Scheduling Blank Days

I'm sitting under a redwood tree staring at the blank white page of the Word document, wondering what I'd like to share with you that might be worth your minutes. My life is now calculated by minutes, which is a new way to express the currency of my time left here on the planet. For example, if I'm going to watch a TV show, spend time with someone, complain, gossip, or eat a pint of ice cream, there is is a moment of checking in with myself. "Is this how I want to spend my minutes?" The answer is usually loud and clear and has been enormously helpful in spending time wisely or banking future minutes. On the flip side, not gauging the minute-spending can cause regret. "I can't believe I spent so many minutes on that stupid (fill in the blank). I will never get those minutes back!"

Which brings me to Blank Days.

This concept doesn't come easy to me. Being a planner by nature and living by my calendar is a way of life and business. Truthfully, I have scheduled relaxation and then been bored upon arrival. Surrendering to each present moment is my secret ingredient for success.

This idea of Blank Days came to me when my girls were little. We saw school friends who were so over-scheduled with activities and sports they never had a free minute to just play, and I wanted my kids to have time to unwind.

Our family would all agree on the day in advance. "Saturday is a Blank Day." And when we woke up, we could each do whatever we pleased at the moment: read a book, make chocolate chip cookies, watch 101 Dalmations, take a nap, play Monopoly or watch the river flow by.

Mel Robbins is one of my favorite authors and coaches who has inspired me so much this year. This just landed in my inbox from Mel:

Think you don't have time for self-care?

Think again. Taking care of yourself can require less time than waiting in line for your iced latte.

And when you make time for self-care, you havemore energy.

When you have more energy, you aremore productive.

When you're productive, yourmood improves.

When your mood improves, yourconfidence grows.

When your confidence grows, yourrelationships are better.

When your relationships are better, you makemore time for self-care.

Rinse and repeat.

Recently my home was rented, so I moved into the RV and had two Blank Days. One day my friend came to see me from out of town. This is a very busy person who travels weekly, has a packed calendar, and a high-pressure job. We spent one Blank Day together, and it was terrific. From one moment to the next, we chose what we felt like doing. No amount of planning could have improved the magic of the day. In fact, the magic of Blank Days can only happen when zero is planned. We moved leisurely from eating hot biscuits with savory gravy at Big Bottom Market to a competitive four-leaf clover hunt in Armstrong Woods. Then to singing rap songs by Grand Master Flash in the RV to putt-putt and ice cream cones at Pee Wee Golf with a finale dinner at the Russian River Pub to check it off the Diner's Drive-Ins and Dives list.

Days like this where every minute is unplanned and beautifully spent inspires me to "schedule Blank Days" more often. It sounds like an oxymoron as hilarious as jumbo shrimp, past history, amazingly awful, deafening silence, random order, or painfully beautiful.

Maybe "scheduling Blank Days" will make into the oxymoron dictionary alongside Bing Crosby's famous saying, "We're busy doing nothing."