One of the most common questions about getting things done is where relaxation and entertainment fit into the equation. I heard millionaires don't watch tv...do I really have to give up Survivor to be successful? My friends are always sending me links to great videos...how do I clear my email without getting stuck on YouTube? What about Facebook? I don't want to lose contact with people.
Entertainment and relaxation are important. People cannot go 24/7 working on their list. While it may be true that the average millionaire doesn't watch as much television as the average person, even they have down time. The real issue is balance.
Put It On The List
When you make your todo list, include your leisure activities. If you intend to spend time on them, you should make actual time for these activities; otherwise, they are likely to take time away from tasks that you did list. If checking out links from friends tends to be a problem, put it on the list. It's not the same as checking your email. If your favorite show is on tonight, put it on the list. You'll want to watch it. Your list needs to be an accurate representation of what you intend to do with your day. You want to see your relaxation time as part of the whole picture of your day.
Limit the Time
Some activities are easy to define how much time you will spend, such as tv. When the show you said you want to watch is over, the activity is over. I would encourage picking specific shows instead of generally putting "watch tv" on your list. This will make it more difficult for advertising to influence the length of time you spend in front of the tv. Other activities are more open-ended and can last all day if you're not careful. Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and other socially oriented media can be dangerous time wasters. The best way I have found to deal with these activities is timers. Set a predefined amount of time and when it's over, you're done, even if you haven't looked at all the links posted, finished planting your farm or fighting and robbing all your mafia enemies.
Schedule It
When we made a time budget, I didn't tell you to put everything into an actual schedule, but it may be something that you want to do. You already put your activities in order and estimated how much time you would spend on those activities. A schedule simply gives time markers for finishing tasks. It also makes it easier to integrate activities that must be completed at a specific time into your list. After all, you can't call the bank at 8 o'clock at night just because it took you that long to get to that task. Block out the time for time sensitive activities first (don't forget meals and regular breaks). Then enter your prioritized list in the schedule around these items. Remember that leisure activities are going to fall into unimportant categories and so should be low on your list and scheduled toward the end of the day.
If you find you're spending more than 25% of your awake time (approximately 4 hours) on entertainment, you're probably not "living up to your potential". Some people genuinely plan too much leisure into their regular schedules. If you are one of these people, I highly recommend cutting back and reprioritizing. But most people just lose control of how much time they spend on these activities. Treat your relaxation like you do your work by planning for it. A plan gives you the right to relax without worry because it makes relaxing what you are supposed to be doing, not something that keeps you from getting things done.
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