Did you ever skip school?

I did once or twice when I was in high school and more than a few times at University. When I was teaching I had students who took the day off as I did. The issue was that when I took my time off and when my students took their time off, we did not accomplish anything. Maybe that was the idea. 

Back in 1986, the movie Ferris Bueller’s Day Off came out and it was a big hit with the kids. In it, Ferris and two friends skip school they “obtain” a Ferrari and they meander around Chicago, catching a baseball game, dining at a fancy restaurant, and joining a parade. They had an ideal day, they used the idea of “carpe diem” — to seize the day and have the time of their life. My question to you is are you having the time of your life — or are you wasting the time of your life? Are you seizing the day — or waiting for someday to come?

If you decide to take the day, your first question should not be, “What am I going to do with this day that I am taking for myself?” The question to ask is, "What aren’t I going to do?”

When considering how to spend your day perhaps it can be easier to start with what you aren’t going to do. You get to do exactly as you please, so use your imagination. Are you thinking, “I’ve got so much going on, there’s no way I can take a day off.” If that’s the case with you, take an hour break. What would give you a well-deserved break from all the things you have to do?

It’s not selfish to carve out an hour to do something you enjoy; it can compensate for parts of your life you can’t control.