How to Use Leisure Time to be More Productive
The pressure to be as productive as possible from the moment we wake up until our heads hit our pillows again can make leisure feel like the enemy.
When we do step away from our desks or clock out at the end of the day, a sense of guilt can set in: "Shouldn't I be doing SOMETHING?"
And if we don't have a workout or a date with our spouse planned, we might try to fill that need for "something" with whatever is handy: usually our phones and a long block of doom scrolling or binge watching.
But if we stop treating our leisure time like leftovers, we can use it to recharge, reflect, and return to our personal and professional obligations with more energy and focus.
- Stay Active
At the end of a workday, you're allowed to feel tired – especially if long hours of cooking, cleaning, kids' sports, and homework are still on your to-do list.
By the time your day is truly done, you might feel an irresistible pull ... towards the couch and the nearest screen.
But not all rest is equal. Passive activities like scrolling or half-watching hours of TV are like junk food. You get that dopamine hit, but by the time you snap back to the living room you probably still feel lethargic and maybe even stressed.
Active leisure time, such as reading, crafts, hobbies, sports, and exercise, is far more enriching. Focusing on these kinds of activities can even put you into a "flow state," which research links to greater happiness and cognitive performance.
Even better, spend your leisure time with friends and family. A run with an exercise buddy or game night with your kids can nurture your relationships while helping you reset for the next day at work.
- Learn for Joy
For many high achievers, the pressures of school and earning prestigious degrees turned all learning into a chore. And, as a professional, learning is almost always tied to a metric or a corporate goal: a new certification, a promotion, a tech adoption that will increase efficiency, a market study that will help you stay ahead of the competition.
Try using leisure time to separate learning from work. Hire a golf coach who can help you lower your handicap. Brush up on your French before you and your spouse take that big anniversary trip to Paris. Learn to paint, play an instrument, or cook a dish from a world cuisine that isn't usually on your household's menu.
Or take a deep dive into a topic that you know absolutely nothing about and see how your perspective on the world changes.
Teaching, mentoring, and volunteering can also be valuable learning experiences. As you share what you know, you'll also learn from your students and forge stronger connections to your profession, your passions, and your community.
- Avoid a Side Hustle
If you learn to play golf better, you might start playing more golf. Maybe you're on the course three times a week. Then every day, training for amateur tournaments that are more stressful than fun.
Maybe you enjoy mentoring young professionals so much that you decide to start your own consulting firm. And hire yourself as CEO.
If friends and family compliment you on your pottery, you might open an online shop. If your crafts don't sell, something you enjoy doing might start to feel like a waste of time.
When you attach unnecessary pressures or goals to your leisure time, it turns into more work. You need regular R&R, not something else to “optimize” and worry about.
It’s also important to think about how you can use your money to improve recreation. Let’s meet to discuss including more time for you in your Life-Centered Financial Plan.