How I Schedule "Fun Time" Into Every Day

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Hi, WA Friends!

For something a little different, here's a look at the "Rock Doc Method" for preventing work overload and burnout.

Although it may seem counterintuitive, the harder you work, the more you need this! Nobody is a machine, and even machines can break down.

I could write books about this, but I'll make it simple and break my thinking down into several parts.

Ok, so it's time to reveal my magic technique for putting a little fun into every day! Are you ready?

Defining How You Have Fun๏ปฟ

The first thing to do is define your "fun group." It might be your significant other, husband, wife, children, extended family, friends, pet, etc.

Who do you enjoy spending time with to do the things you like? Maybe you enjoy having fun by yourself. Whatever, the important thing is to figure it out!

Organizing Your Schedule๏ปฟ

I find using a digital calendar works best, but any method is ok. Write it in a schedule, which makes it real instead of just a passing thought! Once you make it "official" and share it with someone, you're much more likely to do it!

My wife and I share a Google calendar, to which we are constantly adding fun activities that we work-in around our daily commitments. The busier you are, the more important it is to be organized.

We have "impromptu" fun activities, like dining out or traveling, and "routine" (recurring) fun activities, like playing music and watching movies together.

We look about one month ahead and add things we enjoy to most days.
As each month begins, we try to find ways to fit them in around the time-sensitive events of each day.

I set up each fun event to send me a push notification a few days in advance so that I can make any necessary plans and adjustments to my schedule ahead of time.

Don't Give Up Your FunTime๏ปฟ!

This is one of the biggest mistakes I see people make.

If one fun activity doesn't work out, we always try to replace it with something on that day that takes less time or can happen at a different time in our schedule.

If you give up your fun time because of scheduling conflicts, you might end up back on the "boring and tedious" treadmill of life! So make it more the exception than the rule!

Enjoyment Can Make Work More Efficient!

I'm constantly reading about how important it is to create content writing schedules, etc., to keep us productive, but it's just as important to consider the other side of that concept.

There's nothing like a little break to do the fun things we enjoy or take a little "Me Time" to relax and recharge our batteries!

You'll find that when you return to your work, you'll be refreshed and ready to look at things from a more positive and innovative point of view.

Lose The Guilt!

It's ok to have fun; nothing bad will happen; if it's good, clean, healthy fun.

Feeling guilty about having fun can stop you from ever having it! Feeling guilty after you have fun can stop you from doing it again!

Remember, life is about balance, so be organized and "work hard, play hard!"

Life Can Be Shorter Than You Think!

It's important not to let life pass us by with "all work and no play!" Sure, making money is important, but don't let yourself become a casualty of that thinking because the harder we work, the quicker life seems to leave us behind!

Create a plan to make your dreams a reality, or you may find that "tomorrow never comes!"

Certain things can become unrealistic or lose their luster as we age. Remember, the older we get, the more important the precious memories we create can become!

Want Proof That It Works?

I've used this method since I was in college, way back in the 1970s, and it never stopped me from accomplishing all my goals in life.

I've been through more education than most people, with a Bachelors's in Chemistry, two Master's degrees in Biomedical Engineering & Healthcare Informatics, and a Doctorate in Medicine. Those were fun years because I used my magic scheduling technique!

Oh, did I mention I have a Ph.D. in mixing work with fun? Lol, You don't have to be smart to add the fun; you just have to be very flexible and organized!

I've used this scheduling method throughout the years, even when I was seeing patients full-time in the office and hospital seven days a week for forty years!

So, let me know what you think in the comments, and tell me how you schedule your fun time.

Rock On! ๐Ÿค˜
๏ปฟFrank ๐ŸŽธ

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Recent Comments

102

I agree that having fun is important, and sometimes we forget to have fun!

My reminder is that it makes all the difference in how you can be nice to yourself.
I try to "project every other day" with an artsy-craftsy kind of thing, even for a half hour.
This is different from spending time with my loved ones.

It is important to me and me only. I love working with the colors in watercolor painting and with needlework/sewing projects. Do I get a project done? Not often and not quickly, but it is there to lose myself in color and creating.

Makes going back to working online more fun.
Thanks,
Sami

Hi, Sami

Those are wonderful ways to add fun, quality activities to your life! ๐Ÿ‘๐Ÿ˜Ž

Rock On! ๐Ÿค˜
Frank ๐ŸŽธ

Such an engaging post, with many needed reminders, Frank.

