Planning Entertainment

In February, we’re talking all things Household Management, and focusing in this week on The Invisible Chores. Today, I’ll share some tips about planning entertainment.
Listen, nobody told me that when I became an adult, I would have to entertain myself. I don’t think the thought ever crossed my mind as a kid that all of my family vacations were planned, that my parents made arrangements for friends to come over, and even the TV was chosen for me based on the limited selection of what was on at the time. We live in an age where entertainment is abundantly available, even in the middle of a freaking pandemic. Prioritizing and planning entertainment might sound a little over-the-top type A for most people, BUT consider for a second what hours you’ve wasted watching the same thing on repeat without intentionally choosing to. Yeah, you know you have. I have, too.
This year I took up journaling, and one of the pages I set was a first-half entertainment and culture page, where I listed out TV shows I wanted to try, albums or composers I wanted to listen to, museums I hope to visit, hikes I want to explore, and books I want to read. It’s really easy for me to flip on the same thing I’ve been watching because I don’t want to take time to find something new. It’s FREAKING EXHAUSTING to make all the decisions all the time. But spending ten minutes making lists about what I want to consume in a place where I can easily access them has helped me keep fresh entertainment coming my way in an otherwise stagnant season of life. It’s also helped me feel free to cancel certain subscriptions and take on others—switching our streaming indulgences to HBO Max, for example, has introduced me to amazing shows I had never before watched like The Sopranos, Game of Thrones, and even the limited Raised by Wolves. You can always switch from service to service if you want, rotating through when you get bored. We’re in a world of month-to-month payment and contract free life, which is amazing.
As I mentioned, I also keep cultural experiences on my list. I work in the arts and went to school for music, so it can actually become easy for me to seek out entertainment that is unrelated. But finding new music outside of the sphere I work in breathes fresh life into my love of what I do. Additionally, art museums have always been a place of calm and rest for me, so making a point to visit them when I could just as easily stay at home is a treat. Planning for entertainment can help bring you back to who you are and who you want to be.
Most of my entertainment is consumed alone or with one other person, but it can be fun to connect with others around the same entertainment experience. I’ve watched a few seasons of the bachelor both in person and simultaneously at a distance with friends and it’s brought us closer together. I recently joined a book club, and it was a different experience reading a book knowing I would be talking about it with others who had read the same thing around the same time I had. I also like to have games on hand for two to four players, because I love some friendly competition. If I didn’t plan to have the games on hand, the laughter of playing them with friends and family wouldn’t happen.
Whether you want connection or solitude from your entertainment, excitement or rest, making a plan for it can help you achieve your entertainment goals and make time for the fun stuff of life.
How do you plan for entertainment in your home? Let me know on Instagram @nowthatimnotyourteacher, and if you connected with this episode, I would love for you to share it with a friend.