Do you schedule joy into your life?
Sounds a bit prescriptive, doesn’t it?
But - hear us out: have you ever forgotten to take time for yourself? The answer is probably yes.
The truth is, we all have busy lives, and although it’s important to prioritise yourself - it’s the first thing that tends to slip for a lot of us. So like anything: exercise, socialising, work, and downtime - scheduling joy into your life is important.
Taking time for yourself doesn’t have to be extensive
It’s important to recognise that your time and your happiness are just as important as any other obligation that you have during the week. But, it also doesn’t have to be something elaborate that takes up tons of your time - even an hour out of your day, or an hour out of your week if you’re particularly busy can make the world of difference.
Too often, when we think of “self-care” - or even “scheduling joy” in this case, it becomes something additional that we have to worry about or think about. This is counterproductive - and can cause us to avoid making time for ourselves because we don’t know where to start.
So, we’re giving you some direction - think of something that you love that you can do for an hour each day, and go from there…
What makes you genuinely happy?
Joy looks different for a lot of us. For some, it’s taking a walk and listening to a podcast, for others - it’s spending time cooking a delicious meal from scratch. And, for a lot of us - physical exercise can bring us joy for a number of reasons.
There is no one size fits all, and there definitely isn’t a right or wrong way to schedule joy into your life. Our only piece of advice is to recognise it as something that makes you happy - not something that you see as a chore. This will enable you to build consistency and also give you an opportunity to switch off.
Try and find something that will fulfil you rather than drain you
If your joy is reading a book, watching an episode of your favourite Netflix series, or - sitting alone in a coffee shop and enjoying your own company - then embrace it. Think of something that will fill your cup rather than drain it.
Some of us try to be over-productive: thinking that we must be active every second of every day, or that we need to take on a new hobby to make us happy.
The truth is, there is so much beauty in the mundane, and taking time to slow down and bring yourself joy through other mediums that don’t fall under the bracket of “self-improvement”.
For example, my favourite way of scheduling joy into my life is all in my morning routine: I love trying a new coffee shop, sitting down, and enjoying every last sip. It’s boring for many - I sometimes bring a book if I’m up for it, but I quite literally sit and do nothing for an hour, enjoy my coffee and watch the world go by.
It calms me down, it sets me up for the day, and it doesn’t drain me before my day has even started. Living in a hot country, another thing that brings me joy is going surfing! I only do it once or twice a week (as every day would drain me physically) but I like to mix it up. For others, that might be their personal hell - but for me, it works, and that’s the most important thing.
One small thing can make a huge difference
Just like the anecdote about my morning coffee - one small change to your routine (and prioritising joy) can make a world of difference in your life. Depending on where you live around the world, the pace and attitude toward work-life balance can vary.
But, if you can give yourself an hour a day to decompress, feel joy, and focus on something that makes you genuinely happy - you’ll develop an appreciation for that time more and more as time progresses. Then, before you know it - it’s meshed into your daily routine!
