Until recently, I used to chastise myself for “wasting time”, for using time that could very well be used for a productive task to do something unproductive. In fact, this is often the textbook definition of procrastination – you end up doing irrelevant things as you put off important, but difficult, tasks.
I started seeing “wasting time” in a different perspective, of late. Don’t get me wrong, I am a big believer in the value of focussed work. In fact, if anything, I am doubling down on it this year, finding more and more opportunities to do focussed work, especially to tackle complex tasks that need attention. My point is that leisure time (or scatter focus as author Chris Bailey puts it) is equally important as focussed work. If your goal is to make an impact in the world, you need to find more time to relax and rest, as much as you put in focussed time.
In other words, I am trying to find more and more opportunities to get some “deep rest”. I don’t just miss out on any opportunities to relax, but in fact, ensure that I find enough time to rest and relax. And I enjoy it a lot.
Spending time with myself, and checking in with my own self is a big part of my leisurely routine. However, my biggest leisure activity of late is reading. Following the ill-timed demise of my old kindle (no thanks to a certain cat at home who confused it for his litter-box), my reading routine had slowed down. So I kicked off the new year by gifting myself a new kindle, which is my favorite digital device these days. I carry it everywhere, and whenever I find some leisure time, I see myself curling up on my sofa with this lovely e-Reader by my side. I am enjoying the process of reading for fun, and the kindle gives a reading experience that is close to that of an actual physical book.
In fact, my leisurely reading these days takes me back to my good old ‘voracious reader’ days from teenage and college days. I am rediscovering how reading helps you build virtual worlds in your minds – an experience no visual extravaganza can match.
And I am loving it!
This post was written as part of the Bloganuary challenge of WordPress.com. Bloganuary is a month-long challenge, where bloggers are challenged to write a new blog post every day, based on a daily writing prompt. You will need a WordPress.com account to get the prompts, but you can blog on any platform of your choice – OR even journal privately. Oh btw, there is no bloganuary police – so you can pick your own prompts if you wish to!
Hari Shanker R 
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