[Closed] wasting days, feeling guilty?

Sometimes, sometimes not. Riding shouldn't be a chore just something you enjoy

Doing nothing is a perfectly valid way to spend the day because you haven't "done nothing," you've rested and relaxed.

I find getting pissed takes the edge off the guilt, the odd day I don't do anything 🙂

In the grand scheme of things it doesn't really matter what you do with your days. One day you and anyone who every knew you will be dead and what you did or didn't do will be meaningless. Unless you are one of the 0.01% that actually does something with their life that helps progress mankind.

No mate.

That's what's called a rest day. It's good for you.

In the grand scheme of things it doesn’t really matter what you do with your days. One day you and anyone who every knew you will be dead and what you did or didn’t do will be meaningless. Unless you are one of the 0.01% that actually does something with their life that helps progress mankind.

Cheerful post there Rene, everything okay?

I'm currently enjoying a wasted day I was gifted as birthday present yesterday. I normally spend any spare time looking after my mum but a note fell out of a birthday card from my brother with 'Sunday off voucher' written on it. I've filled that time with doing 'not much' as I haven't really had a chance to do not-much for quite a while.

I'm doing a months-worth of laundry and I've had the BBC News channel on all day with the sound off and I've eaten some frazzles.

Hey, I washed two cars with my new Karcher power washer.

Than have been crashed on the sofa since, and it’s a stunningly clear sunny day.

Relax man.

I am going to the pub tonight though, in my shiny clean car 🤪

Unless you are one of the 0.01% that actually does something with their life that helps progress mankind.

I took this weekend off, left the bike at home and spent the time with my folks, my grandmother dies over christmas so it's been good to spend some time with my dad to take his mind off a few things, it might not have progressed mankind but it was a really worthwhile use of my time as opposed to going and riding for the sake of it.
Oh and seeing Newcastle score 3 helped...

I have cut back on my cycle commuting, as I get older I find that I often don't have the energy to do that and have fun rides, especially in the winter months.

I have cut back on my cycle commuting, as I get older I find that I often don’t have the energy to do that and have fun rides, especially in the winter months.

seriously considering this. life long commuter, and now doing more miles than ever commuting. comes to the weekend and i cant be arsed to go for fun rides like i used to.

considering buying a ebike for commuting, to hopefully feel fresher at the weekend.

Today can be added to a very long list of mine over the last two years where I felt I ought to go out, even if I just treated it as a recovery ride, but here we are ~30mins from sunset and the only outdoor time I've had all day is a ~10min walk to the shops and back.

At one point this morning, I was contemplating joining a local Strava club for the first time to do a ~40 mile loop, but I talked myself out of it due to the nippy temps and not knowing anyone who signed up for the ride in advance... Ironically, someone I knew went after all!

I decided to make this week an easy week on the bike/turbo outside of commutes, so physically my legs don't feel that bad, but mentally my SAD battery is running pretty low. The spring solstice cannot come soon enough!

I'm nursing a broken toe meaning I have done next to nothing for a few days. Praise be the internet otherwise I'd be bored ridged.
Now and again I love a day on the sofa doing jaff all, it does the mind and body a world of good.

Eating some frazzles? Doesn’t sound like a day wasted to me. Apart from an hour’s light decorating, I’ve listened to a BBL08 match, walked next the dog and had coffee & cake with friends. No bike and no guilt - it’s a weekend.

I used to make a point of going out somewhere on a Sunday, not so much riding as just going somewhere, but my working week means I’m walking up to six miles a day, and my shonky arthritic knee likes to take things easy for a bit.
Today I swept up all the crap the birds have dropped on the patio, hosed it down, cleaned out the hedgehog restaurant and filled the bird feeders, then sprayed a little concrete Buddha I bought yesterday with gold paint and clear lacquer to match one belonging to my g/f’s late dad. They’re now sat at each end of a low wall behind my Acer which has daffs planted along it, and they look really good against the dark winter garden.
I could have easily just sat doing bugger-all, and not felt the slightest guilt about it. As it is, I pottered about and did enough to keep things reasonably tidy.
At 64, I no longer feel like doing much, and I’m an inherently lazy git anyway, so there’s no guilt.

Cheerful post there Rene, everything okay?

Yes, thanks! Just my weird sense of humour!

It's January. Give yourself a break

seriously considering this. life long commuter, and now doing more miles than ever commuting. comes to the weekend and i cant be arsed to go for fun rides like i used to.

Yeah it’s the only downside to cycle commuting but tbh it’s still the winter and winter commuting just drains the life out of you.

The summers the fun time.

Ive not left the house for two days, staying in bed for most of it, Im not ill, but I feel no guilt at all.
Rest is the most important thing in the world.

Yeah I get that, it’s gotten to the point I half enjoy being ill as it’s an excuse to sit still and not do much. In fact when I had ‘the snip’ a few years ago I was told to sit my arse in a good chair for two days and not move, I really quite like enjoyed it.

For the most part though, I reckon you’re a long time dead and I don’t really like sitting still. My Wife says I’m crap at relaxing.

Know exactly what you mean Ton.

I love the idea of having a lazy day doing nothing - but when I have one, it get to about 5 or 6pm and I start to regret not doing anything and it's a bit depressing.

But what people have said is right, it's not a wasted day, just a different use of one.

Si

I recently read a book called "Rest - why you get more done when you work less" - very interesting, even people like Darwin weren't typical workaholics, and took long "sabbaticals".
I would certainly be in favour of a four day week, bring on the robots.

