5 THINGS I DO TO STAY PRODUCTIVE DURING MY 'DOWNTIME'

I'm a lazy girl. I admit that!

But, I'm not your typical lazy girl. Sometimes, even if I'm not moving my physical body (too much), know that my brain is still working like crazy. There are times when I would be successful in turning off my brain like if I try to listen to meditation music and just really sit in silence for minutes or when I am close to nature. I really try my best to regain my energy by grounding myself and just focusing on my breathing when I'm chilling at parks.

Most of the time though, my inborn anxiety would kick in and I would have this internal monologue that would push me to do something 'productive' even just for a few minutes. They're not really that grand, but they're good enough to create minor changes to my life and lift my mood. 

So, today I'd like to share with you a few things that I do when that nagging voice inside me tells me to "Do something!" during my downtime.

#1 Check my calendar

It's not something I've been doing for a long time but this one really works! It helps me to feel more organized and less anxious about how I spend my time away from work. If I do get those occasional amnesia girl moments, all I have to do is pull up my digital calendar to check if I have an upcoming lunch or coffee with friends, ME time, errands to do or if I have to meet up some relatives. That's basically where my life revolves these days. It's pretty easy to lose track of your life and feel crappy if you don't follow a schedule. By the end of your work week, don't you just hate it when you have to ask yourself "Where did time go?" or "What the hell did I do last week?". I know I do, so, I try my best to keep track of my previous and upcoming shenanigans.

#2 Manage my digital clutter

Over the years, I've collected quite a lot of unnecessary clutter - mental, material and yes, even DIGITAL clutter! I hate to admit, but I do have a lot of photos and videos from years ago that don't mean anything to me anymore. So, in a lousy attempt to KonMari the sh*t out of my life, I am trying to go through my folders ONE AT A TIME to delete crap that's slowing my computer down. It is a slow process but boy do I feel good after I'm done with one folder! Wheew!

#3 Read!

This is ridiculously obvious. I'm probably not the only one who does this, right? For me, it's actually hitting two birds in one stone. When I have some free time, even just a few minutes or so, I try to reach for a book and read a few pages or a chapter. If WIFI is available and I don't have a real book, I make sure to check out the sites I've bookmarked. Reading helps me to hone my writing skills. I used to write long boring posts here on my blog, but now that I'm reading a lot, I figured not everyone has an assload of time to read an epic long post. People want bite-sized information and that's what I need to do as well if I want to gain more audience and frequent visitors. More books = more info + better writing skills! Woohoo!

#4 Budget

Yeah, I know that's a pretty big word for a kidult like me. I'm definitely a rookie at this (and a lot more!). Sometimes, I still fail, often times it saves my ass. As an adult-ish (I really am having a tough time using that word without making fun of it!), it is your responsibility to know where your money goes. Honestly, during my first few years of working, I know exactly where they go - new clothes, shoes and unhealthy food! Sometime in my mid-twenties, I shifted to health and wellness options like spa, mani/pedi, massage, salon days, travel and lots of coffee. In my late twenties and up until now, I'm spending my cash pretty much on the same things but I have also learned how to spare something for life insurance. Another big word - I know! I don't know where you are in life right now, maybe you're a student or a working artist like me. The point is, I hate checking my wallet, savings account and payroll account and eventually asking myself 'Where the hell did my money go?'.

I hear that all the time, and it's not something to be proud of. It shows lack of responsibility on your part especially if you're single and you actually don't have a family to feed. I'm trying my best to nail this one, but I just can't help but give way to the kidult within me especially when creativity kicks in. I've been buying a lot of art materials these days and yes, it does affect my budget! For some people, those art materials do not fall under the 'basic necessity' category but I'm sorry, painting keeps me sane, so I will do my best to give myself the luxury of doing something I love. I just have to make sure I don't go overboard, right?

#5 Watching vlogs or listening to podcasts 

If you see me wearing plugs any time of the day, I'm probably doing one of these three things - listening to music, watching a vlog or listening to a podcast. You would rarely see me using my phone to call someone. Yes, I know what phones are made for! But try talking for a living and let's see if you'll still have enough will power to speak after your shift or even during your breaks. When I'm physically drained or trying to recover from an illness (most of the time, sore throat!) or when I'm taking breaks at work, I try my best to squeeze in some time to do something good for my brain. Lately, I've been listening to the podcasts of The Minimalists, Nicole Antoinette and Amy Landino. I also love watching Dan Lok's YouTube videos. Dan Lok is like my financial guru these days. A few words from him is enough to make me want to get my sh*t together! 

There you go! I hope that you have found something useful from this list. I want to know what you like to do during your downtime as well. Do you prefer to sleep all day or do you do something to entertain yourself somehow? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comment box below, I'd love to hear from you!