Using time effectively

I had the realisation today about how I want to spend my time and I figured I'd let you all know in case it inspires you to think and do a similar thing. 

As it dawned on me how ridiculous my travel goals are/were, basically travelling for food, I came to the conclusion that if I remove food from the equation I'm left with an incredible amount of time. For a raw vegan, food essentially becomes the be all and end all of life. In a nut shell we're conditioned to think we need to have x amount of calories and so we're forever chasing those calories and making sure we have enough supply to keep us going because despite the times when we ate a standard diet and skipped a meal now and then, as a raw vegan we might die of starvation (exaggeration!). 

Not only does it take up time eating food, we must calculate the time spent travelling for food, preparing it and planning our every meal. 

So, when I have all of that time back I'm left wondering what I can do. When you suddenly have an incredible amount of time it can become overwhelming and if you've previously eaten through boredom then it is very tempting to reach for something to eat once again. But this time I've prepared a list of activities I have enjoyed doing throughout my life and always wished for the extra time to perfect them. 

1. Photography. I love photographing flowers, architecture, vintage cars, art and design. I'm sure if I spent more time perfecting this skill I could take better photographs and perhaps sell them in the future. 

2. Playing the ukulele. This is a new skill I'm developing and I bought a book with 127 songs to learn. I'm sure that will take up a lot of time but with having more time to play I will be busking on the streets in no time! 

3. Dancing. A passion of mine since an early age but never fully dedicating my time to it. Now I can learn every style of dance that I want to without worrying about "carbing up". 

4. Yoga. This has been an on and off interest of mine for a few years but time, practice and patience always get in the way. Now I will have no excuse. I'm thinking that a yoga retreat might be a good start. 

5. Meditation. I'm in Thailand and I have been contemplating doing a 10 day silent meditation retreat. I have no excuses. If I don't need to eat then my diet no longer causes an issue. I want to learn from the so called masters and this is my opportunity to do so. 

6. Learn languages. Travelling is amazing, but sometimes I would love to speak the language of the country I'm travelling it. Sure English is widely spoken, but I think it takes great intelligence to master a language. I should at least try to learn 1 other language. 

7. Reading. There's no excuses for this one either. I struggle to read educational texts but there's no reason why I cannot spare 1 hour a day for a book. Plus libraries are open worldwide so my excuse for wanting to hold a physical book is not valid. I can just go to a library! 

8. Singing. I loved being a member of the Redditch Operatic Society a few years ago and learning the songs for Tarantara Tarantara, it would be great to be part of a society like that again and putting on a big show after weeks of hard work. 

9. Running/jogging. I would love to perfect this activity and increase my distance in the right setting. 

10. Creating my own art. I learned how to draw a few years ago (after studying Architecture at university and not knowing how to draw properly!) and I haven't used this knowledge since. I used to fantasise about travelling in Italy with a car and sketching the coastal views and scenery along the way.

11. Sewing. I love fabrics and I love clothes. I sold my sewing machine to come travelling but with a little effort I can buy a better one and continue my passion for (my weird) fashion! 

As you can see I have a lot of ways to fill my time. I just need to be proactive, stop dwelling and making excuses and just do it! There's so much to be discovered that the possibilities really are endless.