April Daily Practice: Do What You Want To Do

When was the last time you allowed yourself to just spend a day doing what you wanted to do? No chores. No doing things because they’re on your to do list. No meeting obligations. No ‘be here at that time’, then race to ‘be there at this time’. Just moment to moment, doing what you wanted to do? You will be an unusual person if you say ‘every day’ or even any day this year so far…because most of us live our lives basically ignoring what we want to do in order to do what we think we should be doing.

Since I’ve worked for myself, I have noticed this tendency in me – I will be crying out for sleep or a bath or 10 minutes to read my book or a dance around the room…but it’s work time. I must sit and my desk and do productive things. Never mind that nothing productive is actually being done because I’m too busy wanting to be elsewhere doing something else altogether. I must sit at my desk and work. Even if I can barely hold my head up. Even if my brain is just not working. Even if I am just staring at the screen. I must sit at my desk and work.

Honestly, that’s how it used to be for me. 9-5, Monday to Friday, I would force myself to sit at my desk and ‘work’. Sometimes I was incredibly unproductive and could get through an entire day and achieve nothing! Then I discovered the first essential step for a joyful life, taking care of yourself, and I discovered something amazing. If I felt cared for, I worked better. I was more productive. I got more done. I was happier, healthier, more efficient and effective. And I sat with my head in my hands at my desk less and less often.

I learned to listen to my body, mind, heart and soul and give myself what I needed. I learned to do what I want to do. Not in a selfish, ‘sod you’ kind of way, but in a ‘this is what I need and I will be a nicer/better/more cheerful/more useful person for it. I will also have more to give others because I am not exhausted and depleted’ kind of way. Still, I sometimes find myself sitting at my desk wishing I wasn’t at my desk and wanting to have a granny nap! I sometimes (not lately, because it’s been snowing) look out of the window at the sunshine and wish I could be outside in the fresh air.

Most of the time, I soon realise I CAN have a granny nap or go outside. I’m lucky that way, I CAN often follow those whims and desires if I choose to. Most of us don’t often get the chance to do what we want to do. Worse, it’s so rare that we can that we forget how to do what you want to do. Honestly, when was the last time you checked in with yourself and asked ‘what do I want to do now?’. Most of the time we’re too busy, working, doing chores, looking after family, surfing the net, then collapsing in front of the tv without even thinking about what we actually want in that moment.

Hence the April Daily Practice – I want us all to get more practice doing what we want to do. I want us all to hear what we want and need in the moment. I want you to reconnect with your daily desires and fancies. It’s your life, I want for you to choose what you do with it as much as you are able to. This month, I want us to challenge the habits we’ve fallen into – rather than automatically doing what we always do at lunchtime or in the evening, I want us to check in with what we WANT to do in that moment, whatever that is.

We might not be able to do everything we want to do (I am looking out at the lingering snow and thinking ‘flight to Barbados’…but that’s not really an option!), but we can certainly do some of the things we want to do. We can blow bubbles and dance and rest and get outside and stretch and read a book and laugh and play. And perhaps discover that when we do things that we want to do we are more joyful, more effective, and better able to tackle life.

Are you in? Would you like to join me in this practice? If so, make sure you’re following me either on facebook or Twitter to get Daily Updates to remind you EVERY DAY in April to take a little time to do what you want to do. If you need a little more persuasion, check out this fabulous blog post from Tina Gilbertson on spending a day just doing what you want.

If you plan to join in the April Daily Practice, get your diary out right now and choose a day when you will spend the whole day just doing what you want. Do not allow anything (short of serious illness or death) get in the way of taking that day and spending the day checking in with yourself and asking ‘what do I want to do right now?’ then when that is done, check in again ‘what do I want to do now’. Do that all day. Book that day in your diary now. Leave a comment below to let me know you’re joining in…and when was the last time you just allowed yourself to do what you want?

Love

Donna.x