Making Time For What You Love

**Did you miss the other posts in this series of 31 Days Of Intentional Living?  You can find them here!

What would you do if you had a whole 24 hours to do whatever you wanted?  Would you read, take a nap, go shopping, spend time with friends?

Not long ago, I was reading The Cure For The Perfect Life. (Which by the way is a wonderful book! Read my review here!) I was really bothered when I came to the chapter about having fun. I know it seems like a ridiculous thing to be bothered about, but I had to list 10 things that I do for fun…and I could only come up with 6.

I used to be fun! What happened to me?

As women we put a lot of pressure on ourselves. Too much pressure in many cases. When work piles up, the to-do list gets longer, and the fun goes away. We soon become “too busy” with our work to have fun and then we get desperate, bitter, angry, overwhelmed and stressed.

So what can we do to make more time for the fun in life?  Ladies, I’m no expert on this but here are a few things that I’ve been doing that has helped.

First, I’ve been really stretching my comfort zone by indulging in a few new activities and hobbies.  One of my mentors taught me that it’s just as important to know what you DON’T enjoy, as it is to know what you DO!

I signed up to be the Tiger Cub leader for my son’s Cub Scout den.  (Being honest, I had to sign up for it if he wanted to do Tiger Cub’s because none of the other parents would do it!)  However, I was looking for an opportunity to do something with him together without the rest of the kids and it’s been fun so far.

I’ve recently found that I love taking old furniture, sanding it down, and refinishing it.  It’s a great stress relief for me, I enjoy it, and I’ve been really enjoying my “new” buffet.   (I liked it so much I now have a vanity, it’s stool, a small table to go by my daughter’s bed, and a bench to refinish as well.  I may have gone a little overboard!)

Another way I’ve been adding in some fun to my life is by scheduling it on the calendar.  I know it may not seem very romantic but it has helped! I bought a table on a sale a few weeks ago and scheduled in 2 hours yesterday and 2 hours today and it’s finished!  Did a few loads of laundry not get done because of this?  Yes, but it was totally worth it!  The laundry piles up no matter how many loads I do a day, which is why it’s even more important that we be intentional about doing things that we love.

Can you relate? When was the last time you gave yourself permission to spend an entire day doing something that you love?  Now think about the “work” that you’re doing so you are missing out on the fun in your life.  Can any of it wait?

Have you enjoyed what you read here today?  Do you have friends or other women you know that could benefit from this resource?  If so, please do me a favor!  I have included the links below to share with other intentional women!  They’ll be glad you did!

**Did you miss the other posts in this series of 31 Days Of Intentional Living?  You can find them here!