scheduling leisure time essay

Laura Vanderkam Laura Vanderkam Writer, Author, Speaker

Should you plan your leisure time, or does that take the fun out of it.

No! Say researchers at Washington University. According to a series of studies ( written up in Time — originally in Health — see link here ), people who schedule their leisure time enjoy it less. It feels too much like work.

Longtime readers know I am quite a planner, and so I have to admit, I have been puzzling over this contribution to the marketplace of ideas since alert reader ARC sent me that link. I feel this conclusion is lacking some nuance, much like people used to think that fat makes you fat, and now we know it is not so simple. Other research has found that anticipation accounts for a major chunk of human happiness. It is hard to anticipate something you haven’t planned.

There are likely some other things going on too. Some people hate to plan and some people love to plan. If a study (and maybe the population at large) had more “Ps” than “Js” in the old Myers-Briggs taxonomy, you might decide that planning was problematic, when in reality it is problematic for some people and not for others. I also think it is quite possible that the researchers hit upon the phenomenon that we never feel perfect bliss in the moment. You can be unhappy at a party you have looked forward to for months because your feet hurt. (I would point out — if you planned to go, and enjoyed the anticipation, however, you still reaped real enjoyment! Just not during. But does it have to be during to count?).

But anyway, let us say this conclusion is true: planning our leisure means we enjoy it less. So what? The problem with accepting the logical conclusion — stop planning your leisure time! — is that in order to enjoy leisure time at all it has to happen . And if you have a busy life with moving parts — for instance, if you are a working parent of small children — you have to plan or there will be no leisure in your life beyond watching TV. That is the easiest thing to do, and it does not require any planning to do during the downtime that presents itself after the kids go to bed or are occupied with other things.

Now I grant that watching TV with a glass of wine can certainly be fun. I will even grant that if you have a dinner reservation at a hot restaurant with your two best friends — which required coordinating with their schedules, and calling the restaurant, and booking a sitter if you are the sole adult in charge — you may, while sitting on the couch watching TV, feel like it is a bit of trouble to roust yourself, get dressed, give the sitter instructions, and so forth. If a researcher talked with you at that moment, you might express your displeasure. However, in the grand scheme of things, you will probably still be happy you went. The evening will be a source of more happy memories than sitting on the couch with the wine would be.

I think this gets at the distinction between effortless fun, and effortful fun. Because effortful fun involves, well, effort, and effort can be unpleasant, it is always easier to under-invest in this side of life. But if we refuse to engage in effortful fun because of that unpleasantness, this would basically mean a life of no parties, no performances that could not be decided on as you were walking past the venue at the last possible second, no getting together with friends who have busy schedules, no book clubs, no volunteer gigs, etc. I find it hard to believe that such a life would be more enjoyable than one that was better planned.

In other news: The New York Times ran a very nice profile of my brother-in-law and his work in health care.

In other, other news: I am writing a piece about how to become an “intellectual middleman/woman.” A lot of innovation is about combining ideas from disparate fields. So how do you expose yourself to different ideas? Some suggestions so far: following different thought leaders on Twitter, buying new magazines to fill the white space of airport wait time, etc.

Photo: My daughter and I went shoe shopping, and this is what we came home with.

Free Time Makeover Guide

Figure out where the time really goes—and where you’d like it to go—so you can spend more time on what matters, and less on what doesn’t.

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Should You Schedule Your Free Time or Go With the Flow?

Albert Costill

Wednesday, November 6th, 2019

The other night, without being provoked, I woke-up suddenly from a deep sleep. My mind was in a frenzy about everything that I needed to do tomorrow. Of course, those thoughts snowballed into all of the errands, deadlines, and appointments I had scheduled for the upcoming week and month. It was a chore to get back to homeostasis and doze off for a couple more hours. But, should you schedule your free time or go with the flow?

Obviously, I’m not the only one who has had this experience. We all have a million things to do. On top of work obligations, there also personal responsibilities like picking up dry cleaning, taking your dog to the vet, household chores that keep piling up, and spending quality time with the fam. With so much to do and little time to get around to everything, how on Earth can you possibly squeeze in any “ me time “?

Well, you could schedule all of your free time. That means if you wanted to go out to dinner with friends or attend a concert, you add these to your calendar. It may sound extreme. But, it prevents you from scheduling anything else during this block of time.

The other option would be to “wing it.” If you went into this direction, then you would leave your calendar black whenever you’re “off-the-clock” and see how things fall into place. Without a rigorous schedule, you’re able to spend your time however you wish — without being restained to your calendar.

But, which approach is best? To answer that question, let’s look at the advantages and disadvantages of each method. Likely the best idea will be to find a balance between the two.

The importance of free time — and how it should be spent.

Before I go any further, I want to discuss why free time is essential. I know. You might be rolling your eyes at this. Who realistically has the luxury of such a thing? But, everyone, including entrepreneurs, needs to realize that there’s more to life than work. If you want to have a more meaningful and fulfilled life, then free time should be a priority for the following reasons.

For starters, free time makes you happier. Researchers have even found that free time can make you happier than money.

“It appears that people have a stable preference for valuing their time over making more money, and prioritizing time are associated with greater happiness,” said lead Ashley Whillans, who was the lead researcher from the study conducted by the University of British Columbia. Their research also shows that “giving up a few hours of a paycheck to volunteer at a food bank may have more bang for your buck in making you feel happier.”

Whillans adds that “buying time boosts happiness by mitigating the effects of time stress — the feeling that there aren’t enough hours in the day.” For some, that may sound obvious. After all, if you continuously feel pressed for time, then satisfied, do you think your life will be?

Additionally, free time encourages you to attend to your own self-care, boosts creativity, and gives you something to look forward to. It also can improve relationships since it shows others that they’re a priority. Moreover, it adds flexibility to your calendar and gives you a sense of control. And, most importantly, our brains require downtime to recharge and process information.

Spend your free time wisely.

However, for you to get the most out of your free time, you need to spend it wisely. For example, you may be tempted to spend your entire Saturday binge-watching a show on Netflix. There’s nothing wrong with watching an episode here or there. But, those precious hours should mainly be used towards something more productive like reading, journaling, learning, exercising, catching up on household chores, or hanging out with friends and family.

Other options would be planning a vacation, picking up a new hobby, or organizing your home or workspace. And, don’t forget to relax and reflect to help you decompress and become more present.

The case for and against scheduling downtime.

If you were to look up time management tips, you’d probably notice that a lot of successful people, such as Elon Musk and my colleague John Hall, schedule every minute of their time . On the surface, this makes sense.

“Scheduling my days means that I, not the circumstances around me, dictate how I spend my time,” Hall explains. “My schedule is flexible enough to let me put out fires but rigid enough to ensure that I never find myself wondering what to do next–or when I’ll find time to do the things that matter to me.”

Additionally, scheduling hours forces you to stay focused on the present and prevents conflicts. Did you commit to attending a housewarming party on Friday night? If it’s in your calendar, then you won’t also schedule a happy hour with your team on the same night. As a result, you won’t tick anyone off because you didn’t double-book your time.

Also, because you have more certainty, life isn’t as stressful — no more overcommitting to time requests. Also, no more trying to bite off more than you can chew. You won’t spend your downtime aimlessly wandering around, deciding what you should so. You know precisely how you’re going to spend your time, which, in turn, reduces the number of decisions you have to make.

But, perhaps the best part of scheduling your leisure time is that it makes it happen. As Laura Vanderkam explains, if you have a busy life, especially if you’re a parent, “you have to plan, or there will be no leisure in your life beyond watching TV.” The reason? That’s “the easiest thing to do, and it does not require any planning to do during the downtime that presents itself after the kids go to bed or are occupied with other things.”

The dark side of scheduling free time.

Despite these benefits, there some problems associated with daily scheduling. The most obvious is that it can be stressful. Don’t believe me? Just close your eyes and think about filling your calendar for the next week, month, or year. I’m sure you’re anxiety is through the roof right now. And, to make matters worse, if you have an unpredictable or irregular schedule , planning your free time is even more complicated.

What’s more, this approach doesn’t leave much room for spontaneity or flexibility. Some people may not be able to enjoy the present moment because they’re obsessed with sticking to a schedule, squeezing out every minute.

Why you should, and shouldn’t, go with the flow.

On the flip side, there are some perks to taking the “go with the flow” approach. The most common reason is that it allows for more flexibility in your schedule. Without being shackled to a strict schedule, you’ll become more spontaneous. As a result, you’ll be happier.

But don’t take my word on this. Studies show that those who don’t schedule their free time are indeed happier. “When scheduled, leisure tasks feel less free-flowing and more forced — which is what robs them of their utility,” Selin A. Malkocan an associate professor of marketing at Ohio State University and an author of the study “Activity Versus Outcome Maximization in Time Management,” told the Washington Post .

Furthermore, you’ll be less stressed and more resilient since you aren’t freaking out when plans don’t go accordingly. Instead, you adapt to the circumstances and enjoy the present.

