7 Ways To Increase Leisure Time: According to Science

In today's fast-paced society, where everyone is always on the go, it can be tough to find time for leisure. You may think that you don't have a choice but to keep up with the pace and stay busy all day long. We all know that it's important to take time for yourself every day. It is crucial in order to avoid burnout, maintain productivity and stay healthy. But sometimes when you are busy with work, kids, or other responsibilities, it can be hard to find the time.

There were actually 7 scientifically proven ways you can follow to make sure your leisure time doesn't go away! Read this blog post and learn how!

In studies, many claims they’re too busy to make friends outside the job, too busy to date, too busy to sleep, and too busy to have sex. Eight in ten Britons report being too busy to eat dessert, even though four in ten feel dessert is better than sex. We’re in such a hurry that the usual sound bite for a presidential candidate has been shortened from forty seconds in 1968 to 7.3 seconds in 2000. Remember those unused vacation days? People say they’re too busy to take a vacation and too busy for a lunch break.

Neuroscientists have discovered that being this busy decreases your brain, which isn't good for your health.

...the cerebral cortex of the prefrontal lobes. It's the key to our collective intelligence, really. We are who we are because of the size and complexity of our brains, which sets us apart from other creatures. And, according to Ansell and other neuroscientists, that yellow blob does something alarming when a person is rushed, hurried, and caught up in the overwhelm

How did we get to this place? In what way did this happen?

I have an answer, but it might surprise you or even anger you.

It's all a lie. You have more free time now than you did before.

Do I sound crazy? Keep on reading.

You aren't busy. You're simply overworked.

We've been duped into thinking we're too busy when, in reality, most of us are just overworked. We have more leisure time now than ever before, but because we're constantly plugged in and working, we don't realize it.

The reason we feel overwhelmed even though we're not is that we have so many things to do. Our time is so broken up.

It's more mentally draining to switch back and forth between checking your email, making dinner, watching TV, and finishing that report than it is to do each one at a time.

Multitasking is killing us. And what's even better?

Even attempting to multitask is useless. Even if we think we're getting more done, it actually decreases our productivity.

Actually, it causes you to be dumber than if you were drunk or stoned.

When people try to do two things at once, they often wind up doing both less well than if they had done each one sequentially. The impairment is so great that when people are trying to do two mentally demanding tasks at once, their performance on the second task can drop as much as 50 percent

In the 1950s and 1960s, people only worked 35-40 hours a week. Now, we work an average of 47 hours a week. We've added on more work without taking away our leisure time.

In the past, when people had free time, they would spend it resting or relaxing. But now, because we're so plugged in and always working, we fill that free time with more work. We take our work home with us and continue working on our laptops or smartphones.

We've been conditioned to believe that we're too busy for leisure when in reality, we have more free time now than ever before. So how do we take advantage of this? Is there anything that we can do about it, then?

Experts recommend the following:

It's time to write everything down.

To order to reduce that intense feeling, what's the first step?

Write down anything that's going through your head. Writing helps to relieve stress and organize your ideas.

Start by creating a schedule and sticking to it. Creating a schedule can be helpful in reducing stress and anxiety because it gives you a plan of action. When everything is planned out, you don't have to worry about forgetting something or running out of time.

Now is the time to get rid of all the worry that's consuming your energy. Your brain doesn't have to expend energy to maintain remembering your to-do list if it exists on paper"

I've read that eight out of ten people hope to publish a book at some point in their lives. You might want to get started on writing your book's introduction right now. It has been my experience that personal pursuits like these can provide a pleasant respite from the demands of a job or school.

The choice is yours: Prioritize or Die.

Remember this: you can't finish everything. There are many more critical factors to consider.

If you don't prioritize, you'll end up with a clean garage but no work.

Begin by focusing on the most important tasks first. If you don't, you may never get to the important stuff.

Eliminating stressors from our life is virtually impossible, but managing them is definitely doable.

Although it's impossible to completely eliminate stress from our lives, there are ways to manage it. Follow these tips and you'll be on your way to a less stressful lifestyle.

The ability to treasure and protect the connections you have with the things that matter most in your life — people, places, activities, pets, a spiritual connection, a piece of music, even stuff — is important to make the most of today. Because too many links might stifle growth. You can't go wrong if you focus your energy on the people who are most important to you and give them the attention they deserve."

Make things happen for you.

You don't have to use a lot of effort to do things that you do on a regular basis. The more routines you develop, the less stressful they will be.

To avoid making decisions, create routines and habits that you perform without thinking.

Find something you enjoy doing and stick with it. Some of these things may be hobbies or sports that you've abandoned since you didn't think you could continue to participate. Find a method to make it work for you and your lifestyle if that is what is required.

Make the time to do it. Make a commitment to yourself and follow through with your appointment. Protect your time from interruptions such as work, chores, or anything else that might interfere with it. Use your Outlook calendar on your phone or a paper day planner to schedule in time, even if it's only 15 minutes every day, and treat it as you would any other calendar item on your schedule.

Automating tasks is the key to getting more done. Making decisions is draining: it takes mental and emotional energy.

Making tasks more automatic, rather than manual, is the surprising secret to getting more done."

