time, I may add more drawings and photos. In its new state, the cork board will be a creative inspiration instead.
Now that the "no reading" experiment is over, I’m thinking about ways to carry its benefits into my daily life. I have already unsubscribed to a couple of blogs that I no longer find useful. Perhaps I’ll have “no reading” days. I might choose to read forums and blogs once or twice per week instead of daily; I might choose not to read them at all. Whatever I decide, I intend to put more thought into doing things that are outside of my habits and be more conscious about spending time doing things I truly enjoy.