Going with the flow is similar to the concept of “wu wei.” Derived from Taoism, “wu wei, ” basically means taking ‘effortless action’ or ‘actionless action’ and “ being at peace while engaged in the most frenetic tasks so that one can carry these out with maximum skill and efficiency.” It’s like a river flowing down a mountain. Although it’s still active, it’s not trying to do anything else consciously.

The downside of “winging it.”

The idea of just rolling with the punches may sound relaxing and very zen. But, for many people, winging-it can come with heavy costs. Without certainty, it’s much easier for you to get distracted or put other people’s priorities ahead of your own.

Eventually, things will spiral out of control. You’ll have to cancel attending social functions because you already RSVPd to another event. You may bail on meeting with a friend at the last minute because the errands you decided to do on a whim took longer than anticipated.

And, sometimes, going through life without direction can make you anxious. It’s fun sometimes to get lost when driving around. But, what if you can’t find your way back to the highway and you realize that you need gas? There’s probably nothing as terrifying.

Striking the right balance.

As you can see, there pros and cons to both scheduling your free time and going with the flow. The solution then is to find a healthy balance between them.

While this can vary from person-to-person, the most effective way to achieve this is by always scheduling your most important tasks and events. For example, if you can only take your car to the mechanic on Saturday morning, then block out the time for that task. Spouse, partner, or BFF’s birthday? Definitely put that date on your calendar .

When you do this, you prevent any potential scheduling conflicts. And, it creates enough structure in your life to maintain control of it.

Also, like with your work schedule, add time buffers to your schedule so that you aren’t literally rushing from one thing to the next. And, be realistic about how much you can achieve in the available time that you have. It’s ambitious to think that you’ll clean the house, mow the lawn, head to the grocery store, watch a movie with friends, and make it to a wedding on the same day.

Finally, don’t hyper-schedule yourself. When you have unstructured free time, you ’re in a better position to be more spontaneous and flexible.

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My name is Albert Costill and I'm a content marketer at Calendar. If I can help people become more productive in my journey, even better. If you ever have a question about your Calendar or how you can use it - - don't hesitate to reach out. I'm a Calendar Pro.

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Leisure Time Essays

by thangngovan (vietnam)

Hi,

You have written excellent essay and covered everything. Here are very few suggestions that can be added to improve some marks as per examiner's expectation.

1. You may add 2-3 conditional sentences (for example: if, although, even)

2. Complex sentences are also required in essay task 2 such as "not only but also" more and more type)

I am not sure if you already received your desired result and i am late to reply you!

Thanks,

Jul 07, 2013

5 paragraphs are good for an argumentative essay-

Restate the question but use different wording, AND give an idea of YOUR opinion.

Agree with the question statement and give reasons-support.

Show why the "other" opinion has advantages.

Show why YOUR opinion is the RIGHT one- use examples etc

Conclusion- Restate the argument and once again give your opinion.

These type essays work simply in 3 parts:-

Tell the reader what you are going to say

Tell it

: State what you have just said.

Jan 27, 2015

it is very useful.

Sep 27, 2016

I like this short essay on leisure time!!!!!!

I think you should involve some more points to make it a grand one!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I wish you best of luck!!!

regards:namith

Oct 14, 2016

excellent essay thanks

Jun 01, 2017

it is a best essay for children

Jul 31, 2017

Wio....your essay on this topic is good...I thing it is better to do some work oh free time so keep it up.....

Aug 02, 2017

I am really happy with this essay. Great!

But you should add some more points like
1- we can also spend our leisure time by our hobbies. This might make our mind fresh. ................

Well now only this much! Nice essay!
Regards- priya

Aug 02, 2017

Wow,you have written this essay so meaningful. I like it.

Sep 10, 2017

You have written the most meaning full essay. awesome!!!!!

Oct 08, 2017

Wonderful essay it's good and the best one on leisure time and it is beneficial for school students.

Oct 10, 2017

in the last line of your essay there should have been mental not metal it would be great if you would edit

Oct 22, 2017

Thz for ur idea ☺☺☺ Strive the best

Oct 22, 2017

Try ur best bc ur grammar ia a little bit wrong. Fighting.

Dec 27, 2017

Thank you

Jan 17, 2018

This article was very useful for my ASL test. Thank U

Sep 27, 2019

It is to nice and meaningful essay
So that any one can understand it is very nice I am exerting more essay from
Your faithfully
Santosh. P

Jan 16, 2020

You have written a wonderful essay

Aug 07, 2020

Good essay i am really satisfied

Jan 22, 2021

Leisure time is necessary for people after working and studying hard, and there are various recreation activities to do based on oneself. Many people support the methods helping the mind get better, while others endorse the thinking to rest in free time, but it is more effective if we participate in outside activities.

People can indeed improve their ability by practicing pursuits improving the mind. Doing the word puzzles helps us raise logical thinking and solve problems at work more effectively. On the other hand, we can expand our knowledge and absorb more information from books, and mental health will be better.

Standing at the other view, putting the mind at rest by enjoying media entertainment, people reduce the stress. After a long day at work or school, we usually feel tired and need to relax. There are many channels such as watching films, listening to music and playing games, our mind will balance again.

However, the two sorts of pursuits above have some disadvantages, such as we feel more stressed when practicing the mind or being not conscious of using entertaining electronic methods, we should take outdoor actions. When enjoying outside events, for instance, doing exercise or playing sports bring about our physical health will be better, the mind will be refreshed and having energies for new works.

In summary, doing activities, improving our mind in leisure time will enhance our thinking but perhaps, also lead to feeling more stressed. Meanwhile, laying the mind to rest helping us reduce work pressure; however, we can feel graver. Personally, participating in outside pursuits is suitable for both mental and physical health.

Oct 28, 2021

Your essay is great and i get some unique words from the essay. It's very help me to finish my essay.
thank you

Sep 08, 2023

It was actually so helpful.
Whish you good luck

May 04, 2024

It is so good. I love it. 😻

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Pressure at Work and Time to Relax

by Mahesh Senadheera (Sri Lanka)

Many people think that nowadays people are being subjected to more and more pressure in their work and thus are having less and less time to relax. What is your opinion? yes, it is true that people are having less time to relax as they are subjected to more pressure in their work. it has been the routine of the average man to wake up early in the morning, to leave the home for work, to work to dusk and return home late night. Thus it is reasonable to say that people are being subjected to pressure and they have no time even to dream of relax. Due to the distance of the working place, a number of people find it difficult to reach there on time. So it is customory for them to leave the home early in the morning. To finish the daily course of the duty, they work as machines. Very often they fail to complete the duty of the day. The result is the amount of work on his shoulder is graduly climbing up. Consequently, intense of pressure is going up. Whether he is a government or prviate employ, this is the common situation. As a result, he has been deprived of his time to relax an refresh. On the other hand, people in this ultra modern generation are engaging in a very hectic life style because of their personal needs. They have been helpless in the management of their time. Load of the work, duty of the personal and the social life is pressurizing them moment by moment. Unwillingly, duty of the family and children become agrave problem if they do the work for living properly and vice versa. It leaves them only pressure and stress. According to the facts mentioned above, many people in the society today are being deprived of their time to be with the family members, to relax and refresh. Please feedback on my Leisure Time Essay

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Best Use of Leisure Time

by ahmet (istanbul)

Please provide me with some feedback on my Leisure Time Essay. Some people think that it is important to use leisure time for activities that improve the mind, such as reading and doing word puzzles, other people feel that it is important to rest the mind during leisure time. Discuss both opinions and give your own opinion. Many people believe that it is significant using spare time for things that enhance the mind, for instance reading and doing word puzzles. the others think that it is vital to relax the mind during spare time. In my opinion, I agree that people should use leisure time for activities which improve the mind. On the one hand, some people have very exhausting job. Therefore, they would like to relax during leisure time, so they do not want to do anything within this time. They think they need to rest. Moreover, many people are lazy, for this reason they do not keen to do activities to improve the mind. For instance reading a book and doing Sudoku puzzles. On the other hand, many people have stressful job too, but they would like to enhance the mind. Therefore, they do many things within leisure time. Such as reading a novel, solving puzzles, doing exercises which are useful for improving the mind. I think that people who utilize spare time doing activities that boost the mind are more successful than others who love to use spare time for relaxing. Finally, in my opinion, people should use their leisure time to improve the mind. For this reason people should do anything which is useful for enhancing the mind. Moreover, I would argue that, people should hard working not to be idle. So they always doing something to be more successful. Furthermore, I think some activities are so relaxing while they improve the mind. Such as doing Sudoku puzzles. In conclusion, I agree that people should do activities that improve the mind during leisure time. Because, while that they are performing activities for improving the mind, the activities can contribute to job achievement. Moreover, I think, leisure time should be used effectively since it is so precious.


	Good job!! needs some editing.

Dec 02, 2014

Word which you use leisure should not be repeated again and again and one more thing, you were not supposed to use difficult words

Dec 05, 2014

THE IDEA YOU GAVE IN ESSAY IS GOOD .

