Schedule a ‘Nonday’

A friend messaged me this evening with an interesting proposition. She said she hates Mondays and suggests we cancel them.

Weekends are exhausting and then along comes Monday with responsibilities and schedules for most of us.

Really, canceling all that is not the worst idea I’ve heard.

I was concerned about the gap between the weekend and Tuesday.

Tuesday has always been an innocuous, fairly sweet day. I would hate if it got a bad rep due to an association with the end of the weekend.

I asked what she suggested we do and — because my friends are brilliant — she said we should call it “Nonday.”

Nonday

I can work with that.

I’m a bit of a fraud in that I love Mondays. I don’t work a traditional 9-5 and thus have a little more flexibility.

My Mondays may have appointments, errands, meetings, or just me in my pjs writing away.

It occurs to me as I write this that I already celebrate “Nonday.”

Nonday is a day when you don’t have firm plans. Some weeks you might. Others you might not. Nonday is a reset.

You can relax and reset yourself, or you can power up and reset your career, home, or personal life.

Maybe you need to walk or run? Bake, read, plan, or dream, Nondays with their flexibility are perfect for that sort of thing — or not.

Weekends

I think at some point in history Saturday’s and Sunday’s were supposed to fulfill this destiny. Today, for too many, they are jam packed with must do’s, honey do’s, and to do’s.

There are schedules and sports and projects and repairs. What they often don’t have much of is rest and relaxation.

I realize we can’t really cancel Mondays. I also realize that some (read: all) of us really need to add more Nondays to our schedules.

You can’t appreciate all the clamor, joyful chaos, and blessing of a full calendar if you don’t sometimes leave some breathing space.

White space

Sometimes you may feel a pull to rest and relax. So do that. Your body and mind are telling you something. Listen to them. They know you best. They are “you.”

Some days you may want to reconnect with friends, nature, or yourself. Maybe you want to binge watch something, read a book, listen to music, or just putter around the house.

I love puttering. Puttering is my favorite. I also love having plans and things to look forward to.

I have learned something about myself however, if I don’t get a non-day on a regular basis, I can’t appreciate all those plans and things the way I should.

The key to a good Nonday is to guard your calendar white space. Don’t say “yes” to everything. Don’t schedule yourself into seven days of jam packed schedule each week.

It’s about clearing time and making space on your calendar to see where a day takes you. Even if the day never takes you past your favorite spot on the couch.