Tomorrow, I have a day off of school. To many people, a day off means sleeping in very late, waking up and lounging around for a few hours, eating breakfast at three in the afternoon, then watching TV or idly using the computer for the rest of the day. But not me.

I like to do things. If I go to bed without accomplishing anything worthwhile the entire day (although one could argue that relaxation is worthwhile, I’m getting to that) I feel discouraged. It’s as if my day was wasted. I feel lazy.

The Fine Line: Lazy and Relaxation

lazy: unwilling to work or use energy

To me, relaxing truly means spending a day or a portion of time doing things you enjoy: whether it be skiing, reading, playing an instrument, or anything else. I think that many people define relaxing too similarly to the definition of being lazy. In my opinion, if you feel you did something worthwhile in a day, your day was definitely well-spent.

A Relaxing List

With that in mind, here is a list of things I plan to do over my long weekend:

• 1. Read. To me, picking up a great book and a cup of tea is an excellent way to spend a morning or afternoon. With the bustle of school and life, I don’t really have the time to read as much as I would like to. Free time is a good chance to re-realize the hobbies and things we enjoy.
• 2. Walk. I’ll admit it right now. My exercise habits absolutely suck. Gym class once every four days shouldn’t be the bulk of my exercising. A good thing to do is start to do something like walking to make good use of free time. I feel that if I can start walking regularly, I’ll perform better in other ways…healthy body, healthy mind!
• 3. Write. I enjoy writing. In fact, I am working on a manuscript. But I haven’t been writing lately because I have been falling prey to laziness. Some of my best writing has been done in the morning, the time of day I feel most productive.
  • Blog. Of course, one of the ways I write is through this blog. I honestly have been lazy when it comes to updating this blog with fresh content on a regular basis. I really enjoy blogging and hope that I can do so more often in the near future. Blogging is becoming a higher priority for me, and my goal is to blog more often.
  • 4. Socialize. Getting together with good friends is time well spent, and I’d like to do some things with friends this weekend. For me being around people and sharing some laughs is a great way to spend time.
  • 5. Organize. I think of myself as a very organized person, but I would like to rethink several aspects of my system. The break would give me a chance to plan and possibly put into place some more ways to organize, or improve my current system as it is. For me, organization is a major part of productivity, and I enjoy being able to find everything, stay on top of things, and be more productive, using a system to organize that fits my needs.

  The Point

  Relaxation can be productive in a sense. If you’re doing something you enjoy that you don’t usually get a chance to do, that’s getting something done, isn’t it? I think that productivity and relaxation can go hand in hand.

  What do you do in your free time?