BUT IT IS NOT WRITTEN IN APPROPRIATE MANNER...

SO JUST NEED ORGANIZED IN A STRUCTURED FORM.

Jun 25, 2015

Wow ..... what a nice essay ,, it really influenced me to use the leisure to improve our mind

Work Pressure and Leisure Time

In regards to this essay, the most important thing you need to do is improve your introduction.

It does only need to be 2 or 3 sentences, but you have introduced the essay very poorly.

Grammar errors make it confusing and you don't seem to have a thesis.

Learn about writing an here.

Dec 01, 2014

Thank you for your response, although i would like to know how about my body paragraphs and conclusion, if i did it well? thank you again.. i will take exam this 2nd week of dec. thank you.

Dec 05, 2014

nice essay, easily understandable to new learners and good sentence constriction

Dec 05, 2014

The content and structure of the body paragraphs and conclusion are ok. You have topic sentences, explain things with examples and answer the questions to a reasonable extent.

But you do have quite a few grammar issues you need to work on.

I can't point them all out so you would need someone to take a look for you so you know where you need to improve in this respect.

Hope the test went well at the weekend.

Let us know your score.

Work and Relaxation

by Long (hong kong )

Many people think that nowadays people are being subjected to more and more pressure in their work and thus are having less and less time to relax. What is your opinion? Leisure time is essential in people's lives especially in this busy world, the valuable leisure time is getting less. However, people have different views on how to utilise their time. Some suggest to have mind improving activities yet the others believe resting is better. This essay will discuss on both sides of arguments. Some people believe having brain stimulation by activities can help in children development. Young people usually learn academic knowledges from school. Other than traditional learning, reading novels or science fiction stimulate their imagination, having mini- games such as world puzzles, Sudoku can facilitate their logical thinking. Multiple players' activities also provide platform for building teamwork. people can fully utilise their recreational time in order to improve their intelligence, which is important to become competitive in this crucial society. However, on the other hand, there are some strongly assert that resting is fundamental for leisure purpose. Nowadays, working over 50 hours a week is commonly seen elsewhere. Therefore, having such brain demanding activities after work or study would be a big burden to the participants. Instead, activities such as exercising, listening to music or even taking a nap would help recharging brain by simply resting. It is obvious that our brains require adequate rest to function in optimal level, people can concentrate on their works or learning after relaxation. In my opinion, both sides have their meets. Resting is significant between working intervals, while mind improving games boost brain development. Hence, I suggest people should employ mind stimulating activities if mentally capable. if people who get fatigue from using brain, mild activities would be good options to recharge. Please feedback on my Leisure Time Essay

Leisure Time and Study

by Orifjon (Tashkent)

In some countries young people have little leisure time and are under a lot of pressure to work hard on their studies. What do you think are the causes for this? What solutions can you suggest? From the perspective of history countries were divided into several levels according to their inner development and status. Nowadays current issue is still in trend. Basically, there are some countries where students study under pressure, not having time to relax or do some leisure activities. In this essay, major reasons and possible solutions will be outlined according to question above. In my modest opinion, the basis of current issue lies in deep roots of education system of discussing countries. More clearly, governments -when planning the system - were now aware of students, who will then have to study following the government's system. Pattern of education was schemed involving positive sides only for governments rather than students. Some countries, for instance, are strictly critisized in planning the system compressed in order to spend less budget of organisation. This is, obviously, the most frightening way of objection of humanity's civil rights. One possible approach can be found in altering the way governments look at future of their own. In other words, the fact that proves that young generation is government's main stick point in the future should agitate them. The second and the main reason, however, touches the field of schools, universities and other educational organisations. The difference between humankind and animals is only - human moral ability to fell and think. By this argument, students are not tend to feel moral help from educational institutions. 2/3 of all educational institutions forgot about "motivation", "inspiration" and "encouragement". In this cruel world all of humanity attempts to show his cruelty and violence. And from my strongest point of view, problem can be solved by encouraging students morally, to support and help by showing various ways that can withdraw out of harsh situations. Educational organisations should find out ways of innovative pedagogical methods. Only this way, problem of student pressure can be solved. By way of conclusion, I find it necessary to reaffirm my point on altering the way governments and educational organisations see their future, otherwise serious problems can occur in society of ours. *** What do you think of this Leisure Time Essay about studying? You can let the writer know by leaving your comments below.


	I have no words! But there were places, where I couldn't catch the meaning. What about others??

Jan 02, 2016

Hey IELTSBuddy, sorry, I'm new and don't know your name. I'd read your criticisms with pleasure, please :)

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Home » The Strategies » Why You Should Schedule Your Free Time

Why You Should Schedule Your Free Time

May 25, 2023

In today’s fast-paced world, it’s easy to overlook the importance of carving out time for leisure and relaxation. With work, family commitments, and countless other responsibilities, many people struggle to find any downtime at all. But scheduling free time can do wonders for your overall health, well-being, and productivity. By consciously setting aside moments for relaxation and personal fulfillment, you can avoid the pitfalls of burnout and achieve a healthier, more balanced lifestyle.

Among the many benefits of scheduling free time are reduced stress and anxiety, improved mood, and increased alertness and energy. By engaging in activities such as meditation, exercise, or even just simple recreational hobbies, you can maximize the positive impact of your free time on your mental and physical well-being. Another key advantage is that you’ll be actively protecting your leisure time from being overtaken by additional work or other obligations.

To get the most out of your scheduled free time, it’s essential to be thoughtful and deliberate in your approach. Assess your current schedule, identify areas of opportunity for growth or change, and prioritize activities that align with your personal values and passions. By doing so, you’ll not only be investing in yourself but also paving the way for increased success and satisfaction in all facets of your life.

Table of Contents

The Benefits of Scheduling Your Free Time

Improved productivity.

Scheduling your free time can actually lead to increased productivity. By setting aside dedicated time for leisure activities, you encourage yourself to complete tasks efficiently and within the allotted time. This helps prevent work from spilling into your personal life, maintaining a healthy work-life balance and preventing burnout. In addition, taking breaks to engage in leisure activities can boost cognition, alertness, and energy, further contributing to productivity.

Higher Happiness Levels

When free time is scheduled, it allows you to focus on activities that genuinely make you happy. This can lead to higher happiness levels and improved mood. Moreover, regularly engaging in pleasurable activities alleviates stress and fosters a more positive mindset. Scheduled leisure time also helps protect your personal time from being hijacked by work or other obligations, ensuring that you give yourself the space to indulge in your favorite pastimes.

Enhanced Creativity

Allocating specific time for leisure can also spark creativity. Engaging in various activities outside your work helps broaden your perspectives, discover new interests and learn new skills. This variety can stimulate your creative thinking and problem-solving abilities. Furthermore, taking breaks from work and spending time on hobbies provides an opportunity to subconsciously process work-related challenges, which can lead to innovative solutions.

Better Health and Well-Being

Scheduling free time is essential for maintaining your overall health and well-being. Participating in recreational activities provides a well-deserved break, allowing your mind and body to rest and recover from daily stressors. Engaging in leisure activities like exercise, meditation, or spending time in nature can improve your physical and mental health, reduce stress and anxiety, and lead to an overall sense of well-being. As a result, you’ll likely take fewer sick days and feel more energized and ready to tackle the demands of daily life.

The Art of Scheduling Free Time

Strategies for prioritizing activities.

When it comes to scheduling free time, it’s essential to prioritize activities based on their importance and value in your life. Start by making a list of activities you enjoy or need to accomplish during your free time. Then, rank them according to their importance to your well-being, personal growth, or social life.

Some strategies for prioritization include:

Identifying which activities contribute to your long-term goals
Allocating time to activities that provide relaxation or stress relief
Considering the needs of your friends and family when scheduling social activities

Keeping a Calendar

A calendar is a crucial tool in effectively scheduling your free time. Whether it’s a physical calendar, a digital one, or a combination of both, keeping track of your commitments and leisure activities helps maintain a healthy work-life balance.

Some tips for managing a calendar include:

Scheduling blocks of time for your most valued free-time activities
Coloring or categorizing events and appointments based on their nature (e.g., work, personal, social)
Regularly revisiting and updating your calendar to stay on track with your free time goals

Finding Balance Between Structure and Flexibility

While having a structured schedule can improve productivity and predictability, it’s also essential to maintain a degree of flexibility in your free time. A balance between structure and flexibility promotes spontaneity and prevents feelings of being overwhelmed or constrained by too many commitments.

Some suggestions for achieving this balance include:

Allowing buffer time between scheduled activities for unexpected events or opportunities
Being open to rescheduling when necessary to accommodate new interests or priorities
Recognizing that it’s okay not to have every minute of your free time planned in advance

By utilizing these techniques, you can create a more meaningful and enjoyable experience during your free time while staying organized and focused on your priorities.

Leisure Activities and Their Impact on Life

Hobbies and interests.

