Essential Joy Pockets: Turning Happiness Into a Daily Requirement

 I caught myself the other day saying, I'll play later.  Now, this wasn't about a game night or a trip to Disneyland. I was literally just pushing aside this simple joy of what I love the most, which is crocheting or doodling or really being outside and enjoying time with my family and dancing like nobody's watching.

Although you can watch 😂. Former Zumba instructor, but it hit me somewhere along the way I started treating joy like it was a reward instead of as it should be, a requirement. 

You need to be happy. It's a necessity. 

What This Taught Me

 What this taught me was that I was so wrapped up in being productive, being useful, the doer of all things as I am, and being on all the time that I truly forgot what it was like to just simply be, and what it was like to play, to laugh for no reason to enjoy something, just because.

I love laughter.

I have a ridiculously annoying cackle. At least to me, it's annoying. My husband enjoys making me laugh. So there's that. But, I did go through a moment where I forgot what life was like to be happy and enjoy life. 

Joy shouldn't be a detour from life because it's what's part of making life actually feel worth living. And again, I know that's cliche, but truly, when you're happy, everything is clicking on all cylinders. 

Everything feels lighter. 

I don't wanna say cupcakes and rainbows 🌈, but for you, it may feel like cupcakes 🧁, rainbows 🌈, lollipops 🍭, the whole shebang.

You know what I mean? 😂

It's probably sitting on your back porch, or your front porch with a drink. And just [insert relaxing sigh] this feels good. Just having a moment to just say, “I don't have a care in the world right now. This feels great.” 

And if we're not including joy on purpose, it's way too easy to get lost in the shuffle of the mundane things in life.

How This Can Relate to Life Systems & Wellness

Here's the thing. Life systems aren't just about staying organized or keeping life's beautiful bitchiness at bay, although that is the icing on cake. A bonus, if we can keep the life from lifin’ all of the time and let the joy be joy….Okay, that sounded terrible, but you get what I'm saying, right?

There's just something about making space for rest, for peace, for connection, and yes, for joy.

And trust me, if you are always stuck in the “what needs to get done”, “I need to get stuff done”, “I need to check things off my list”, then add a joy to your list of things that needs to be checked off and schedule a decent amount of time. Minimum 30 minutes. If you truly have a busy day, then okay, at least 10 minutes.

That's my thing for the baseline, 10 minutes. 10 minutes or more for anything you're doing, especially joy. That's great. That's what you need. 

Add joy in that to-do list. 

You don't want joy to become that thing where you get everything done and then “it's oh wait, I was supposed to have fun”, “I was supposed to take a moment for myself to enjoy the day and enjoy life.”

That's why you have to build joy into your system because it's a requirement. It's an essential task on the to-do list.

Think of it as a Joy Pocket. I like to call it a joy pocket because it's something that is a tiny, intentional space in your day. For something that makes you feel more like you.

Your Joy Pocket Checklist

How to Add a Joy Pocket into Your Schedule

 Here are a few ways to add joy pockets into your day or into your schedule without overcomplicating it.

1️⃣ Name your joy pocket. What's one small thing that makes you smile, breathe easier, or make you feel more like yourself? Give that a name. 

2️⃣ Schedule it like it matters because it does. Even if it's just 5-10 minutes, it can make a difference. It's probably best to even schedule it in the middle of the day so that way the middle chunk can get you through the rest of your day. Even if you're having a fantastic morning schedule that joy pocket in the middle of the day.

3️⃣Protect it from productivity guilt. This isn't extra. Again, it's essential. It's essential to your self-care. To your creativity, to your playfulness, to you that keeps that rejuvenating feeling inside you and lifting you higher, lifting you up, and making you feel good.

4️⃣Make it visual. If you are a visual learner like me, put it on a sticky note, in your calendar, as a note on your mirror, or put it as a vision board for the different types of joy pockets you want to create 

And bonus, these tiny joy pockets will add up over time. Shift your mood, your mindset, and how you show up the rest of your day. It's awesome.

So what's your Joy Pocket going to be this week?

I'd love to hear what joy pocket you create or what lights you up, and even better tell a friend. Make it a friend thing, a group thing, a community thing. The more the merrier because when you lift yourself up, you're lifting somebody else up and the happiness just spreads. That's what we need more of.

👉🏽  If you want help creating a life system that brings a little bit more joy into your day, I suggest booking a Game Plan Check-In with me so that way we can map out your schedule, your version of a day that feels lighter and more you.

The Game Plan Check-In

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