How to Take An Effective “No Obligation Day”

Know thyself.

Do colleagues or family members constantly ask you to do things for them or with them? Do you enjoy feeling needed and encourage these requests? When do you find time to rejuvenate yourself? If this doesn’t seem like it is even a possibility for you, this exercise is important to try as soon as possible. Put a No Obligation Day (NOD) on your calendar today.

An example of this would be to block out a Saturday and then hold that space just for you. If someone asks you to plan something with them on that day you will tell them, I've decided to make this Saturday a No Obligation Day, which means I'm going to plan nothing and just go with the flow when the day arrives. Let them give you space, trust that you are strong enough to relax for the entire day. You may be pleasantly surprised by the results.

This can also be the first step toward seriously seeing yourself establishing a retirement date and deciding to put that on your calendar.

When you know that you are spending too much time at work, even by choice, it’s important to find greater balance in your daily, weekly, and monthly schedule. Additionally if you find yourself unable to relax when you are home, saying yes to mowing the lawn, helping a friend, taking someone out to dinner, taking time just for you is more important than ever.

The ‘No Obligation Day’ and its importance to your current lifestyle which includes work can be an experiment toward creating your post-career lifestyle. The NOD is a simple exercise to set your phone aside and let people know that although you won’t be at work, neither are you available to spend time with someone other than yourself.

For example, Joe has a neighbor who asks him to take them to the grocery store on Joe’s day off. If Joe gets a call from said neighbor he can tell them that he’s unavailable the next day, that he’s not planning anything to do in order to take care of himself. This is a way to help others develop their resource list, to add more people besides Joe, who can help them too. It’s also an exercise in setting aside ego, and practicing self-care. Be more of who you want to be in the world, embrace the idea of creating your own schedule, especially if not always saying yes is new to you.