Engaging in leisure activities such as hobbies and interests can significantly improve one’s mental health and overall well-being. Pursuing hobbies allows people to utilize their skills and passions in a engaging and fulfilling manner. By allocating scheduled time for these activities, individuals can ensure they maintain a healthy work-life balance, reduce stress, and enhance creativity.

Exercise and Outdoor Activities

Physical exercise and outdoor activities are essential components of a balanced lifestyle. Scheduling time for exercise not only promotes physical well-being, but also contributes to mental health by reducing stress and anxiety, boosting cognitive function, and increasing energy levels. Outdoor activities, such as hiking, biking, or team sports, offer the additional benefits of connecting with nature and fostering a sense of camaraderie among participants.

Volunteering and Community Involvement

Allocating some leisure time for volunteering and community involvement can lead to personal growth and a greater sense of purpose. By engaging in these activities, people have the opportunity to:

Develop new skills and knowledge
Expand their social circles
Foster a sense of achievement
Give back to their community

Volunteering enables individuals to contribute to the greater good while simultaneously enhancing their well-being.

Fostering Relationships

Building and nurturing relationships is crucial for long-term emotional health and happiness. Scheduling leisure time for social activities, such as gatherings with friends and family or participating in clubs and community events, can enhance interpersonal connections and provide emotional support networks that contribute to overall well-being.

Managing Stress and Anxiety Through Scheduling

Reducing time stress and pressure.

Scheduling your free time can significantly reduce the stress and pressure associated with time management. By blocking off designated periods for rest and relaxation, you allow yourself the opportunity to step back and recharge. This can lead to better focus and productivity, as well as decreased overall stress levels.

Plan regular breaks from work or other obligations
Set aside specific times for hobbies or leisure activities
Prioritize time for self-care, such as exercise or meditation

Disconnecting from Work

Another important aspect of scheduling free time is the ability to disconnect from work. In today’s fast-paced, always-connected world, it can be challenging to find time to truly unwind and separate from work-related stressors. By scheduling time away from work, you give yourself permission to disconnect and create a mental separation between your professional and personal life.

Establish boundaries and limit work-related communication during off-hours
Cultivate hobbies and interests outside of your professional responsibilities
Consider setting up a designated space for relaxation, free from work-related distractions

Developing a Healthy Work-Life Balance

A healthy work-life balance is essential for maintaining good mental health and overall well-being. By scheduling your free time, you demonstrate a commitment to maintaining this balance, prioritizing both personal and professional obligations. Incorporating time for relaxation and enjoyment can lead to reduced stress and anxiety, increased job satisfaction, and better relationships with friends and family.

Strive for consistency in your schedule, making time for personal responsibilities and self-care
Be realistic and flexible with your expectations, adjusting your schedule as needed
Communicate your prioritization of work-life balance with friends, family, and colleagues

Maximizing the Quality of Your Downtime

The role of sleep and rest.

A key aspect of maximizing the quality of your downtime is prioritizing sleep and rest. Inadequate sleep can lead to decreased cognitive function, impaired memory, and reduced emotional regulation. To get the most out of your free time, it is essential to establish healthy sleep habits, such as:

Maintaining a consistent sleep schedule
Creating a relaxing sleep environment
Limiting exposure to screens before bedtime
Incorporating relaxation techniques, like deep breathing or meditation, before sleeping

Techniques for Recharging and Decompressing

To effectively recharge and decompress during your downtime, it is vital to engage in enjoyable activities that allow you to disengage from work and other daily stressors. Some techniques to consider include:

Meditation or mindfulness practices
Engaging in physical activities, such as walking or yoga
Picking up a hobby, like painting or playing an instrument
Spending time in nature, whether it be hiking, gardening, or merely relaxing outdoors

Planning for Unstructured Time

While scheduling planned activities can be beneficial, it is also essential to allocate time for unstructured, spontaneous experiences. Allowing for flexibility gives you the opportunity to enjoy your free time without the constraints of a rigid schedule. To achieve a balance of planned and unplanned downtime, consider:

Setting aside blocks of open time in your calendar
Embracing spontaneity and being open to unexpected opportunities
Recognizing the value in downtime and the importance of allowing for self-exploration and relaxation

By incorporating these approaches, you can effectively maximize the quality of your downtime, ensuring you make the most of your scheduled free time.

Parenting and Scheduling Free Time

Creating quality time with children.

When it comes to parenting, ensuring that children have enough free time is crucial. As they enter puberty and adolescence, a balanced mix of scheduled activities and downtime allows children to develop social skills, explore their interests, and learn about themselves. Scheduling free time and family activities also serves as a great opportunity to strengthen connections and create lasting memories with your children.

Managing Parental Responsibilities

Effective time management is essential for parents to manage various responsibilities such as work, household chores, and children’s activities. By proactively planning and scheduling free time, parents can have a clearer view of their commitments, and make sure that time is divided equally among different tasks. This can also provide a perfect opportunity to engage children in age-appropriate household duties, teaching them valuable life skills in the process.

Finding Time for Self-Care and Personal Interests

It’s important for parents to carve out time for self-care and personal interests in their busy schedules. This may involve designating 15 minutes in the evening, for instance, as “me time” to engage in activities that help recharge and unwind. Scheduling regular breaks can result in several benefits, such as reduced stress, increased productivity, and an overall improvement in mood. Prioritizing self-care also teaches children to value personal well-being, setting them up for a healthier relationship with their own work-life balance in the future.

Success Stories and Lessons from Successful People

Laura vanderkam: the importance of scheduled free time.

Laura Vanderkam, a time management expert, has studied how busy people allocate their time. She discovered that many individuals overestimate their commitments while underestimating the time they have for themselves. By scheduling free time, they can reclaim that time and use it for their wellbeing, health, and personal growth.

Scheduled free time can lead to reduced stress, increased alertness, and improved cognition.
By following Laura Vanderkam’s advice, individuals can create more time to prioritize what matters most to them.

Examples from Highly Productive Individuals

Successful people often use the following strategies to make effective use of their free time:

Exercise : Many successful individuals integrate physical activity into their daily routines, which benefits both their physical and mental health .
Time management skills : Effective time management allows individuals to structure, protect, and adjust their time in response to changing conditions. This skillset has proven essential for many successful individuals.
Consistent routines : Successful people often create routines that help them get the most out of their day. A valuable daily habit includes asking themselves what would be the most productive and efficient use of their time

Strategy	Benefits
Scheduled Free Time	Reduced stress, improved cognition
Exercise	Physical and mental wellbeing
Time Management Skills	Adapting to changing conditions
Consistent Routines	Efficient use of time

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Health & Wellness: Why you should schedule leisure time

By amy osmond cook - | sep 22, 2021.

Shutterstock

Would you believe me if I told you that working American adults have, on average, over five hours of leisure time per day? It’s true: The data comes straight from a 2019 report by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics .

Many studies have shown that leisure time can lower stress and depression and improve your quality of life , so it’s something worth making time for. But if you have well below that average of five free hours a day, don’t worry. The important thing is to be intentional about getting leisure time.

Why? Because you need to strike a balance between too much or too little, it’s important to have a healthy attitude about it and recognize that some leisure activities are better than others.

There’s a happy medium you have to reach.

Sometimes you need a lazy Saturday morning to recuperate after a long week, but have you ever felt worse after lounging around in your pajamas for hours? There’s an important balance to strike between too much leisure time and not enough.

The title of a recent study puts it succinctly: “Having Too Little or Too Much Time Is Linked to Lower Subjective Well-Being.” Free time and wellbeing were positively linked until about two hours of free time, the researchers found, but that positive correlation began to decline after five. (You can read the study in the September 2021 issue of Journal of Personality and Social Psychology: Personality Processes and Individual Differences.)

Consider how much time you spend on leisure. Do you spend enough to feel rested and energetic? Or do you spend so much that it’s actually draining? When you schedule your leisure time, be realistic about how much you need so that you go back to work feeling ready.

Leisure time backfires if you view it as wasteful.

Is leisure a waste of time? If you think so, that might just become a self-fulfilling prophecy.

“There is plenty of research which suggests that leisure has mental health benefits and that it can make us more productive and less stressed,” said Selin Malkoc , an expert in how consumers spend their time. “But we find that if people start to believe that leisure is wasteful, they may end up being more depressed and more stressed.”

If you thrive on productivity and the thought of taking time for leisure stresses you out, adding “Relax” to your to-do list might be just what you need! That way, you get the benefits of leisure while still feeling the satisfaction of checking tasks off of your list.

Some leisure activities are better than others.

Think back to the last time you spent a weekend at home: Between things like laundry and grabbing snacks, what did you do? If you spent that time staring at the TV or your phone, you may not have felt very refreshed when you went back to your chores. Believe it or not, doing activities that feel a bit more like work is a great way to rest from your day job!

