Does anybody out there actually work a 9-5? I think that’s a myth. I think most people work an 8-7, plus commute time. It’s weird that I remember playing video games for hours as a child/man-child and I somehow was able to have time for that.
Today I play no video games and am super productive / efficient and I somehow still can’t get the things done that I need to get done. The only thing I seem to have time for is using the italicized key. Yet, despite the deck that is obviously stacked against me, I still manage to get some solid Florida exploring in.
There are a few strategies that I have found helpful in balancing Life Responsibilities with the Joy of Exploring Florida.
1. Eliminate Lag Time and/or Blah Time
This is all those pockets of time and sometimes entire chunks of a day where nothing really happens and when you think about what you did you are not sure. For me it’s playing with the phone. You know–I’m just reading interesting articles and getting my brain bigger. But not really.
I’ve been making a real effort to eliminate lag time and/or blah time. Definitions are in order:
Lag Time – The awkward amount of time that is left between doing one thing and the next. (This is usually when you are waiting for something: meeting, a person, on hold, dinner, etc.)
Blah Time – When you have the time to do things but you are lazy and waste it doing something else (and the time is usually wasted on something that is not even entertaining, so it’s double whammy in being that you were lazy and bored, such as sitting on the sofa and aimlessly scrolling the internet).
What I have been doing instead is completing those icky little chores around the house during lag time so they don’t pile up on me or read a bite size chunk from a Florida book which I keep handy on my phone–for example, lately I’ve been plowing through the works of Carl Hiaasen.
Then during blah time I’ve been forcing myself to get my ass off the sofa and outside, even if it means taking a walk around the neighborhood to breath in the fresh Florida air and to admire some palm trees. I’ve also been forcing myself to use blah time to execute on a few larger chores or icky necessary projects.
So, why is it vital to do things during lag time and/or blah time?
It’s so…
2. Keep Weekends Clear
By taking advantage of lag time and blah time to accomplish icky tasks (or to read some quality FL literature), it prevents the avalanche of the to-do list from spilling over into the weekend.
And suddenly, you have at least one free day per weekend where you are not stuck doing mundane, yet necessary tasks. And that means, you can explore Florida!
3. Plan Ahead
I found that if I say, “We’ll figure out something to do” but then I don’t plan anything I end up not doing anything. I end up lounging around the house for a bit, a few hours tick by and before I know it it’s lunch time and “Geez, I don’t really have the time today to do Florida exploring.”
I found that the inverse is also true. If I plan out what I’m going to do way in advance I am incredibly likely to do that thing. Such as planning a camping trip month in advance or even a year in advance.
A good rule is this: Plan your weekend by Tuesday.
It gives you something to look forward to and also dramatically increases the odds that you are going to get out there and do something fun.
4. Bring Your Family and/or Friends
One of the biggest things people struggle to balance is the day job, spending time with loved ones, and doing things that are enjoyable (like exploring Florida!).
The best way to hang out with loved ones while still getting out there to do things is to take your loved ones with you on your adventures. Take them on that canoe trip, to the theme park, to that new state park, to the camping trip, to the beach, etc. The best way to hang out with loved ones is to do fun things with them and to share all those memories.
5. Embrace The Art of the Micro-Adventure
Micro-Adventures have been incorporated into my life long ago and they are awesome. Most people (myself included) have these grand dreams of “someday” adventures–hiking the entire Florida trail, traveling Europe, extended camping trips, etc.
A Micro-Adventure asks the question: Why not now?
Sure, maybe you won’t trek to the pyramids over the weekend, but you can hike part of the Florida trail, you can go camping in the Everglades or go camping for free, you can paddle a river, jump in a spring, go to a theme park, or even camp in your backyard.
During a period of time when I dedicated myself to 8 weekends of micro-adventures I even went camping with my son on the porch of our apartment.
The bottom line is this: I know we are all busy, but we can still have Florida fun if we put our mind to it. What are you going to do?
