You may dream about having all the free time in the world. Yet, according to research by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, most people are actually happier when they’re at work than during their off-time. This surprising revelation is not so surprising when you consider that unstructured leisure time can lead to boredom and apathy. And many people, when faced with a truly free day, feel like a fish out of water, not knowing quite how to make the most of their coveted day off.
Well, this article from Lifehack has got some great suggestions. My favorites include:
Get a Hobby: Pick something that you enjoy doing, but doesn’t have the looming deadlines or to-do lists common to your workplace.
Learn a Skill: Learning can be incredibly enjoyable when there are no letter grades.
Write Your Book: Maybe now is the time to start working on your first draft.
Exercise: Exercising releases hormones that improve your mood, among many other benefits.
Always Have a Book: Light reading can be a great way to stay engaged.
Use Your Social Circle: Conversing with friends is actually a fairly complex mental task.
Play Games: Learning and playing a game can provide a stress-free engaging environment.
Create Something: Pick something small, but meaningful.
For those of you who are wondering, “Free time? What free time?” -- I can relate. In fact, not long ago it wasn’t unusual for me to work over 100 hours a week. I knew that I couldn’t keep this up forever, but I didn’t want to sacrifice any of my goals and passions. Well, I came across what I can now confidently say is one of the BEST resources on productivity and time management: Tim Ferriss’ The Four-Hour Work Week.
If you follow Tim’s advice, you will find out how to balance your life so that you can follow your passions, achieve your goals, AND have time off to do whatever it is that you please.
If your problem is just pure procrastination then you might want to read this article.