8-8-8

Vince Lombardi's Dad Enrico had the words WORK and PLAY tattooed across his knuckles.  It's good to remember we need a balance of both in our lives, but something is missing: REST.  We all need to recharge our batteries every once in a while.  If you've spent three days in Vegas you know play can be just as exhausting as work sometimes.  Too often work or play end up dominating our lives.  What makes it worse, work usually takes up the most time. 

With that in mind, it would be ideal if we could spend an equal amount of time at work, at play, and at rest.  With 24-hours in a day it would break down simply: 8-hours of work, 8-hours of play, and 8-hours of rest.  Chances are your days look more like 14-1-6-3.  Why are there four numbers you ask?  That last column is the time we lose or waste each day.  Most of the time it's spent mindlessly watching TV, searching the internet, or scrolling through social media.  If that's how you choose to spend your time, then that's fine.  However, many of us aren't even aware how long we've let slip away each time we get distracted.  Which is why mindfulness is so important.  Throw in long commutes, late hours at work, and a drained battery and our 8-8-8 gets way out of wack. 

You may not get to the 8-8-8 ideal, but start becoming a little more aware of how you're spending your time.  Each morning just make a little note of how many hours you spent at work, at play and at rest the previous day.  Simply becoming more aware of how you're spending your time will help you take a little more control of it.  You'll find ways to work more pleasure into your day.  Maybe it's by listening to a podcast you really love on your commute or reading a book before bed.  Maybe you'll have fun building that new lego set with your kid or enjoy a glass of wine with your wife after the kids have gone to sleep.  Or maybe you'll just head to bed a little earlier to recharge the batteries rather than passing out in front of the TV (as I find myself doing all too often).  We can't control every second of our day, but by searching for a balance between WORK, PLAY, AND REST we'll be in a much better mindset to use the time we can control more efficiently.  

THINK ABOUT IT: In what ways do you manage to work more PLAY and REST into your own days?  How do you feel when you do?