How comfortable are you freestyling in life? Whilst friends have joked that I am the least casual person they know – always organising everyone and fitting my eclectic interests into the week, I have, in the past five years, become more comfortable with uncertainty, improvisation and seeing where the world would like to take me.
I often talk about looking to schedule those moments that will help you feel physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually fit. So, I was particularly interested to read that over-scheduling can be detrimental to our leisure activities as we lose the sense of enjoyment and fun. My coaching supervisor, Kay, describes her coaching beautifully when she tells me that she looks for “interest, energy and intent and the organic revealing of the next step.”
I’m drawn back to my favourite quote about awareness from Phil Joyce and Charlotte Sills: “You feel fully alive, exquisitely aware of being in the moment, with a sense of connection, spontaneity and freedom.” I’m sure we can all identify with this - those unexpected evenings out, that chance conversation with someone that brings that moment of joy and spontaneity into your life.
I’m not about to throw the schedule away but I do think that we can recognise when scheduling is helpful or not.
To maximise our enjoyment, productivity and sense of spontaneity:
- Know yourself and what works for you.
- When tasks require concentration, think about scheduling blocks of time, rather than a rigid hour, to give yourself some flexibility.
- Be aware of the non-linear perception of time – trust yourself that the last hour is as valuable and the same amount of time as the first hour!
- Build some freestyle time into your leisure activities.
- Allow time for the magic to happen – those moments between scheduled activities are often the most meaningful if you are present and open to seeing them.
We all have choices to make about how we spend our time, so when you do schedule, do it in line with your values and purpose and leave a little space for the unexpected magic to happen.
Written by Rosanna Machado, Executive Coach at alterniq inspired growth
