When do we make the best use of our time, at work or at play? How often do we maximise our physical and mental faculties? Taking a moment to identify where perhaps we could do a little more, or perhaps a little less, may help us experience even more fun and adventures.
From boring chores to optimising travel time, there are countless moments where we can seize the opportunities before us. Commuters in particular, will be all too aware of the importance of optimising platform position for the smoothest exit at their destination. Also, despite the monotony of chores, and the perceived poor use of time, they can occasionally provide a handy distraction in times of emotional distress. Furthermore, enjoying our mental and physical capabilities is arguably what we take for granted the most and what we so often forget to appreciate.
J.M. Barrie once said “Nothing is really work unless you would rather be doing something else”. In fact, when we have moments of distraction and longing, finding ways to improve our productivity, and most likely our mood, becomes an important challenge. In the office, we may decide to persevere with our chosen task, or perhaps decide to have a coffee and go for a walk. When monotony strikes on holiday however, this presents an opportunity to flex our creative muscles. From personal experience, many games have been created in moments like these with such wacky names as pool cricket and garden Olympics.
Moreover, from a goals-focused perspective, a highly effective technique involves working backwards from our intended target. Firstly, we establish that in order to achieve X we will need to have done Z every month. Secondly, for this to be possible we need to perform Y each week. Consequently, this provides us with a template for daily activities which maintains short-term focus without losing track of a long-term goal.
Whichever facet we choose to streamline, there are clearly many options at our disposal. Perhaps the most important aspect to remember is that optimising our lives need not mean taking less time to perform activities. More often than not it may well end up meaning the opposite.
“Life is more fun if you play games”
Roald Dahl