We start each year plotting our vacation time, public holidays and special family events like birthdays and anniversaries.
THEN, we know what time is available for work and other stuff.

I believe that life is to be lived.
Everything else is a means to that end.

Thank you for keeping us focused on what is important.

Cassi

Thanks, Cassi!

We certainly think a lot alike! ๐Ÿ˜Ž

Frank ๐ŸŽธ

We certainly do, Frank!! ๐Ÿ™‚๐Ÿค—

it must be the Italian in us. ๐Ÿ˜‰๐Ÿ˜‚๐Ÿ’ƒ

Cassi

It IS! Lol ๐Ÿ˜† ๐Ÿ‘

๐Ÿ˜‚

Hey Frank, great post. My fun times were spent at the trout fishing camp and picking guitars with all my buddies on these trips.

The next day I was showing them how to catch trout. LOL, I am sure they would love to tell their side of the story.๐Ÿ˜

Having fun is also a healthy thing to do. So even though my COPD stops me from doing many things I used to do, I replace them with new things.

Thanks for the post hope you have a great day!

Chet

Hey, Chet

Youโ€™re certainly Rockinโ€™ your fun time! ๐Ÿ‘๐Ÿ‘

Yes, fun is healthy for mind a body!

I hope youโ€™re not smoking any more and getting along ok on your respiratory meds. ๐Ÿ˜Ž

Have all the fun playing and fishing that you can!

Frank ๐ŸŽธ

Thanks, Frank; when I first got diagnosed with Copd, I had the attitude that I already had it. It was not going away, so I might as well keep smoking.

Wrong decision after being in the hospital near death three times a year for a few years.

Finally, I went on Thanksgiving six years ago and said If I ever get out of here this time, I will not ever smoke again, and I haven't smoked one since.

I can't even stand to smell one now. I never knew how offensive they were.

Chet





Wow, it sounds like you had some really close calls, Chet!

Thank God you finally kicked the habit! ๐Ÿ‘

I'm sure it was no easy feat!

Frank ๐ŸŽธ

What fabulous way to have fun

Frank, It was the hardest thing I have ever done, and I even feel bad for offending people around me that didn't smoke. Now I know how it feels to get some payback, LOL.

By the way, there is a group called HRN, the Home rehab network. They are an online group of therapists who are great for patients like me.

Chet

I can only imagine how hard it was to kick the smoking habit, Chet, but you did it, and that's all that matters! ๐Ÿ‘๐Ÿ‘

Good luck with your therapy.

Frank ๐ŸŽธ

Hi Frank,

Wise advice indeed. My problem is I spend too much time having fun. With my wife, granddaughter, the pets, and by myself with music. Tempus fugit when you're having fun.

We have our meals together, including tea time and late-night hot chocolate. Have you heard of Skinwalker Ranch? The place where strange otherworldly phenomena have been taking place? A bunch of scientists have been documenting the goings on and sharing their phenomenal results on TV. My wife and I love to watch this stuff.

Life goes on.

Cheers.

Edwin

Hi, Edwin

I think you're doing everything just right! Look at all you've accomplished over the years! Yes, Tempus fugit, no matter what we do, so you might as well throw as much enjoyment into the mix as you can.

So we might not be billionaires. Is it really that important? We can "always push ourselves to do more" and enjoy life less, but is it worth it in the long run?

Your life sounds totally awesome to me, so keep doing it! I'm so happy to hear you're throwing family time and music in there whenever possible!

I do watch Skinwalker Ranch, but I keep falling asleep and need to keep rewinding it! Lol, part of getting older, I guess!

You're Really Rockin' It! ๐Ÿ”ฅ๐Ÿค˜
Frank ๐ŸŽธ

Hi Frank,

You're most kind. Glad to hear you are also a member of the Rewind the Tape club lol.

Have you checked out the reports on the Augmented Reality glasses just announced by Apple? I was wondering when they were going to release such a product. If they combine this with AI, the sky is the limit.

Cheers.

Edwin

Hi, Edwin

Yes, I had a look at the Apple Augmented Reality glasses. Very impressive tech. It doesn't look too comfortable for eyeglass wearers, but those images are prototype designs.

An AR/VR headset is expected sometime in 2023
Estimated Price: $3,000

Estimated Apple Vision Pro release date: Spring 2024
Estimated Price: $3,500

Rock On! ๐Ÿค˜
Frank ๐ŸŽธ

Hi Frank,

I just responded to Rachele'sย post on the Apple Pro Vision headset and came to the same conclusion as you. It is rather bulky.

