Days off work are made for fun, relaxation and rejuvenation. As the weekend approaches, are you ready to let go and discover some joy? Or do you face days filled with obligation, commitment, responsibility and expectation? These 3 tips will help you let go of your view on how things “should be”, and immerse yourself in how things could be.
1 * Ban the Plan
Try a plan-free day where you simply wake and do what arises next. Sure there are days when you have specific commitments you cannot change, but there are probably days, or periods within the days, when you are inserting obligations that are of your own making. It can be hard to admit that we often create our own pressure-ridden schedule, and it’s probably because your brain feels more comfortable when there is a plan in place. But that does not mean the plan is adding value and taking you where you really want to go.
A plan-free day will most likely feel completely weird, wrong and uncomfortable, but it will heighten your attention to what is happening around you and the choices you face in every moment. Do what feels good, what fits naturally, what matters most, and let go of the things you thought “should” have happened. It’s not until we let go by shedding the layers of expectation, habit and activity that lock us up, that we will feel the ease and freedom of playing with the world as it unfolds.
2 * Resign as Household CEO
Taking responsibility for it all can become tiring, draining and terribly disappointing. We’re supposed to work to live, yet life outside work can feel like it’s just more work! Are you taking on too much? Are you taking on things that others could do? Are you expecting perfection in your home, when “just enough” might be just right? See what happens when you resign from the post of Household CEO for a day! We’re not encouraging you to let it all fall in a heap at your feet, but we are encouraging you to discover if letting go might just give you the space for a little bit more joy.
If you live with others, let someone else take the lead for the day. Let them decide what absolutely must be done to keep the household operating, and graciously embrace the follower role. Follow without judgement, without criticism, and with the intention to only do what comes your way, no more. If you live alone, challenge your own expectations about what “must” be done each day, versus those things that make your days flow. If you can let go of just one onerous task for the weekend and replace that time with a joyful activity, you are on your way!
3 * See a Day Through the Eyes of A Child
Days off work are for having some fun. Fun relaxes and revives. It’s good for body and brain. The quickest way to get into the “fun” zone is to wake with the eyes of a child. They jump from bed with enthusiasm; they immediately start to play; they get excited by the mere chance of a new adventure! Give it a try by regularly reminding yourself throughout the day to “see this through the eyes of a child”. So many of the activities we take for granted in a day can become magical (breakfast cereal might become an ocean of mermaids swimming through blueberry boats!). The simplest places can become fascinating worlds (a fallen leaf on the footpath might be a collectors item to take home and turn into art).
A child is present, unburdened by what should be, what was, or what will be. When you let go of all our adult baggage that blocks the magic, you will also discover this is your own natural state. Not only will you feel revived by a day in this state, you’ll find that your ideas will swell, your work will benefit, and your connection with others will be lighter.
Letting go is a real art. We live in a world where we regularly hear that achieving more means “doing more”. But often the fastest way to your desired destination is not a straight path. Backwards can be the secret pathway forward, and unless you hone the art of letting go, you will find yourself resisting these many magical pathways. Get more practical advice and tips in our latest book Do Less Be More, available as a paperback, ebook and audio book.
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