In NZ at the moment, we are in the lead up to a long weekend and it shows. Even though there is just one more extra day off, people are transformed. Ditching their usual routine of supermarket shopping, DIY and schlepping kids to Saturday sports, they are arranging long lunches with friends, visits to art shows or, in traditional Kiwi fashion, hitting the road to spend the weekend at the bach.

Watching this shift in mood and mind-set got me thinking. What would happen if we all started applying a long weekend mind-set to our ordinary lives? There is a compelling case to do so. Life expectancy, in the western world in particular, is steadily increasing with those born in the next few decades expected to reach their century as a matter of course.

In NZ the average life expectancy for both men and women is into the 80s, up 10 years since the 70s. Importantly, many are also living younger for longer, enjoying good health and independent lives well beyond what would have been conceivable just a couple of decades ago.

Which begs the question. Why are so many of us still persisting in trying to squeeze so many of life’s important experiences – study, career building, finding love, having kids, travelling and so on – into so few years. Why are our 20s, 30s and 40s still characterised by feelings of intense pressure and ‘the overwhelm’ – all running, no funning – when they don’t actually have to be? Why don’t we take advantage of the extra years that most of us will enjoy to simply ‘ease the squeeze’, confident in the fact that, in the future, time is the one thing we will not be short of.

So how can we leverage the long weekend mind-set in ordinary life? How can we give ourselves a symbolic extra day to do all the things we want in life in a less harried, more fulfilling kind of way?

A couple of suggestions to ponder as you enjoy your extra day…

Think life-loading rather than busy

Busy is fast becoming the most profane four letter word in the modern vocabulary. Attempts to reclaim it have largely failed, possibly because of the association with cultish behaviour, but mostly because being busy is just another way of saying you’re not having any fun.

Life-loading on the other hand, is all about having fun. The long weekend mind-set is also at play here. People who wouldn’t usually dream of heading out of town on a normal weekend are suddenly jumping in the car for spontaneous road trips – trips that will take longer in the driving than they will actually spend at the destination – just because they can and, because it’s fun and freeing to do something crazy every now and again.

Life-loading is energising in a way the mundane drudgery of busy-ness is not. And it frees up our minds in creative ways. Want to add a lunch date with a friend into the road trip – just pick a café on the way and stop in for a pit stop. What does it matter if the journey takes 6 hours instead of 4 when you’ve got that whole extra day!

Life-loading is also about depth of experience rather than breadth, quality rather than quantity. Sinking into experiences rather than being preoccupied with what you have to do next. This mind-shift can apply to every aspect of life.

Are you frantically trying to scramble your way to the top of your profession before you ‘miss’ your chance? Letting relationships, health and recreation fall by the wayside in your relentless pursuit to succeed in your career?

Relax, the ageing population combined with low birth rates in the western world means businesses are going to need to retain older workers in much larger numbers than ever before. This creates more opportunities to get to ‘the top’ at a more relaxed pace. Not to mention how much better you’ll actually be at your job if you are in good health and have a life outside the office, but that’s a post for another day.

Now imagine what would happen if you took that pressure off yourself? If you spent more time on the other parts of life – your relationships, your health, your hobbies and interests – and let the career unfold in its own time. You’re probably going to end up with a richer, fuller, more complex life that somehow feels less busy and more rewarding that the singular focus you’re pursuing now.

Become the curator of the ‘museum of you’

One of the things people often do on a long weekend is to go to museums just because they can. That extra day gives them the mind-space to take an interest beyond the everyday. To be reflective, consider history, delve deeper into an area of interest or simply wander around an exhibition of curios with no real sense of what it all means.

Which got me thinking, in an around about way (because that’s how my mind works :-)), about creating museums for our own lives. Or more specifically curating our life experiences to create an exhibition we can take joy in revisiting again and again.

Think for a moment. What would the museum of you look like, up until the present day? Is it a stark tale of cubicle to corner office with little else to see? Or is there a real depth to the exhibit – multiple layers that give an insight, not only into what you have done with your life, but who you are as a person? Could I tell from wandering around the exhibit what, and who, is most important to you?

Does it reflect a rich and fulfilling life full of hope, joy, connection, purpose and meaning or have you set a room aside – marked with a ‘Coming Soon’ sign – for all of those things? If that’s you, go back and have a look at what you’ve been spending your time doing instead. Is this the legacy you want to leave and, exactly when is soon?

Lightening up for lightning bolts

I think one of the reasons people feel so much lighter on long weekends is that they give themselves permission to step out of daily routine. This in itself opens our minds to the giddying array of possibilities that constitute what we could be doing if we weren’t just doing the everyday.

It’s in this ‘anything is possible’ state of mind that lightning bolts or, ‘ flashes of the blindingly obvious’ as some wit coined them, often come to mind. That sense of disquiet that has been mumbling away in the background, suddenly gains volume and becomes much more articulate about what it wants to see change in your life and, the path that leads the way.

So this weekend embrace that extra day and the possibilities it entails. Forgo the routine, take to the roads, follow the detours, linger over lunch and take the time to connect with yourself. And, if you feel so inclined, start to ponder how your life might be different going forward if you started to live with the confidence that you have an extra 10 years or so to do all the things you want to experience or achieve.

And drive safely. It turns out there’s no real rush after all!

About Me

Tricia Alach is an author, work-life coach and wellbeing professional who specialises in helping busy people create more balance, joy and fulfilment in life! To learn more about what she offers visit www.flowmindandbody.com or connect via facebook or @triciaalach