Write | Inspire | Dream
Free Time Productive Free Time Productive
Over the last few weeks on La.Rue, we’ve discussed several ways you can implement positive habits into your routine. But today I want to talk about free time and how we can stay productive. Free time is separate from your time to relax and decompress. Think of your free time as the time you set aside to accomplish something, whereas your time to relax is meant for just that. You can start using your free time to learn something new, grow your abilities, your knowledge, and potentially your success. Sometimes we can have a habit of being lazy when we shouldn’t or even don’t want to be because we don’t know what to do with our time. So, today on La.Rue, I want to share 4 ways successful people spend their free time.
Next time you have a free day and need some inspiration, choose one of these activities for your time. Now, of course, not every day off needs to be spent this way; we all have errands to run and lives to keep up with. But it’s nice to sprinkle these days in here and there to keep things interesting. So, on your next day off, grab a friend or two, do lunch, and keep your “free day” productive.
Take a Class
There is always something in our lives we want to learn more about. At any age, in any subject, our interests continue to grow, and our thirst for knowledge never subsides. Taking a new class is a fantastic use of your free time. It’s a great way to get to know more about something you love, grow your interests, and spend your time wisely. Most people don’t know how many classes are at their disposal. In most small cities and towns, local community colleges often offer adult art, culinary, design, literature, language, and more basic skills classes for reasonable prices. If you’re lucky and live in a big city, the opportunities are usually even greater to take some really fantastic and sometimes very unique classes.
Something important to remember is that it’s never too late to learn something new. You don’t need to be in college to take classes or to expand your knowledge. So sign up for a class once a week or even once a month and learn more about the thing you’ve always wanted to.
Visit Museums & Galleries
Living in New York, one of my favorite things to do was spend a day walking around a museum. With a coffee in hand, I would spend my time enjoying art and soaking in the culture. It’s easy to have so many museums at your disposal in a city like Manhattan, never running out of places to go. I understand if this option isn’t as easy if you’re not in a big city. But many people have the ability to travel not too far to the nearest city and spend the day strolling through their local art and history museums. Sometimes, what we need is a day spent away from our phones and technology, reconnecting to history, art, and culture. Museums help us see different perspectives around the world, and it’s important to see those perspectives to widen our own.
Next time you have a rainy day coming up, and you know you’ll want to spend it indoors, grab your friend whose most into culture and art, and hit your local museums. You’ll be surprised at how relaxing and enjoyable the day can be.
Pick Up an Old Hobby
Too often in our lives, we’re only making time for the things we have to do. We’re getting through the day doing our work and running our errands, completing our responsibilities. By the time we get to a point in our day where we do have time to ourselves, we’re too tired to actually do something we enjoy. So we turn the TV on and sit there for a few hours before we go to bed to wake up and do the day over again. This is a problem. Start planning time in your schedule to do some of the things you love. Our hobbies and passions in life are important; they keep us centered and happy. Whether your hobby is working out, painting, doing puzzles, whatever it is, make sure you fit it into your schedule.
I know sometimes it can seem like all we want to do is relax our brains and watch TV or sit on our phones. But when you start doing the things you love again, you realize how much time you were wasting doing those things. Go back to doing the things you love.
Read Non-Fiction
There is an endless amount of literature out there with an endless amount of knowledge for us. When I say read some non-fiction, it can range anywhere from reading a book about finance and understanding stocks to a memoir to a self-help book. Literature is the absolute best way to gain knowledge in a short period of time. Similarly to taking a new class, start reading about a subject you’d like to know more about. Whatever the subject, there are hundreds of books on the topic. My recommendation is to start with one subject, compile a list of maybe four or five books on the subject, and head to your local library or book store to purchase them. Another great thing about reading is that you can do it at home or go to a coffee shop, bookstore, beach, park, wherever you want to read your book.
Once you’ve got your four or five books, start reading and see how much you can learn about one subject from those books. I think people forget once they’re out of school how much knowledge a book has to offer.
Your free time is valuable! It’s important to make good use of your days off so you stay feeling productive and keep learning new things. You don’t need to make every free day like this, but like I said, sprinkling them in is important. When you have a solid routine, it’s nice to throw in a fun day to spice things up. So explore your options and what’s available to you and work it into your schedule. I promise just one free day spent doing one of these things will change your mindset, grow your knowledge, and certainly make you feel happy about spending your free time doing something productive.
