INPUT ARTICLE: Article: Running kids to soccer practice, taking dogs for a walk, and taking on extra projects at work aren't the activities of an idler. Cloud-watching? Meditating? Drinking tea? Now we're talking. Identify the things that you enjoy doing the most, regardless of whether or not culture views them as "productive."  What would you do if money were no object? Design the perfect version of your day. When would you wake up? What would you do first? What will you have done before lunch time? List out your major priorities in life. What could you do now, today, to make these things happen more easily? If you want to be able to sit and drink coffee and read the paper, undisturbed, could you do this? What's keeping you from getting the idle time you want? Helping your friend move, staying late at the office, taking time out to help the neighbor paint the house? Saintly activities, no doubt, but this kind of stuff seriously cuts into idle time that you may desperately need. Do what you need to do, and continue being reliable for necessary chores, activities, and responsibilities, but stop volunteering for extra stuff. Increasingly, especially with social networking updates and instant-gratification media, we like to glorify busyness as a culture. There's nothing wrong with making a commitment to saving time back for nothing at all. You don't need to have any reason to want to sit in a chair, have a glass of wine, and stare into the middle distance. That's how we stay sane. For some people, a tightly-organized schedule is an essential part of productivity and feeling a sense of accomplishment in the day. For others, it's like a lead weight that hangs around your neck. Who says you have to eat lunch promptly at 12:15, and that it must take exactly 30 minutes, and that you must be back to work by 12:45? Eat when you're hungry. Toss your schedule in the garbage.  Stop wearing a watch, if it stresses you out more than it helps you stay on time. Let yourself stay productive by your own internal workflow, not the little ticks on the clock face. In some languages, conceptions of the way time works are much different. A schedule of hours, from "lunch time" to "coffee break" can be constructed by the language we speak. It's artificial. Tuvans, for example, conceive of the future as behind us, because we can't see it, and that we're walking backward into it. Point being, it's OK to think about the "value" of time differently. Cellphones, social media, and high-speed internet have a way of seriously cutting into idle time. Try to pull back from social media a little bit, and learn to unplug. The "fear of missing out," is an increasingly serious phenomenon. When once you could sit with your thoughts and idle on your way to work, now you have the whole world at your fingertips, from the Kardashians to the Klingons, right on your phone. Your high school friend's marriage pictures. Fifty work e-mails. Someone you met one time in Florida's most recent relationship humble brag. Are these really important parts of your day, right at this moment? Make yourself less available and idle more. In many ways, technology helps us to use our time more wisely. Get in the habit of answering emails right away, so you won't have to worry about responding to them later, cutting into your idle time. If you miss a text, big deal. People shouldn't expect you to be on call 24-7. Ambition gets in the way. The desire for lots of money, a "successful" career, and even things like fame and recognition do a lot to keep us unhappy, disappointed, and turn us into mindless workaholics. Stop feeding your ego and start feeding your idle. Make happiness and leisure your biggest goal and let the other things drift away. Some psychologists will refer to a "locus of control." Some people have an external locus, meaning that they seek approval from others, while some people have an internal locus, meaning that they only seek the approval of themselves. Be happy making yourself happy, not working to get the recognition of others. If what you want to do is drink a bottle of beer and watch the sun set, then you have a responsibility to drink a bottle of beer and watch the sun set. Hop to it.

SUMMARY: Prioritize the most important leisurely things in your life. Stop volunteering for extra work. Throw out your schedule. Lose your fear of missing out. Be ambitious for happiness and leisure.


INPUT ARTICLE: Article: School can be a place where meanness and hostility grow, and many students forget the rules of treating each other well. Make a specific effort to be someone who counteracts this. Always speak kindly to people in the class by not criticizing their wrong answers or making fun when they struggle. The person you want to impress will take notice that you are someone who everyone sees as kind and good to be around. There are lots of ways to be more friendly. Go out of your way to be nice to students that usually are overlooked or bullied. Ask people how they are doing and really mean it and listen to their answers. Show an interest in your classmates’ lives outside of school. Your classmates will take notice if you are really great at something. Within the limits of school, you have the basic options of academic success, sports, and the arts, but don’t be afraid to find something outside of school to excel at. You shouldn’t get good at something for the sole purpose of impressing people, but it can be a good addition to making you well-rounded as a person.  You may not have a lot of opportunities to show the talent you have, but if something like a talent show does come up, have the confidence to go for it. It’s also a good option to invite the classmate to participate in the activity with you so you can show them the skills you have. If you want to be noticed, go out of your way to try things that everyone else seems to be afraid of doing. A great way to do this is to volunteer in class when the other students are sitting back not wanting to be picked. Your classmate will see that you are confident and will be impressed by your initiative. School can often be a time of stress, tension, and drama in aspects of school work, fighting among students, and times of performance like giving a speech. When the others around you are giving in to all the pressure, you can maintain a balanced composure and stay cool. Be someone who can handle whatever situations come your way. Your classmate will be impressed and will look to you as someone to rely on when things get rough.  A great way to stay composed in any situation is to take deep breaths and focus your attention on your breathing. When you start to feel stressed, your body's natural response is to speed up your breathing, but this often makes it harder to stay calm. Take breaths more slowly than you normally would. It can also help you stay calm to pause for 5-10 seconds before responding or reacting. Losing your cool tends to happen in an instant, but if you practice waiting for a little while before doing anything, you will have time to think first. It’s fairly common among students, and even adults, to want to talk a lot about themselves and tell all about their lives. You can make an impression on someone by showing true interest in what they like and think about. Go out of your way to notice some of their interests and then learn about those for yourself. Your classmate will be impressed that you cared to let them share with you and that you took an interest in them.  If you take the time to get into the interest they told you about, you can go back to the person and tell them about your experience. If they mention a band, go listen to their albums and tell them what you liked about it. Or watch the person’s favorite movie and go repeat a line from it to him or her. With so many people bragging about themselves and wanting everyone to notice them, you can stand out by giving a compliment. If your classmate wears an outfit you like, tell them how great they look. If they do well on a project or big assignment, congratulate them. If you know they played well in a sport over the weekend, tell them nice job. You can do this consistently over time, but not so often that it becomes obvious you are doing it.

SUMMARY:
Be friendly. Be good at something. Be confident in trying new things. Keep cool under pressure. Ask your classmate about his or her interests. Give a compliment.