“Other kinds of work — be it exercise, a creative hobby, hands-on parenting, or volunteering — will do more to preserve your zest for Monday’s challenges than complete vegetation or working through the weekend,” said productivity expert Laura Vanderkam in her e-book “ What the Most Successful People Do on the Weekend .”

Watching your favorite TV show can be a great way to unwind, but if you want to be ready for Monday, be sure to balance it out with leisure activities that will really fill your tank.

Be sure to strike a balance between too much and too little free time, remember that leisure time is good for you and prioritize activities that add to your energy in the long run. By scheduling leisure time, you’ll find yourself better able to tackle your most important tasks.

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How I Spent My Leisure Time (Essay Sample)

Table of Contents

Introduction

Meaningfully engaging in life is investing in the things that you enjoy doing most. What gives you much joy and inspires you? What makes you feel giddy and relaxed at the end of doing it?

This essay focuses on leisure activities. The author explains his uses of leisure time and encourages others to get involved in leisure activities that are both fulfilling and satisfying at the end of a long day.

To try your hand at doing a custom essay on how you spend your leisure time, we’d be happy to help you with our essay writing services .

How I Spend My Leisure Time Essay

I admit that I am a very busy person, but I still believe in finding time to unwind and do enjoyable things. I intentionally block off time for leisure in my calendar. I also make it a point to aside resources and plan meticulously to ensure I get maximum relaxation from it.

Leisure is important to mental and physical wellness and should be taken seriously. It is a conscious decision I make to ensure that I am able to experience it regularly. Taking time out renews my vigor to tackle the challenging tasks I come across daily, as I am able to take breaks to reflect on a few issues about life. I mostly plan my leisure time on the weekends so that I can make space for my family and friends.

This is a short description of how I spend my leisure breaks.

How I Make My Free Time Count

My favorite way to spend my leisure time would be to hang out with my friends at the beach. I enjoy the cool breeze from the ocean and watching people have fun on the shore. Walking along the shores of the beach calms my inner chaos. Occasionally, I collect seashells on the beach and bring them to my siblings. Most of these outdoor activities highly depend on how favorable the weather is.

Full body of anonymous barefoot female with flying hair standing on sandy coast near waving sea against colorful rainbow in nature

I also make the effort to make calls to friends I am unable to physically visit and check in on. Sometimes, the walks alone can take up my whole afternoon.

Other times, I like listening to the music albums of my favorite artists as I stroll along the beach. When the weather is hot, I like swimming on the beach or joining my friends to go fishing in deeper waters. Recently, I tried scuba diving and I liked the experience. I hope that I get to try it again soon. The breathtaking view of the reef is amazing.

Sometimes, the weather confines me indoors, but that does not mean I cannot have a good leisure break.

If I am having my leisure getaway indoors, I like trying out new recipes and different cuisines from all over the world. Being busy in the kitchen trying out new dishes is enjoyable, to say the least. The meals don’t always turn out the way I expect them to, but the experience is always fun for me.

Alternatively, I like reading non-fiction books, particularly those that talk about historical events, while relaxing on the couch. I like doing this with soft jazz playing in the background as I peruse through the pages.

At times, I also go to the cinemas and theaters and catch up on the latest movies and plays with friends. There are times when I just want to stay at home and catch up on my go-to shows. I like playing dance games competitively with my brother especially when he is in town. Although he is a better dancer than I am, we both enjoy the dance and have fun together.

Giraffes Standing on Grass Field Surrounded by Plants

I also travel to Africa annually and go on safaris or hike in the mountains. The experience is always great – from socializing with people of different cultures to watching animal wildlife in their natural habitat. The days I spend in Africa leave indelible memories in my mind and encourage me to save up to return and experience more.

The activities I mentioned are just the tip of the iceberg. I really like making the most out of my leisure breaks. All these experiences and memories push me to invest in rest.

I don’t know how you make use of your spare time, but I hope that you are using it well. It could simply be a matter of engaging in your hobbies, spending time with loved ones, soaking in nature, or even reading books. As long as it makes you feel happy and recharged by the time the next week rolls in, it is worth doing.

Different people have different kinds of preferences when it comes to maximizing their free time. There are so many activities to choose from – so there’s no excuse not to indulge in getaways for yourself.

Essay About A Leisure Time Activity

What do you do when you have so much free time that you can actually take extended time off?

I have had the blessing of enjoying a lot of free moments lately and it has given me the opportunity to get involved in the many things that give me joy. One of them is reading novels. I am a staunch fan of murder mysteries. I can never get enough breathers to go through them during a busy week at school, so my collection has been gathering dust at home. I have recently been able to finish two books each weekend, and I’m really enjoying it.

Another activity that I love doing is to write down my plans for the future. I don’t just mean plans for the next year. I like envisioning myself five or ten years from where I am and dreaming of what I’ll be able to accomplish by then.

Finally, I like playing games and indulging in recreational activities. Board games are a guilty pleasure for me. I recently rediscovered my love for classic Monopoly and word puzzles and have been challenging my family and friends for intense rematches on weekends.

What Are Popular Ways To Spend Leisure Time?

There are plenty of ways to wind down in your spare moments. There are those who get involved in competitive sports. Others want something more relaxing and simply hang out with family. More adventurous people travel to other parts of the world to experience and soak in another culture. Others write down their ideas. There are a rare few who spend days in the library looking to expand their knowledge on a certain topic or subject of interest. Then there are the more fun, casual, and popular group activities, such as karaoke, cocktails, hotel stays, and pampering trips.

Why Is Leisure Time Important?

Making space to relax and the wind is essential in making sure you can still excel in the other areas of your life. People say that rest is actually a life strategy. You don’t necessarily rest because you are lazy and don’t want to deal with your obligations. You get to rest for the ultimate good of those activities. It almost seems counterproductive, for example, to do a catnap the night before a heavy deadline. But ten minutes of sleep can actually re-energize your brain and refuel your creative juices so that you can power through the night and finish that requirement. Getting those breathers for yourself also protects you from burnout, which is a common ailment in today’s busy world where everything demands your time and attention. It gives you fresh starts, especially when you feel uninspired and stuck.

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The way we view free time is making us less happy

Some people try to make every hour of leisure perfect, while others hate taking time off altogether. Have we forgotten how to enjoy free time?

Leisure is the prize, right? We work hard, so we want to play hard; we look forward to our time off, believing that the more leisure time we have, the better life will be. Enjoying that time – or savouring that coveted end goal – should come naturally.

However, research shows that both having and deciding how to spend leisure time can be very stressful. Some people feel enormous pressure to maximise their downtime with the best choices: researching more, anticipating and spending more money. But, as data prove, this pressure to maximise our fun might get in the way of our enjoyment of leisure itself.

Additionally, some people struggle to view leisure as worthwhile at all. These individuals – often in high-stress, high-paying jobs – prioritise productivity to the extent that they can’t enjoy time off, often to the detriment of their mental health.

However different their problems with leisure, both groups struggle with enjoying time off for the same reason: the way we perceive and value leisure has changed, problematically. Understanding this evolution, and finding ways to change our attitudes, could be beneficial for everyone – and help people to start enjoying themselves again.

The changing concept of leisure

“Leisure has dramatically evolved over the centuries and across cultures,” says Brad Aeon, assistant professor at the School of Management Sciences at the University of Québec in Montréal. “One thing that’s consistent about leisure, however, is that it has always been contrasted with work.”

Two-thousand years ago, concepts of work and leisure were associated with servitude and freedom, respectively. In Ancient Greece, explains Aeon, most of the labour was outsourced to slaves, while wealthier parts of society pursued other activities. “Leisure was an active state of mind. Good leisure meant playing sports, learning music theory, debating qualified peers and doing philosophy. Leisure was not easy , but it was supposed to be gratifying.”

Aeon believes that a shift occurred when the Romans started viewing leisure as a way of recuperating in preparation for more work, a transition that accelerated significantly during the Industrial Revolution. By the 1800s, the kind of leisure that signified status had shifted, too; the wealthy led overtly idle lives. A popular example is philosopher Walter Benjamin’s description of the fashion, around 1893, to walk through arcades with a turtle on a leash .

Anat Keinan, associate professor of marketing at Boston University’s Questrom School of Business, has conducted extensive research on the symbolic value of time . She explains today we’re seeing yet another transition: a lack of leisure time now operates as a powerful status symbol . “On Twitter, celebrities ‘humblebrag’ about ‘having no life’ and ‘being in desperate need of a vacation’,” she points out. In the workplace, being part of the long-hours working culture is still seen by many as a badge of honour .

In fact, those with the most money to spend on leisure are most likely also putting in the longest hours. “Highly educated people (think surgeons, lawyers, CEOs) often go for well-paid jobs that require highly productive candidates willing to work long hours,” explains Aeon. “This means that those who complain the most about not having enough free time are wealthy and educated .” That fuels the idea that we must maximise leisure’s ‘hedonic utility’, or enjoyment value, when we actually do get some time off – and make every hour count.

