Do you find yourself unable to find time for fun and leisure? Are there many different things you’ve always wanted to do with your life but never have the time? If yes, then read on.
. A new study has shown that people need at least 7 hours of leisure to be truly happy. But let’s face it: there is no way you could ever find 7 hours for fun and leisure, even if you’re a rich person who works for himself. But there are a number of ways you could free up more time in your hectic environment to do the things you love doing. First, you need to find out the reasons why you don’t have time for fun and leisure. While some of your time pressure may be legitimate, it’s possible that you’re partially responsible for your extremely hectic schedule. If you closely scrutinize how you spend your time, you’ll discover that you are your own worst enemy.
1. You Don’t Schedule Your Time
The reason why you have a hectic, down right crazy schedule is because you don’t have a definite plan to help you manage your time. You’ve never sat down and thought about your life as well as the things you actually do, versus the things you want to do.
To free up time to do the things you love, you need to create a weekly schedule and assign blocks of time for fun and leisure. Make sure you prioritize these blocks and stick to the schedule.
2. You Have a Heavily Packed Schedule
If you already have a schedule, but still don’t get time to do the things you love then you probably have an overly cluttered schedule. You’ll never get time for fun and leisure if you have an overly cluttered schedule, full of tasks, projects, errands and appointments. To have a happy and fulfilling life, you must find ways to create large spaces in your schedule.
Take a time out and rethink your routine. Ask yourself: is there a more effective way of doing things? Identify the things that actually fill up your schedule. Then, determine the things you could minimize or drop altogether from your “mad” schedule to make more time. This will help you to create a more optimal schedule, full of activities you enjoy.
3. You’re Always Connected
Another reason you never have the time to indulge in activities you love is because you’re always online, communicating with you workmates or simply checking all sorts of information on the internet. To put it simply, each day of your life is colonized by online tasks and emails. And you still wonder why you don’t have time for fun and leisure. The internet is a huge distraction, which often leads to reduced productivity. To improve your efficiency, you need to set specific times for internet connectivity. Avoid being connected all the time. Browse the web only when you have to.
4. You Don’t Delegate
Failure to delegate is another probable reason why you don’t have time for fun and leisure. If you hold a senior position in your organization, you may feel like you need to do everything. But this will only put you under constant demands and pressures that could even ruin your life. To free up a little time for fun, you should consider delegating some tasks to your subordinates or coworkers. This will also allow you to focus on the core responsibilities that you ought to be focusing on.
5. Your Workspace Is Full Of Distractions
Look around your workspace. Are there any papers lying around, or other visual clutter that needs your attention? Do you have a phone that often goes off at the wrong time, or email, or IM notifiers, or coworkers who constantly distract you from your work? If yes, then there is no need to look elsewhere for the reason why you don’t have time to do the things you love. These potential distractions can greatly reduce your effectiveness and cause you to waste time.
6. You Are A “YES” Person
Lastly, if you’re the kind of person who can’t say NO then you’ll never have time for fun. This is because your boss or coworkers will always try to take advantage of your “good” nature by bombarding you with requests for favors, such as asking you to help them out in their tasks or projects. To get time for fun and leisure, you have to be protective about your time.
Ref: lifezap