Apple has a huge war chest and I am certain they have projects in the woks where future products like this will be closer in size to regular glasses.

This is out of my budget so I'm not concerned about the Pro Vision at the moment.

Cheers.

Edwin

Hi, Edwin

Yes, I think the size of the headset will be progressively scaled down in size.

Eventually, this tech will become a neuro-implant.

Frank ๐ŸŽธ

And why not? Neuro-implants will take the term Man-Machine Interface to a whole new level!

Edwin

Lol, you're right about that, Edwin! ๐Ÿ˜Ž๐ŸŽธ

Hi there, Frank.

Your post is so relevant. Having fun is so important, especially when you are in the affiliate marketing niche. We used to play a card game called "killer" that I was obsessed with. We had loads of fun.

My guy Scotty is a huge Poker guy and I'm still learning the ropes. This is fun too. By the way, we both have fun learning Kylo's baby language (my amazing grandson).

You must be so much fun to live with. I hope your wife appreciates the high-quality fruit she picked. High-grade, organic. We leave the low-hanging fruit for affiliate marketers.

Rachele

Hi, Rachele

Haha, thanks for your vote of confidence!

Ok, you definitely have the concept down, but I recommend you make some time to start playing that card game again! ๐Ÿ˜Ž

Poker is definitely big fun, too!

Family fun is the best fun of all! Kids grow up way too fast, so try not to miss any of it. Ok?

Yeah, it can be a real โ€œtripโ€ living with a Rock Nโ€™ Roll guitar player, but my wifeโ€™s having fun with it. Weโ€™ve been together for 27 years, so I must be doing something right. Lol

Rock On! ๐Ÿค˜
Frank ๐ŸŽธ

Absolutely, Husband of the year!

Frank you are doing everything right for 27 years.
You have mastered the art of saying "yes, dear."
Happy Wife, Happy Life.

By the way, I am also married to WA.
That's my 2nd love (lol)๐Ÿ’—
(I can look but don't touch).

Best of both worlds.
Rachele

Haha, Rachele

Happy Wife, Happy Life: Truer words never said! ๐Ÿ˜Ž๐ŸŽธ

^_~

Hey Frank, thanks so much for sharing this and reminding me about the importance of family time! How do you recommend doing this in an effective/ efficient way? I mean making the schedule, and how to plan your time, etc. I am super-busy and would love to have something in place to force me to do other things in between.

Hi, Hein

Yeah, I know what you mean about being super-busy, but I have a Ph.D. in mixing work with fun! ๐Ÿ˜Ž

I use the Google Calendar app to add my fun events. I share a copy with my wife, so we can both add our favorite things to do together or separately.

You can create a dedicated calendar if you want to share it with friends and keep the rest of your events private.

Hereโ€™s the thing. Once you put a fun event in a schedule and share it, you are far more likely to do it. Thatโ€™s because you made it real instead of just a passing thought.

So, I add the event with or without a time designation and then I work it around all the other things Iโ€™m obligated to do for the day.

I set each fun event to send me push notifications a few days before, so I can make any plans ahead of time.

Have โ€œFun With It!โ€ ๐Ÿ˜Ž
Frank ๐ŸŽธ

Ah, that all makes sense. I tend to procrastinate things when I'm busy, though. I hope it will work for me. Maybe I need one of those boxing gloves jumping out of a box and hitting me in the face every time I postpone it for too long and haven't marked the event as done. ๐Ÿ˜€ Then again, I may be in hospital too often and won't get to my work even moreso.

Hahaha

I like the giant monkey with the cymbals in the movie "How The Grinch Stole Christmas" with Jim Carey. It's more fun that way! ๐Ÿ˜Ž

Frank ๐ŸŽธ

๐Ÿ˜‚๐Ÿ˜‚๐Ÿ˜‚

Great inspiring post Frankie ๐ŸŽธ๐Ÿ˜Ž!!!

All work and no play will make one sad and grey!

Our fun activities as a family is spontaneous. We have our pool open. My daughter enjoys it with all her friends during the weekend. We enjoy it at any given day, especially after the whole day of outdoor work. The music ๐ŸŽถ is constantly playing.

We have a little haven in our property!

Cheers,
Maria ๐ŸŒน

Hi, Maria

That's great! There's no better way to relax than by enjoying your home!