When you're constantly making decisions, your brain gets tired. The more decisions you make throughout the day, the harder it is for your brain to function at its best.

Perform Your Job Like An Athlete.

We weren't built to be on call all the time. Just like professional athletes, we were built to go from one sprint to the next, with a short break in between.

It's time to take a break and recharge.

We're not designed as human beings to constantly be 'on.' We need downtime, restorative breaks, moments when we're not tethered to our devices or bogged down by work."

Cycles are a normal part of life, both in terms of sleep and mental activity. Make sure to take regular rests in order to perform at your peak.

We need to honor our natural cycles, and that means taking breaks when we're tired and resting when we're done. It also means disconnecting from work during the weekends and holidays."

How often do you see a flyer for an event or activity, but disregard it because you don’t have the time? My idea is to keep those intriguing activities so that you can utilize them when you do have time. Prepare opportunities for your time off in advance.

Switch to one-tasking now.

It's hard to find the time or energy for hobbies, relaxing, or activities that are just recreational when you've got a lot on your plate already. Take a day off. Make sure your house is clean and well-maintained. Get to the bottom of that to-do list and finish it.

Make sure you don't try to do everything at once. That's what makes you feel tired and it doesn't work.

Focus on the most important thing you can do that day, and don't worry about the rest. There will be no interruptions, such as emails or phone calls, during this time.

Then manage your life with MS at the same time. Then, if you're not too worn out, you might be able to do something you really enjoy.

The best way to get things done is to focus on one task at a time."

Multi-tasking can actually lead to decreased productivity and an increase in mistakes.

When we try to do too many things at once, our brain gets overwhelmed and we're not able to complete any of them as well as if we had focused on just one.

You'll be amazed at how much more you can get done when you're not constantly switching gears.

Practice OHIO: Only Handle It Once

That means if you can't do something about it in 60 seconds or less, don't even bother.

Do you know what to do with the email you've opened 60 times today, but aren't sure what to do? Put a stop to it now.

Determine what you want to do.

Find a hobby or activity that you enjoy. Perhaps you've quit a hobby or a sport because you didn't think you could participate any longer. Find a method to make it work for you if you need to. It's worth the effort, so schedule it in.

Set a date and time to deal with the issue, respond, trash it, or ignore it altogether.

Make an appointment and stick to it. Don't let anything interfere with your personal time, whether it's work, errands, or anything else. Set aside 15 minutes each day, no matter how small the amount of time it takes to complete your daily tasks, and treat it the same as any other item on your list.

To waste time and energy on irrelevant tasks, you need to stop going back to the same ones.

When it comes to a document or journal or any concrete item, try your best to 1) respond to it right away, 2) put it in a labeled file, not a pile, or 3) trash. Option 3 is the most commonly recommended."

This will help you focus on the things that are important and get them done faster.

Have goals for your time off.

I know, I know. Doing nothing is what most of us identify with the term "leisure." To see it in that light is, however, dangerous.

We're also prone to checking email and accessing the typical 17 applications we multitask on because of our routines.

So, create a goal for your time off and enjoy it. When you're focused on something enjoyable, you're more likely to relax.

Most lab studies of leisure time have been done by Roger Mannell, a psychologist at the University of Waterloo. This is what his research has shown. People get into the flow, which is an engrossing and timeless state that some people call peak human experience when they have control over what they do with their free time.

Part of the problem with leisure is that people don't know what they want. They don't know what "leisure time" means to them." "And they don't stop long enough to figure it out."

Leisure doesn't have to be unproductive. It can actually involve a lot of effort and be very rewarding.

Think about what you want to do during your time off, whether it's reading, traveling, spending time with family and friends, or developing a new skill. Taking classes without worrying about your grade point average or receiving letter grades might make learning a lot more fun. Try learning a new language, taking up martial arts, or learning how to speak in front of a crowd.

Make sure you're not just sitting in front of the TV all day long!

Conclusion

There is a lot more to leisure activities than simply filling your time with something to do. Health benefits can be felt both physically and mentally.

Recognize that you require it. Leisure isn't just for people who work long hours in difficult occupations; we all require regular, healthy breaks from our day-to-day duties to maintain our health and well-being.

Make no mistake: this is a serious matter. We've demonstrated that your leisure time is a critical component of your overall health — now remember to treat it as such. Keep yourself from going back into the cognitive process that views leisure as "additional" or "bonus." It is not an add-on; rather, it is a crucial, enriching, and healthy component of one's overall well-being.

You can make time for fun in your life if you prioritize it. It doesn't matter if you do it alone, with friends, with a partner, or with your children; the important thing is that you do it.

You won't be able to escape your troubles by spending time in leisure, but it will provide the skills and resources you need to do so.

When it comes down to it, leisure is just doing something you enjoy while not feeling any particular responsibility or need to get things accomplished. Recreational activities, especially when done in a group setting, can help you connect with your community, get you out and interacting with friends and peers, and even help you create or maintain a social network of people.

The quality of your life improves when you spend time relaxing. Is this something you're interested in? So, treat yourself to something fun and see how much less stressful, happier, and more productive your life becomes as a result.