That's (not necessarily) entertainment

Judging from the comments people have left here and/or have made to me in person about Tuesday's post, I'm not the only one who sometimes reaches that point where the things we do for fun end up feeling like chores.  And apparently quite a few of us are delusional optimistic about how much time actually exists, especially hobby/recreation/fun time.

Let's talk about this!

There are lots of ways I like to relax, but when I try to cram all of them into a weekend, I can't manage it (duh! see above point re: actual available time) and then feel stressed out.  Which basically sabotages the whole relaxing angle, obviously.  My current goals are about having more calmness in my life, remember?  Freaking out about getting "behind" on pastimes is ABSOLUTELY DUMB.

Knowing all this, recently I have:

• vowed not to start any major new sewing or knitting projects like tailored dresses or intricately cabled socks.  I'll start only simple, quick-gratification projects, and work on finishing the complicated long-term projects already in progress.
• declined several offers from friends who wanted to loan me books they thought I'd like, because I know I won't get to them right away.  (On a similar note, I'm checking out one library book at a time instead of a whole stack.)
• realized I only want to keep up with maybe two TV shows at a time.  Following anything more than that means either planning my downtime around TV (no thanks) or getting behind on episodes and trying to squeeze in time to catch up, which ends up feeling like a chore.
• cut back the Netflix plan to one DVD at a time.  When we had the two-at-a-time, we'd end up with a backlog and those little red envelopes would start taunting us (again, the pressure/ chore/obligation feeling).  Bonus: we save five bucks a month.

How about you?  How could you better manage your downtime?  Could doing fewer "relaxing" things actually help you feel more relaxed?

Comments

[Gaidig]

My spare time has been very different since my move, and I honestly wish I was doing more crafting and going out to dance classes. I have been spending too much time playing video games and watching movies. I would feel like I had actually accomplished something if I had something physical to show for it, and that would make me feel a little better about myself at the moment.

On some of those other fronts, my general policy is to only have one project going at a time per craft. This helps me finish things and I just switch crafts if I don't feel like working on my project at a given time.

[Stacy]

Yeah...saying no to events is hard. I feel like I'm missing something if I don't go, but damn, there's just always SO MUCH going on. It's tricky to find that balance.

[Christy]

I am totally with you in theory. :) And have actually done much in the past (tv - altho the dvr allows me the freedom of when i watch things) definitley i have been saying no to books.

I am trying to get back to my rule (that I let slide) where all new books in my house had to live on the one shelf until read and returned to their owners (or the library or were passed on or found a new home on a perm. shelf i purchased them) That was a great rule that worked really well for a while. then i hit some big used book sales...

My big downfall is saying no to events and things to do with friends. I never want to say no to those and then I end up overbooked and running around like a chicken with my head cut off.

[Sølvi Elise]

I hear you on this one!
Seems to me that you have a great plan for how to get the best out of your spare time.

I have been doing the same thing myself, just trying to take things slow and enjoy the process of things rather than just the finished results. It´so much more rewarding!