Wasting your time

"I came home from work yesterday and discovered that my kids had done nothing all day!  After sleeping in, they spent the day watching tv, riding their bikes, eating and just hanging out.  I realized I had better give them some chores and responsibilities or they were going to waste their whole summer!”

I overheard a conversation between two women while I was waiting for an appointment and what really jumped out at me was how she said “waste their whole summer.”

I’ve had coaching clients that have said something similar – “I don’t want to waste my holiday just sitting and reading” or “I want to have something to show for my summer” and several more examples that I don’t need to share here.  But the underlying theme seemed to be the subtle drive to be productive, even when they had time off from ‘being productive.’

Do you think about time off or your summer this way? 

Maybe you are great at goofing off, going with the flow, just hangin’ out (yes, my age is showing with these terms…) or maybe you are in the majority of people who are caught in the conditioning of always being on and being able to point to something that proves you have been busy.  What would it take for you to go against the norm and… Just. Do. Nothing.?

There is still a month left of summer (officially) and only a few weeks until kids are back to school and we start feeling the pull to more routines and tighter schedules.  What if you truly took some time to just sit and look at the trees, to read a fantasy romance novel, to stroll to the store for a popsicle or lay in a hammock without your phone, tablet or even a book?  What would it take for you to channel a child at the beach or playing in the backyard for even just one day? 

Why don’t we all ‘waste’ these last few weeks of summer together?  I wonder if the world might be a better place for it…what do you think?

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