If you can, a day of loafing is good for the soul. At the moment I'd like nothing more than a day to myself to properly mulch on the sofa and watch a box set (I'm currently on ep 4 of the 1st series of Better Call Saul), but I have 2 kids under 7, so that's a pipe dream… 😢 Not complaining, they're great, but they do give a little bit of an incentive to get some me-time out of the house.

Unless you are one of the 0.01% that actually does something with their life that helps progress mankind.

What, like being a sperm-donor on your rest day...?!

A day of chilling out is absolutely amazing now and then.

No idea why some might think you should be on the go 24/7/365

I’ve planned to have a wasted day tomorrow. I’m not in a good place at the moment so I can’t wait. Get up when I want, no one to pretend for and the whole day for myself to do with as I please.

It’s good now and again, you do so much ton, you deserve one day.

I have days when I feel worn out through work and play. I just rest and the next day I have re-booted.

Very occasionally I have a day of doing nothing much. It's usually a sign that I'm a bit under the weather but I always have a guilty feeling about it. I then realise that's what normal people do, most weekends and I'm just thankful that I'm not normal. Being normal must be awful.

After a day yesterday of chasing my downhill bike riding mates around BPW on a hardtail I thought I deserved a lie in,some sausage rolls and a gallon of assorted IPAs today!

I’m with the others, it’s your time to do with whatever you want...
I’m in the same boat as countzero ie 64 with a body that has seen better days!!!!!
However at the end of Feb I will have plenty of time to do nothing or anything I wish to do.... no more commute, no more spanner’s, no more stairs with toll bag over shoulder....

Classic over-training. Time for a week off.

A couple of years ago, for 10 weeks I booked every Wednesday off work, I didn't wast that day, I actually went for some nice long rides training for an event, but I felt great, really invigorated and relaxed working a day less per week, and I think splitting the week into 2x2 working days was perfect.

I am 50 this year, and I am thinking that I will go to my boss and negotiate a 4 day week. IMO we should all be on 4 day weeks now, and we would be happier and healthier for it.

I didn't waste a single day last year, I pretty much single handedly finished a kitchen extension, decorated most of the rest of the house, rode as much as I could, spent quality time with the kids, worked 12 hour days at work and dealt with the death of my father.
After starting to feel a bit rubbish and explaining life to my doctor, it was all he could do not to call me a p###k.
Lazy days are only lazy if that's all you do.

Yes feel like this occasionally.

Personally I would use it as a reminder how interia grinds you down.

Usually get off my arse and don't look back.

No one ever felt good after being in front of the telly for hours.

I’ve eaten some frazzles

Good snackage but Frazzle burps are toxic.

For anyone worried about wasting days, get a dog. Forces you outside every day.

I get this, unless I’ve planned to do it in advance. I hate the feeling that I’ve missed an opportunity to DO something.

It feels like it stems from a combination of age and fulfilment at work, I’ll try and explain:

You know as a kid when you had the big summer holiday and you thought it would last forever, and then with only a week left to ‘back to school’ you got an increasing panic that it was nearly over and you had to run around to make the best of what’s left? I have that as a background feeling all the time, but it really kicks in if I’ve done nothing all day.

I think it’s also made worse if you feel that your days at work are unfulfilling.

I can see this might become something of a midlife crisis one day soon 😄

My lack of guilt of being a layabout is very much rooted in an absurdist worldview that understands the universe will end in futility so what's the point of doing anything in the first place.
There are some very classic signs of workaholics in the thread above - using work/activity to guard off negative feelings.

woke up this morning, feeling a bit groggy, so i have done nothing. apart from watching some snooker.

Worst. Blues track. Ever.

but today couldnt be arsed, and feel guilty about it.

anyone else get this?

everytime i don't ride when there's no reason why I couldn't. if I'm injured and riding is impossible I am a miserable surly git.

I've been wasting days since 18 August when I bust my collar bone. I had a good month off after that, another leading up to Christmas following the plating op and now I'm still relaxing evenings and weekends as I won't have the first x-ray for another month yet to check everything is OK and then I can tackle the frozen shoulder. While I was back at work before Christmas a colleague was giving me lifts to and from work.

Thanks to Youtube I've discovered the videos of the restoration of Tally Ho, a Bristol Channel pilot cutter, lots of stuff on saving animals and stacks of music. Been reading a lot and managed not to gain weight. TBH I've never felt better or more relaxed.

I had a weekend like this... the big problem is going back to work on Monday with another 5 days ahead before the next weekend.. 🙁
Had my son over and all he wanted to do was play Fortnite, he has injured a knee so didn't want to go riding. Feel like we should've been doing stuff together.. I ended up in the garage messing about with bikes. Now.. it's Monday. ugh

I occasionally feel a bit annoyed that I didn't do something, I lack motivation sometimes.

Sometimes you need to just have a rest and chill though, I got up at 830 this morning to drop my car off, don't need to leave for work until 1300 so have loads of time to get stuff done. Feeling a bit groggy so gone back to bed, which will probably mean I won't still feel rubbish in a couple of days time.

I sort of get where you are coming from. When I was working 5 days I was more determined to get out and do something (not necessarily riding) at the weekend. Fewer days working means I'm more likely to postpone if the weather isn't great. After a few days of that I feel they've been "wasted". Of course it helps to have a range of activities to do. I can almost always squeeze in a short run in an evening if all else fails.

considering buying a ebike for commuting, to hopefully feel fresher at the weekend.

I thought you had one when you were having the heart problems?

Rest is the most important thing in the world.

Seriously? You've ever heard of pizza then??

I thought you had one when you were having the heart problems?

I did indeed, but got rid of it once I got mended.