If you're like me, you would probably welcome more fun, carefree, childlike moments of wonder and play in your life.  And if you're like me, you also probably find yourself having been trained to be productive for so long, that when you do get some downtime to recharge, you're not even sure what sounds fun to you anymore.  Does anyone know what I'm talking about? If you draw a blank when someone asks you what sounds like fun to you, read on.

Julia Cameron, author of The Artist's Way, among many other books, novels, and screenplays, shares a simple but effective exercise that has helped me in the past when I come up empty on ideas for play.  It's a simple activity that only requires a piece of paper, something to write with, and a watch or timer to keep track of time.

1. Set a timer for 90 seconds and brainstorm as many activities that you love to do as you can.  Make a list of these on your piece of paper and don't overthink it. These activities could be connected with your current art form or totally unrelated. They can be things that remind you of being a kid, such as playing with Play Dough or making macaroni necklaces. No creative censoring allowed.

2. When the time is up, put down your pen or pencil and review the list. Go though each item at a time and jot down the date that you last did that activity. It could be as specific as "last Tuesday" or "Fall 2016".  It might also be vague, such as "I don't remember when" or "a LONG time ago". No right or wrong answers here.

3. Once you have dated the list of activities, take some time to reflect.  What activities have you continued to do on a regular basis that bring you joy? How does that make you feel? What  activities have you not done in many weeks, months, or even years? How do you feel about these items? It is natural to feel a sense of sadness or even anger not having engaged with an activity that you love in a long time, and while it's vital to allow yourself to feel whatever emotions that this unearths for you, it is also important not to berate yourself for having gotten out of the habit of let's say, reading or rock climbing. The key to habit shifting is not shaming or punishing yourself, but accepting less than ideal circumstances or choices in the past, and lovingly and joyfully recommitting to giving yourself the chance to enjoy these things in the present. 

4. Choose one activity and make a point to schedule in some time to do this today, even if it's 15 minutes. Write it on your calendar. This strategy helps me to take play time as seriously as I would any other errand or appointment that I schedule into my day.  After you give yourself the time to play, you might even want to journal a bit about the experience of giving yourself the permission and space to do this. 

5. Hang this list on your fridge, above your desk, or on your bathroom mirror so that you can have a visual reminder of things that bring you joy for moments when you know you want to play but don't know what you might do. This list can be a wonderful resource for you when you need an idea, and you need it fast. 

If we can include one item from the list into our schedules this week, I believe that the joy we will feel from it will help make it just a bit easier to schedule it in again next week, and the week after that.  Getting started is the hardest part. 

Go ahead, give it a try! And leave me a comment to let me know what activity you are going to try this week, I would love to hear how you will be giving yourself permission to play. 

I'm starting a new tradition here on The Perpetual Visitor: Motivation Monday. I get a few Friday end of week newsletters to celebrate the coming of the weekend and they always bring me joy. But what am I still missing? Motivation on a Monday to inspire me to get up and at 'em. Creative fuel for a full week of day job-ing, teaching theatre, and writing ahead. 

Enter MOTIVATION MONDAY, a weekly short and sweet collection of five things that will help you to get motivated for the week ahead, with all its creative possibilities.

Could you use the same boost? Read on for the debut installment!

A tech tool to consider: Mortality Tab Extension for Chrome.  Whoa. Did you know that by installing this extension to your Chrome browser, you can get a live countdown clock of how many estimated years, months, weeks, days, minutes, and seconds you have left to live? Based on an average lifespan, this tool sounds morbid at first, but the goal is to keep you mindful when online and hopefully motivate you to get going on whatever your work in this world is, as opposed to, say, mindlessly looking through your ex-roommate's vacation photos. But who does that, right? 

Gorgeous visual inspiration to peruse (and use--for free!): In need of some visual inspiration? Need a photo for a blog post or screensaver (do people even do those anymore?)? You must check out unsplash.com, which offers thousands of royalty free photographs that you can download in seconds. The only thing they do kindly ask is that you credit the artist, which they even provide a handy dandy link to when you save the photo to your computer or device. 

Something to listen to on your commute: This TED Talk by Elizabeth Gilbert is an oldie but goodie. The advice she gives has stuck in my soul and rattles around in my brain on days when I don't feel like getting started with learning the new monologue or writing the blog post. Listen. I promise you won't be disappointed.

Words to Consider: I just finished Chris Kresser's brand new book, Unconventional Medicine, which is an awesome call to arms to reclaim our health at both a patient and practitioner level. If you haven't read it, pick up a copy on Amazon now. After all, if you don't have your health, how can you continue to make art? 

Chris sent out a newsletter this morning where he ponders the ever elusive idea of finding "balance" in one's life, work, and play. This is going to be staying with me for a long time.

"Several years ago, when my Zen Buddhism teacher, Darlene Cohen, was still alive, I would have dokusan with her every two or three weeks. The Japanese word dokusan means “going alone to a respected one,” and it refers to a private meeting between a Zen student and teacher. Dokusan is a core part of a formal Zen Buddhist practice.

During one of our dokusan meetings, I told Darlene that I was struggling to find work–life balance. She laughed and said, “Balance is overrated!” She explained that the idea of balance can become oppressive and interfere with the natural ebb and flow of life. Darlene encouraged me to think of balance over a broader time scale of weeks, months, or even years—rather than something that we have to achieve on a daily basis....

This doesn’t mean that I’ll give up taking care of myself. I’ve learned the hard way that there are certain non-negotiable habits, like meditation, exercise, a clean diet, and time for rest and family, that I need to function well and be happy.
But I’ve also come to accept that some periods will be busier than others—sometimes my life will feel more balanced, and other times it will feel less balanced.

​This is natural. And fighting against it just adds unnecessary suffering. I hope this helps you as much as it’s helped me over the years."

A one-pot meal to keep you warm and full all week long: I don't know about your, but I'm over the idea of the Starving Artist and like to kick that notion to the curb by cooking something every week that takes little time but that keeps me full and fueled up for the days ahead.

Enter my homemade Slow Cooker Vegetable Beef Soup:

🍽 1 pound stew beef
🍽 Four carrots, chopped
🍽 Three stalks of celery, chopped
🍽 1 yellow onion, chopped
🍽 2 sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped
🍽 3 cups of broth (I had vegetable, but chicken or beef works well, too)
🍽 Dash of each: salt, garlic and onion powder, herbs de Provence, turmeric
🍽 Glug of balsamic vinegar 

Combine everything in a slow cooker, and cook overnight on low for 8-9 hours, or however long you sleep for. I also added sauteed mushrooms at the end, just for kicks. To make it vegetarian or vegan, omit the beef, and add lentils or beans in its place. This would still be lovely!