Family time is the best!

The house I grew up in had an indoor pool and a big pond in the backyard. We would go ice skating in the winter and then jump in the pool for a quick swim.

God, I really miss my childhood days! ๐Ÿ˜Ž

Rock On! ๐Ÿค˜
Frank ๐ŸŽธ

Love this, Frank!
Yesterday, my two boys and I cooked dinner together. Well, they cooked and I was just there to give guidance, etc. And we played Queen and sang while we did that. It was so much fun. It was the highlight of my day. Now we've decided that Sunday evenings are the nights when we'll cook together, and we'll make something new each week and choose a playlist while we do it.
Now you've got me thinking about what else I can do to make sure there are fun moments every day.
Have a great day, Frank. Thanks for sharing.
Cheers
Melissa

Hi, Melissa

Thatโ€™s wonderful!๐Ÿ‘๐Ÿ‘

Not to mention, Queen really rocks! Lol

Yes, keep adding to it and youโ€™ll be so glad you did! Write it in a schedule, which makes it real instead of a passing thought.

Itโ€™s like scheduling important things to do in reverse. ๐Ÿ˜Ž

Spending time with your children is something that money canโ€™t buy.

Frank ๐ŸŽธ

That's such a good idea!!

Thanks, Jula! ๐Ÿ˜Ž

It can be "life-changing!"

Rock On! ๐Ÿค˜
Frank ๐ŸŽธ

Hi Dr. Frank,

Wonderful article. So true. Sometime ago, my wife and I decided to schedule time one day per week in the middle of the day where we go out and do something fun and/or go out to dinner or lunch. We try to never break this. If for some reason something comes up we try to do something else that will take less time or we pencil in something for another day that week. Not only is it great for yourself but also great for one's relationship.

without actually "scheduling" time to spend with each other life can get boring and stale.

Thanks for the reminder of just how important it is to take some time out for oneself.

Hi, Dr. mark

Wow, Iโ€™m impressed! Great minds think alike.

Now, build on your fun time from there and youโ€™ll be a Jedi Knight before you know it! ๐Ÿ˜Ž

Rock On! ๐Ÿค˜
Frank ๐ŸŽธ

We probably think alike because like you I am also a doctor and also musical.

Thatโ€™s excellent, Mark! ๐Ÿ‘

Let me guess. Youโ€™re a drummer (you left a drum emoji on your profile post)? ๐Ÿฅ

Frank ๐ŸŽธ

Hi Frank! I know you are all about savoring the joie de vivre in life. Our time is just too short to not stop and make time for fun. Scheduling it in can be super helpful and a good reminder. Now, what fun are you having today?

Rock On! ๐ŸŽธ๐Ÿ˜Ž๐Ÿ‘
Susan

Thanks, Susan!

I see you know me well! Itโ€™s something I picked up from my family, probably at birth! ๐Ÿ˜‚

Iโ€™m quite sure you have your fun-time scheduling down to a science, too!

I played four hours of guitar this morning, and then my wife and I had a wonderful brunch with mimosas plus a movie afterward. We saw a Series of Unfortunate Events with Jim Carey.

Itโ€™s hilarious and one of our favorites!

Itโ€™ll be takeout Chinese food tonight with Shazam II. I thought the first movie was pretty good, so weโ€™ll see.

Rock On๐Ÿค˜
Frank ๐ŸŽธ

I most certainly do, Frank! Itโ€™s extremely important business lol. Four hours is impressiveโ€ฆby any chance do you have a soundproof room to play? How cool to hear all that! Sounds like youโ€™ve got the fun mapped out for todayโ€ฆenjoy your takeout with Stacy!

Susan ๐ŸŽธ๐Ÿ˜Ž๐Ÿค˜

Hi, Susan

My music studio is not soundproof, but I don't play that loud, especially in the morning while Stacy is still sleeping. Four hours always seem to go by very quickly! ๐Ÿ˜Ž

Yeah, we had a great time today and tonight, and I hope you did too. We've been getting takeout Chinese from the same restaurant for the past twenty-five years, and it's always excellent.

Frank ๐Ÿค˜๐ŸŽธ

Hi Frank! Iโ€™m glad you had a super day. We do the same with our takeout as well. Once you find a good spot, stick with it lol. Have a pleasant rest of your night! ๐Ÿ˜Ž๐ŸŽธ๐Ÿ’ค

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