The leisure maximisers

Economists call the idea that we must maximise our time off the intensification of the value of our leisure time. In his book, Spending time: The Most Valuable Resource, US economist Daniel Hamermesh explains that “our ability to purchase and enjoy goods and services has risen much more rapidly than the amount of time available for us to enjoy them”. This pressure manifests in our decisions. “We feel like we want to have the best bang for our buck and minutes,” explains Aeon, “So we invest more money in leisure. Better hotels, better movie experiences – like IMAX or Netflix in 4K – better everything.”

Getty For some people, leisure has come to represent collectible experiences that convey status, often on social media (Credit: Getty)

All this can lead to hours poring over reviews diligently planning leisure activities. That might not necessarily be a bad thing, researchers have found, as pre-trip anticipation greatly accounts for vacationers' happiness . But too much anticipation might set us up for a seemingly zero-duration holiday. New research shows that we judge future positive events as both farther away and shorter than negative or neutral ones , leading us to feel like a holiday is over as soon as it begins.

Equally, the way we chase top-notch leisure experiences has made recreation more stressful than ever. High expectations may clash with our experienced reality, making it feel anti-climactic, while trying to concoct the best vacation or leisure experience ever can fuel performativity.

In her 2011 research paper, Keinan first posited that some consumers work to acquire collectable experiences that are unusual, novel or extreme because it helps us reframe our leisure as being productive . By working through our experiential checklist instead of seeking simply to enjoy the moment, she writes, we build our “experiential CV”.

And just like a traditional resume, where we show off our best selves, this experiential CV can become a breeding ground for competition. Keinan believes social media exacerbates our focus on productive leisure. Referencing a 2021 research paper, she suggests people are pivoting to signal their status and accomplishments in alternative domains – in this case, the use of their free time.

“Users post carefully curated slide shows of themselves crossing marathon finish lines and climbing Machu Picchu. Conspicuous consumption used to be a wayfor people to display their money through scarce luxury goods. Now, they flaunt how they spend their valuable time only on activities that are truly meaningful, productive or spectacular,” she says.

The people who hate leisure

Some struggle to enjoy leisure at all. Some try to ‘hack’ leisure by applying productivity techniques, says Aeon, like listening to a podcast while jogging or watching Netflix shows at twice the regular speed . Others may not truly take time off at all. For example, only 14% of Americans take two weeks' vacation in a row , a finding in keeping with the overwork culture. The same study reports that as of 2017, 54% of American workers didn’t use up their vacation time, leaving 662 million days reserved for leisure unused.

Part of the problem, new research shows, is how comprehensively we internalise the message that leisure is wasteful . Selin A Malkoc, associate professor of marketing at the Fisher College of Business at The Ohio State University and co-author of the study, says certain people perceive leisure as lacking value, even when it doesn’t interfere with their pursuit of goals. These negative beliefs about leisure are associated with lower reported happiness and greater reported depression, anxiety and stress.

Malkoc describes two types of leisure: ‘terminal leisure’, where the activity and the goal are ‘fused’ together, like attending a Halloween party just for fun, is immediately rewarding and an end goal in itself; and ‘instrumental leisure’, like taking a child trick-or-treating and thereby ‘checking off’ parental duties, which is a means to an end and feeds a long-term goal. The ability to enjoy terminal leisure is a stronger predictor of wellbeing than enjoyment of instrumental leisure, the study showed.

In one of the study’s experiments, Malkoc and her co-authors wanted to see if they could manipulate participants’ beliefs about leisure and get them to enjoy it more. Each group was presented with a different version of an article that framed their understanding of leisure, either as wasteful in terms of goal-achievement, unproductive or as a productive way of managing stress. Participants were then asked to evaluate how well-written the article was.

But researchers were more interested in what came afterwards. They offered participants a break and gave them a funny cat video to watch to see how much they enjoyed it.

Unfortunately, priming our beliefs about leisure only works in one direction, the researchers found – the wrong one. Those who read the articles framing leisure as wasteful enjoyed the experience 11% to 14% less than the baseline (the control group, who read about coffee makers), while those cued to believe it is productive did not experience bolstered enjoyment levels. In other words, trying to prime participants’ receptivity towards enjoying leisure more was about as effective as having them read about coffee, suggesting that our attitudes are deeply entrenched.

It’s a sobering finding. “We had this group of undergraduate students in the lab doing a series of mostly mind-numbingly boring studies – there’s nothing enjoyable about it,” says Malkoc, “And then, we offer them a mental break to watch a fun video. The fact that even though they couldn’t use those brief moments for something better, they still couldn’t enjoy themselves... attests to the strength of their belief.”

Getty The view that leisure is wasteful can be deeply entrenched – meaning some people really struggle to enjoy time off (Credit: Getty)

Malkoc also compared samples from different nations. Participants from India and America, both nations with overwork cultures, endorsed the belief that leisure is wasteful more strongly than participants from France, which has social norms, “less restrictive of enjoying life and having fun”. In fact, while Malkoc estimates about 30% of the population endorses the ‘leisure is wasteful’ belief on average, this varies greatly across cultures, going as high as 55% in the Indian subsample and as low as 15% in the French sample, she explains.

Hope for leisure intensifiers and avoiders

Fortunately, there are ways to help both groups. The first, regardless of which end of the spectrum you fall on, is to relax the productivity mindset. Keinan says a way to do this is by “assuming a broader perspective on life and anticipating your long-term regrets , as it allows people to enjoy the present more”.

For those seeking to intensify leisure, Aeon recommends using the peak-end rule , a cognitive bias that influences the way we remember events. For example, he says, at the dentist’s office, we remember the peak (when the pain was at its worst) and the end (the candy we’d get as we left); the average sum of these experiences adjusts the emotional intensity. So, for holidays, he recommends doing one thing that’s “completely insane” in the middle, such as bungee jumping, and one equally grandiose thing at the end (for instance, a spa day or indulgent meal) to elevate the entire experience and maximise hedonic utility overall.

He recommends using mindfulness to help savour leisure experience s. “It expands your subjective perception of time (i.e., you feel like you have more of it) and enhances memory formation, which means you’ll not only feel like your vacations lasted longer, but you’ll remember them a lot better.” And in keeping with research on anticipation, having multiple smaller vacations to look forward to rather than one massive one could also maximise our enjoyment value.

For those who find it hard to take time off to begin with, Keinan suggests using a functional alibi – a practical excuse for enjoying themselves. “Having a ‘functional alibi’ that articulates a purpose for an activity (such as the health and productivity benefits of taking a much-needed vacation) allows many consumers to relax without feeling guilty,” she says.

Combating the ‘leisure is wasteful’ mindset might also mean emphasising the value of an activity by aligning it with another utilitarian goal, instead of trying to reframe leisure as a concept. “Vacations are meant to be ‘terminal’, but we can have different goals embedded within them,” says Malkoc. A trip to Disneyland, for example, might have terminal value for the children, and offer instrumental leisure for the parents. “Making them understand… that this is a way to get productive or fuel another purpose might help them let their guard down and enjoy it a little bit more.”

Enjoying leisure might even be a learned response, similar to the way we build up stamina gradually at the gym. Smaller vacations – a 30-hour getaway at a hotel – might be just short enough for such individuals to leave responsibilities behind. For longer trips, Malkoc suggests allowing driven individuals to work for a short window once a day might actually be less stressful than asking them to unplug completely.

For both groups – and even those somewhere in the middle – the persistent fear that we are not using our time ‘right’, whether by having an extravagantly ‘collectable’ experience or just being uber productive, can derail the very purpose of leisure. Because the only ‘right’ way to do leisure is to relax, let your guard down, make good memories and trust the pieces will fall into place.

“If you approach a vacation with a ‘should’ mindset, you might be messing it up,” warns Malkoc. “Don’t let your belief that you ‘need to get the best out of this’ get the best of you.”

How scheduling takes the fun out of free time

Life moves fast, and finding enough hours in the day to get everything done is, at times, a seemingly impossible task. Scheduling, whether keeping a calendar, a to-do list or setting a smartphone reminder, is a saving grace for many people trying to accomplish as much as they can, as efficiently as they can.

Research at Olin Business School find the key to getting most out of leisure time might involve putting down that calendar.

But new research from Olin Business School at Washington University in St. Louis, forthcoming in the Journal of Marketing Research, suggests it is best to ditch that to-do list when it comes to having fun.

Gabriela Tonietto, a doctoral candidate in marketing, and Selin Malkoc, associate professor of marketing at Olin Business School, conducted 13 studies examining how scheduling leisure activities affects the way these events are experienced. The research showed that assigning a specific date and time for leisure can have the opposite intended effect, making it feel much like a chore.

Additionally, the researchers found that both the anticipation of the leisure activity and enjoyment from it decreased once it was scheduled.

“A few years ago, I was traveling back home to Turkey and was very excited to catch up with old friends and visit places I had missed,” Malkoc said. “To make sure that I would be able to do everything I want, I scheduled most of these activities.

