I often wonder what I would actually do if I were marooned on a desert island.

Would I just give up, wallow in lonely self-pity until I dried up like an empty corn-husk? Would I laze around all day gorging on wild berries, makeshift sushi, swimming in the sea and building sandcastles? Or would I do all the things I complain I have no time to do now — write that book I started, read more, do arts and crafts, learn to tap dance? The list is endless.

Although not quite Castaway, this past week I’ve been marooned in a Devon village, in South-West England. Fortunately a warm, comfortable roof over my head, but no telephone, no internet and nobody there but me.

And what did I do? I watched TV.

I’m appalled to admit it. I finally get time to myself, uninterrupted, free to do anything I want, and I waste it.

In the beginning it’s like I had to test the lack of boundaries in my aloneness: I ate at weird times, whatever I fancied, stayed up late and completely indulged my need to switch off (or in this case, switch on) and vegetate.

By day two, I was at least catching up on some work and chores, but … still watching television.

The third day I was antsy. I needed exercise, fresh air. The BBC was on in the background but no longer satisfying. I longed for productivity. ‘How do I make my time here count?’

Day 4: I don’t bother switching on. I’m ready to begin. So, what to do first?

Except it’s time to leave already, back to civilisation.

International coach Brian Tracey coined ‘Someday Isle’, the place dreams go to die because we put them off for ‘someday’, which never comes unless we make it. But for me it did come. The problem was I didn’t know what to do there.

We spend so much time anchored in our ‘real world’, making lists, setting goals for our jobs, our finances etc. But we don’t give the same credence to our dreams and desires; the soul-savers we complain we never have time for.

May I suggest we:

1. Make firm goals for those ‘someday’ dreams too. Prioritise them. Know what we want to do and where to start.

2. Keep those passions burning bright. Remind ourselves why they are important to us, the value these ‘extras’ bring to our lives: making our hearts sing, us happy.

3. Stay ready. We may not know when we’ll be lucky enough to get marooned, but at least we’ll be prepared to make the most of it. And with all the prep work done, we might even book the trip ourselves.

Note to self: Stay longer than four days and unplug the telly!

Julia Pitt is a trained success coach and certified NLP practitioner on the team at Benedict Associates. For further information contact Julia on 705-7488, www.juliapittcoaching.com.