Make room for joy: when was the last time you made time for something simply because you enjoy it?
Updated: 9 hours ago
Our calendars are often a pretty good reflection of what demands our attention.
Work, deadlines, emails, appointments, family responsibilities, errands. There is always something that needs doing, someone who needs something, or a task that seems too important to postpone.
And then there are the things we enjoy.
Going for a walk. Meeting a friend. Playing a sport. Reading a book. Cooking something just because we feel like it. Learning something new. Spending an afternoon doing very little.
These things rarely come with a deadline. They don't usually send reminders or appear at the top of our to-do lists. So we tell ourselves we'll get to them when work is quieter, when the house is in order, when we have more time.
And somehow, that time doesn't always come.
Do we treat enjoyment as something we have to earn?
I recognise this tendency in myself. It is remarkably easy to fill a week with things that need to be done and leave very little room for things that are simply enjoyable.
Sometimes we even feel that we need to justify doing them. A walk is good for our health. Meeting a friend is important for our relationships. A hobby helps us develop a skill. We seem to find it easier to give something a place in our lives when we can explain its purpose.
But what about doing something simply because we enjoy it? Not because it is productive. Not because it will make us better at something. Not because it is part of a carefully designed routine. Just because it makes us feel good.
I think we sometimes underestimate how important that is.
Joy is more than being happy
When we talk about joy, we often think of happiness, fun or special occasions. But joy can take many forms.
It might be enthusiasm when we discover something new, curiosity that makes us want to explore, contentment in a familiar ritual, the excitement of doing something we love, or the warmth of feeling connected to someone.
I have a poster at home called the Universe of Emotions. What I particularly like about it is the way it maps the many different emotions associated with joy. It reminds me that joy isn't one single feeling or experience.
And perhaps that is a useful place to start: rather than asking only what makes us happy, we can become more curious about what brings us joy.
Why does this matter when we're thinking about change?
At Rebuild, we talk a lot about change: the changes we choose, the ones life brings us, and the moments when something that once worked no longer quite fits.
Change takes energy. Even when we want it, it can involve questioning familiar routines, making decisions, letting go of things, trying something unfamiliar and living with a degree of uncertainty.
We often focus on what needs to change and what we need to do to make it happen. But how much attention do we give to the things that replenish us along the way?
Joy doesn't make difficult things disappear. It isn't a solution to every challenge, and it doesn't mean that every part of life should be enjoyable.
But the things that give us pleasure, enthusiasm, connection and a sense of aliveness deserve a place in our lives, too.
I don't believe we should have to wait until everything else is finished before we allow ourselves to enjoy something.
There will almost always be another email, another task, another responsibility.
Perhaps joy needs to be part of the life we're living now, rather than something we promise ourselves for later.
Try the Rebuild Joy Check-in
This is why I've created the Rebuild Joy Check-in: a simple exercise to help you pause and look at how you currently spend your time.
It isn't a test, and there are no right or wrong answers. It is an opportunity to notice a few things.
Start by looking at the activities that make up a typical week. Consider which ones are meaningful to you, which ones you genuinely enjoy, and which ones feel like neither.
You may find that some activities are both meaningful and enjoyable. Others may simply need to be done. And you might notice that the things you love have gradually been pushed aside.
The purpose isn't to judge your choices or create another list of things you should be doing.
It is to see your week a little more clearly.
Then comes a small experiment: choose one thing you genuinely enjoy and make an appointment with it.
Put it in your calendar. Give it a place. And, where possible, decide what you might move, reduce or postpone to make room for it.
It doesn't have to be a big change. It could be a walk, an evening with a friend, an hour for a hobby or simply time to do something you have been putting off.
The important thing is to make it happen, rather than leave it as another good intention.
A question to take with you
When was the last time you made time for something simply because you enjoy it?
Not because you had earned it. Not because it was useful. Not because it was good for you in some measurable way.
Just because you wanted to.
Download the free Rebuild Joy Check-in and give yourself a little time to explore the question.
Because a full calendar doesn't necessarily mean a fulfilling life.
And perhaps making room for joy is one of the ways we begin to shape a life that feels more like our own.
Rebuild is about noticing what is changing, understanding what matters, experimenting with new possibilities and creating a life that grows with us.
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