“To my surprise, however, I soon started to feel reluctant and unenthusiastic at the prospect of the long-awaited reunions that I had scheduled,” she said. “I began to think of each scheduled activity as more like an obligation, even a chore, rather than an enjoyable outing. I even made statements like ‘I have to go get lunch with my friend.’ Was it really possible for such fun and leisure activities to start feeling like work?

“I came back and discussed my experiences with Gabriela. My experiences resonated with her. So, we decided to study this phenomenon scientifically,” Malkoc said.

“Looking at a variety of different leisure activities, we consistently find that scheduling can make these otherwise fun tasks feel more like work and decrease how much we enjoy them,” Tonietto said.

The fix: Tonietto and Malkoc propose a sweet spot, roughly scheduled leisure activities (on a certain day, but with no set time, for example) to ensure that leisure is included in a day but still keeps some flexibility, making it feel less like work.

“We find that the detriment of scheduling leisure stems from how structured that time feels,” Malkoc said.

“While we may tend to think of scheduling in structured terms by referring to specific times — such as grabbing coffee at 3 p.m. — we can also schedule our time in a rougher manner by referring less specifically to time — grabbing coffee in the afternoon,” Tonietto added.

“Roughly scheduling a leisure activity does not feel as structured, does not lead leisure to feel more work-like and thus does not reduce enjoyment,” Malkoc said.

While the research shows less scheduling is a good thing when it comes to fun, Tonietto and Malkoc stress people still need to hang onto their calendars.

“On the flip side, we find that scheduling helps us get things done,” Malkoc said. “We find that scheduling indeed increases our chances of engaging in them. But, once we do, we tend to enjoy it less.”

“So it really is a balancing act, and it comes down to knowing what you will gain and lose when you schedule fun activities,” Tonietto said.

Both researchers are available for interviews: Malkoc at [email protected] and Tonietto at [email protected] .

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IELTS Essay: Activities for Leisure Time

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This is an IELTS writing task 2 sample answer essay from the general training exam on the topic of planning your activities for your leisure time.

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Some people think that one should plan in detail activities for their leisure time, while others disagree with this view.

Discuss both views and give your own opinion.

Many feel that it is important to plan out their free time activities, while others opt to live more spontaneously. In my opinion, planning can be useful but over time it will devalue the activities themselves.

Arranging one’s leisure activities ahead of time is a natural impulse to ease tension and ensure their usefulness. Some psychologists have termed humans the ‘planning animal’ because of an inborn tendency arising from a calming need for security. To the person doing the planning, this serves the secondary purpose of ensuring they are not wasting their time. For example, if a motivated individual plans their day they might set out to do some exercise, read a book, finish some work at home, and cook a meal. These are productive tasks that will lead to a feeling of fulfillment at the end of the day.

However, this drive causes undue pressure and hinders enjoyment of a given activity. The human propensity to plan is also an underlying cause of stress and keeps individuals from being fully present in the moment. This can result in a situation where pre-planned activities become joyless. For instance, the person described above who maps out their day might feel they are simply ticking items off a to-do list and not enjoy the activity in itself. Contrast this with a more spontaneous lifestyle that still entails productivity but does not set a purposeful goal for every action. This person will accomplish just as much but enjoy it much more since they can be fully invested in the moment and act.

In conclusion, the useful aspects of planning do not outweigh the worth derived from spontaneous action. Individuals must naturally strike a balance but be mindful they are not subordinating an activity to its utilitarian value.

1. Many feel that it is important to plan out their free time activities, while others opt to live more spontaneously. 2. In my opinion, planning can be useful but over time it will devalue the activities themselves.

Paraphrase the overall essay topic.
Write a clear opinion. Read more about introductions here .

1. Arranging one’s leisure activities ahead of time is a natural impulse to ease tension and ensure their usefulness. 2. Some psychologists have termed humans the ‘planning animal’ because of an inborn tendency arising from a calming need for security. 3. To the person doing the planning, this serves the secondary purpose of ensuring they are not wasting their time. 4. For example, if a motivated individual plans their day they might set out to do some exercise, read a book, finish some work at home, and cook a meal. 5. These are productive tasks that will lead to a feeling of fulfillment at the end of the day.

Write a clear topic sentence with a clear main idea at the end.
Explain your main idea.
Continue to develop it.
Use a hypothetical or real example.
State the results of the example.

1. However, this drive causes undue pressure and hinders enjoyment of a given activity. 2. The human propensity to plan is also an underlying cause of stress and keeps individuals from being fully present in the moment. 3. This can result in a situation where pre-planned activities become joyless. 4. For instance, the person described above who maps out their day might feel they are simply ticking items off a to-do list and not enjoy the activity in itself. 5. Contrast this with a more spontaneous lifestyle that still entails productivity but does not set a purposeful goal for every action. 6. This person will accomplish just as much but enjoy it much more since they can be fully invested in the moment and act.

Write another topic sentence with a new main idea at the end.
Explain it.
Use an example or counter-example.
Contrast your example.
State the final results.

1. In conclusion, the useful aspects of planning do not outweigh the worth derived from spontaneous action. 2. Individuals must naturally strike a balance but be mindful they are not subordinating an activity to its utilitarian value.

Summarise both main ideas and add a final thought.
Include a final thought/detail. Read more about conclusions here .

What do the words in bold below mean?

Many feel that it is important to plan out their free time activities, while others opt to live more spontaneously . In my opinion, planning can be useful but over time it will devalue the activities themselves.

Arranging one’s leisure activities ahead of time is a natural impulse to ease tension and ensure their usefulness . Some psychologists have termed humans the ‘planning animal’ because of an inborn tendency arising from a calming need for security . To the person doing the planning, this serves the secondary purpose of ensuring they are not wasting their time. For example, if a motivated individual plans their day they might set out to do some exercise, read a book, finish some work at home, and cook a meal. These are productive tasks that will lead to a feeling of fulfillment at the end of the day .

However, this drive causes undue pressure and hinders enjoyment of a given activity . The human propensity to plan is also an underlying cause of stress and keeps individuals from being fully present in the moment . This can result in a situation where pre-planned activities become joyless . For instance, the person described above who maps out their day might feel they are simply ticking items off a to-do list and not enjoy the activity in itself . Contrast this with a more spontaneous lifestyle that still entails productivity but does not set a purposeful goal for every action. This person will accomplish just as much but enjoy it much more since they can be fully invested in the moment and act.

In conclusion, the useful aspects of planning do not outweigh the worth derived from spontaneous action . Individuals must naturally strike a balance but be mindful they are not subordinating an activity to its utilitarian value .

plan out think about for the future

spontaneously without thinking ahead of time

useful has a purpose

over time in the longterm

devalue make unimportant

arranging planning

ahead of time before

natural impulse human instinct

ease tension decrease anxiety

ensure make sure

usefulness has a purpose

psychologists people who study the human brain

termed called

inborn tendency natural impulse

arising comes from

calming need relaxing desire

security safety

serves works to

secondary purpose second reason

ensuring making sure

motivated individual committed person

set out intend to

productive tasks worthwhile activities

lead to result in

feeling of fulfillment feeling of accomplishment

end of the day finally

undue pressure unnecessary stress

hinders enjoyment holds back joy

given activity activity in question

human propensity natural desire

underlying cause fundamental source

fully present in the moment not thinking ahead

result in lead to

pre-planned activities thought of ahead of time

joyless without joy

maps out plans

ticking items off a to-do list crossing off activities to do

in itself not for another purpose

contrast this with compare with

spontaneous lifestyle not planning ahead way of living

entails productivity includes doing it for a reason

set a purposeful goal have a clear aim

accomplish get done

fully invested totally committed

useful aspects utilitarian value

outweigh stronger than

worth derived value from

spontaneous action not planned out

naturally human

strike a balance find a middle ground

mindful careful of

subordinating making less important

utilitarian value use

Pronunciation

plæn aʊt ɒpt spɒnˈteɪniəsli ˈjuːsfʊl ˈəʊvə taɪm ˌdiːˈvæljuː əˈreɪnʤɪŋ əˈhɛd ɒv taɪm ˈnæʧrəl ˈɪmpʌls iːz ˈtɛnʃən ɪnˈʃʊə ˈjuːsfʊlnəs saɪˈkɒləʤɪsts tɜːmd ˌɪnˈbɔːn ˈtɛndənsi əˈraɪzɪŋ ˈkɑːmɪŋ niːd sɪˈkjʊərɪti sɜːvz ˈsɛkəndəri ˈpɜːpəs ɪnˈʃʊərɪŋ ˈməʊtɪveɪtɪd ˌɪndɪˈvɪdjʊəl sɛt aʊt prəˈdʌktɪv tɑːsks liːd tuː ˈfiːlɪŋ ɒv fʊlˈfɪlmənt ɛnd ɒv ðə deɪ ʌnˈdjuː ˈprɛʃə ˈhaɪndəz ɪnˈʤɔɪmənt ˈgɪvn ækˈtɪvɪti ˈhjuːmən prəˈpɛnsɪti ˌʌndəˈlaɪɪŋ kɔːz ˈfʊli ˈprɛznt ɪn ðə ˈməʊmənt rɪˈzʌlt ɪn priː-plænd ækˈtɪvɪtiz ˈʤɔɪlɪs mæps aʊt ˈtɪkɪŋ ˈaɪtəmz ɒf ə təˈduː lɪst ɪn ɪtˈsɛlf ˈkɒntrɑːst ðɪs wɪð spɒnˈteɪniəs ˈlaɪfˌstaɪl ɪnˈteɪlz ˌprɒdʌkˈtɪvɪti sɛt ə ˈpɜːpəsfʊl gəʊl əˈkɒmplɪʃ ˈfʊli ɪnˈvɛstɪd ˈjuːsfʊl ˈæspɛkts aʊtˈweɪ wɜːθ dɪˈraɪvd spɒnˈteɪniəs ˈækʃ(ə)n ˈnæʧrəli straɪk ə ˈbæləns ˈmaɪndfʊl səˈbɔːdɪneɪtɪŋ ˌjuːtɪlɪˈteərɪən ˈvæljuː

Vocabulary Practice

Remember and fill in the blanks:

Many feel that it is important to p_________t their free time activities, while others o__t to live more s___________________y . In my opinion, planning can be u________l but o___________e it will d________e the activities themselves.

