Schedule high priority events, but leave room for spontaneous adventures.
Church on Sunday, PTA Tuesday, golf league on Thursday, birthday party Friday. Some things are worth writing in your calendar, but if you have an event planned for every night of the week, you are too busy to allow for a spur of the moment picnic at the park or last-minute tickets to a ballgame. It's hard when we feel we have so many responsibilities, but you have to allow yourself room to breathe.
Use down time wisely.
Find yourself with an afternoon or evening without anything planned? Turn off the television or fight the urge to catch up on Facebook and DO something. Take a walk. Dust off your tennis racket. Cook that recipe you pinned two months ago but never have time to fix. Light a campfire and roast marshmallows. You're likely to find yourself saying, "I should make time for this more often."
Life is lived offline.
We are so connected that we forget how we managed before automatic score updates and instant text messages. Don't turn off your phone--because what if there really is an emergency? But don't let your device steal your time. One "Let me check this real quick," leads to another and real life opportunities are missed--chances for real conversation or realizing you've been dealt a winning hand.
Don't ignore the future, but live in the present.
True, there are only 19 Saturdays before Santa Claus arrives, but that's no reason to forget about Labor Day, Fall Festival, Halloween, Veteran's Day and Thanksgiving. There's something to be said about being prepared, but when we focus on one thing, it's easy to overlook everything else. Don't be the person always asking "When did that happen?" because you are too distracted by something that's not relevant. Yet.
