…reading and sauntering and dozing and lounging, which I call thinking, is my supreme Happiness.
David Hume
I couldn’t agree more, Mr Hume. Only trouble is, as parents, this sort of time is generally in incredibly short supply. We need a certain amount of processing time – reading, sauntering, dozing and lounging time – to mulch all those random thoughts.
5 things that work for me:
- Doing something creative with the children
Make some playdough. Make some cakes. Get out the face paints. Make a collage. Get out any bells or whistles or drums and have a music session. Dress up. Put a duvet cover over the kitchen table and pretend it’s a cave. - Squeezing in 5-10 minutes during the day
Try keeping a notepad in the kitchen and jotting down some random thoughts or ideas. Hard to concentrate on editing or re-writing but I’m quite happy to make a few mindmaps or jot ideas down quickly. - Doing something different
Try sketching something and set yourself a 5 minute deadline. I’m not that great at sketching but I like doing it and for some reason, I get less frustrated when it goes wrong or I’m interrupted. - Getting up early
Try getting up an hour earlier – brutal but it works. Works best for me when I have a clear idea of what I’m going to do write beforehand. Otherwise I’m all too easily sidetracked by that online grocery order. - Walking
When you do have some time off alone, try walking instead of taking the bus or car. There is something good about feeling the rhythm of your feet, about breathing in fresh air, about letting the ideas roll around in your head.
Clearly, none of these come close to lounging or dozing or even sauntering, but you know what? They’re still pretty good.
