Monday Morning Motivational Message - Down Time

What do you do with your downtime?

Most people define "downtime" as the period in which they aren't producing something. We're not working.

What do most Americans do with their down or leisure time?

According to an American Time Use Study from 2023 that the Bureau of Labor Statistics conducted, Americans spend their downtime on leisure and sports activities. Watching television was the number one activity in the leisure and sports category, accounting for more than half of the leisure time. 

What is the best way to spend your downtime? Experts suggest you:

- Pursue a hobby

- Take an online course

- Learn a new language

- Read a book

- Listen to a podcast or audiobook

- Spend time in nature

- Practice meditation or yoga

- Plan a date or outing

- Connect with loved ones

A key question to ask yourself when you have unplanned time is, "What will I make of this time?" What will we accomplish within the constraints and reality where we are?

Napoleon Bonaparte was the emperor of France from 1804 - 1814 and then again in 1815. On April 11, 1814, Napoleon was exiled to the island of Elba after Paris fell, and he abdicated the throne.

During his ten months in exile ruling the small country of Elba, he improved the island's defenses, gave money to the poorest 11,000 inhabitants, installed a fountain outside Poggio (which provides clean drinking water today), read so many books that we left a library of 1,100 volumes, grew avenues of mulberry trees, reformed the island's customs and excise, repaired the military barracks, built a hospital, planted vineyards, organized trash collection, set up a court of appeals,  established an inspectorate to widen roads and bridges, and passed a law that outlawed more than five children sleeping in a single bed.

Not bad for a guy with plenty of downtime and could have done anything he wanted. 

While Napoleon could have sulked and chosen to lash out at others for the situation that got him exiled, he decided to make a difference. He did more in ten months in exile than most rulers do in their entire lives. He chose to make the most of his exile. He chose to improve the lives of his citizens. He chose to do all the good he could.

Leave me a comment regarding how you would use your downtime. Your thoughts and perspectives are important, and I enjoy hearing from you.