A_____________g one’s leisure activities a_______________e is a n______________e to e_______________n and e________e their u______________s . Some p______________s have t___________d humans the ‘planning animal’ because of an i__________________y a__________g from a c_____________d for s___________y . To the person doing the planning, this s_________s the s________________________e of e___________g they are not wasting their time. For example, if a m_______________________l plans their day they might s__________t to do some exercise, read a book, finish some work at home, and cook a meal. These are p________________s that will l________o a f__________________________t at the e__________________y .

However, this drive causes u__________________e and h_________________t of a g__________________y . The h___________________y to plan is also an u___________________e of stress and keeps individuals from being f______________________________t . This can r____________n a situation where p_________________________s become j___________s . For instance, the person described above who m____________t their day might feel they are simply t_______________________________t and not enjoy the activity i_____________f . C____________________h a more s_________________________e that still e__________________________y but does not s_____________________l for every action. This person will a_____________h just as much but enjoy it much more since they can be f_________________d in the moment and act.

In conclusion, the u________________s of planning do not o____________h the w_______________d from s___________________n . Individuals must n_______________y s_____________________e but be m____________l they are not s____________________g an activity to its u______________________e .

Listening Practice

Learn more about this topic and use these ideas to improve your listening :

Reading Practice

Read more about this topic below and practice with these activities :

https://www.psychologytoday.com/intl/articles/200512/is-the-do-list-doing-you-in

Speaking Practice

Practice with the following questions from the real IELTS speaking exam :

Taking Breaks

Do you take breaks from your work?
Do you prefer several short breaks or one long break?
Did you take a lot of breaks when you were younger?
Is it common for people in your country to take breaks?

Writing Practice

Write about the following topic and then check with my sample answer:

Shopping is now one of the most popular forms of leisure activities in many countries for young adults.

Why is this?

Do you think this is a positive or a negative development?

IELTS Essay: Malls and Leisure Time

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Thanks, Mary!

Many are of the opinion that it is of paramount importance to plan out their free time activities in advance, while others choose a more spontaneous way of living. Although planning can be of enormous use for individuals, I am strongly convinced that it may both add undue stress and make their daily activities appear monotonous. The arrangement for recreational activities beforehand brings about exceptional benefits. This is because individuals can plan to partake in or perform activities that possibly add values to their lives such as reading books, doing exercise, cooking a healthy meal, or merely addressing certain incomplete tasks at work. These productive tasks, if performed according to the plans, are likely to instill in them a sense of fulfillment at the end of the day. Furthermore, knowing what individuals should do in detail in their free time can avoid them immersing themselves excessively in leisure activities, thus encroaching on time spent on other priorities such as working or studying. Therefore, it is understandable why many place a strong emphasis on planning recreational activities ahead of time. Nonetheless, I claim that making plans about what individuals should do in their free time is likely to impose unnecessary stress and hinder their enjoyment of these activities. First, the truth is that not everything can go according to the plans as unexpected situations may arise. Therefore, if individuals are unable to tick off all boxes on their to-do lists due to unforeseeable circumstances such as illnesses or accidents, it is possible that they may feel stressed or even depressed because of not being productive enough, which possibly wreaks havoc on their mental health. Second, planning may lead to recreational activities both less predictable and appealing, potentially depriving individuals of their enjoyment which is the primary purpose of leisure activities in the first place. In conclusion, I opine that despite enabling individuals to be more productive in their spare time, arranging free time activities in advance may do more harm than good. Therefore, a balance between enjoying recreational activities and their utilitarian values is necessary.

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Leisure Time: The Types of Activities Essay

To find inspiration for your paper and overcome writer’s block
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As a template for you assignment

Introduction

Leisure time freedom, discipline during leisure time, extreme leisure activities.

Leisure time refers to the time in one’s life when one is free from the demands of his/her duties or studies. During this time, one is free to spend his/her time as he wills or as he deems right. Many people opt to spend this time having fun in different ways as a way of relieving the physical and mental stress accumulated during working hours. To some, this is an opportunity to visit friends and family. Whatever activity one chooses depends on one’s interest and the idea of having fun (Bull, et al., 2003).

Leisure time may however be confused for freedom to do anything during one’s free time. There are limits to which one can exercise during his free time. For instance, when one’s way of spending leisure interferes with someone else’s freedom, then there is definitely a limit.

The freedom that people have during their leisure time may be controlled in some cases depending on the level of engagement. Although leisure time refers to free time that one can spend in whatever way he/she wills, some form of control usually exists. For instance, teenagers’ leisure time has some form of control that comes in different ways. There are reasons why some people tend to have an inclination towards extreme sports. This paper covers these issues in detail and gives examples in relevant sections.

Freedom during leisure time refers to the ability to undertake any event for whatever length of time without any form of restrictions. This form of leisure time does not usually exist since there is always some form of control during leisure time. Though leisure time looks like a time when one can do what he/she wills for whatever length of time, this does not in practice exist. Some form of control usually exists for different individuals depending on age, cultural inclination, and length of time available (Harris, 2005).

Teenagers’ leisure times are always controlled lest they engage in destructive activities. Rules are set by parents in the type of activities they may engage and those that they may not engage in lest they get grounded. Teenagers are controlled from engaging in activities such as some very extreme sports, joining peer groups that are destructive and engaging in drugs and alcoholism. Parents on the other hand are limited by other activities which curtail the length of time they engage in leisure activities. For example, it is not possible for a couple to go fishing the whole day leaving their young children unattended.

There is always a compulsion to get back home and take care of the kids among other chores. Leisure time may be one’s free time but it is always controlled by other activities in terms of extent and time that it may continue (Bull, et al., 2003).

It is very important to have some form of control during leisure time. This applies to both the young and the old since discipline makes leisure time more enjoyable in the long run. Discipline ensures consistency during leisure activities while helping an individual maintain a healthy physique. Lack of discipline or some form of control can only lead to destructive engagement which may not be productive in the long run. Parents use some form of restrictive discipline on their children by setting limits that the children may extend as they enjoy their leisure time. On the other hand, parents exercise discipline and control during their free time to ensure that they set a good example for their children.

Discipline helps in controlling freedom as earlier discussed. Without discipline, people would tend to misuse the freedom they have during their free time. For example, lack of discipline when engaging in some extreme sports such as skateboarding may be very lethal and it is important for one to learn the rules of engaging in such sports (Harris, 2005).

Extreme sports are considered to be more lethal compared to other forms of spending leisure. There are many extreme sports today and it is advisable for one to be very careful when engaging in any of them. Enough practice is very necessary before engaging in any extreme sport. Usually, extreme sports that some people engage in, involve the public exhibitions of dangerous stunts as a way of spending leisure. For instance, skateboarding and mountain biking are two extreme sports that people engage in to get thrilled and for excitement.

People engage in extreme sports for different reasons during leisure time. The biggest contributor towards engaging in this type of extreme sports especially among teenagers is the influence of television and video games. Teenagers would always wish to practice what they watch. Others engage in this type of sport simply because they believe that it is the best way of relieving stress. When a person engages in extreme sports, more adrenaline is released which presents one of the best ways of getting rid of stress (Tamara, 2010). People, therefore, tend to engage in some extreme sports which they believe are more relaxing than ordinary leisure activities such as reading or watching.

Leisure time is very important to any individual. This is a time when a person is able to relieve him/herself of day stress accumulated during work or studies. People are always allowed to spend their leisure time in whatever way they want so long as they do not break the set ground rules which in a way curtail the freedom that some people may want to enjoy. It is important to have some form of control or discipline during leisure time. This applies especially when engaging in extreme sports which some people engage in for excitement and thrill.

Bull, C. Hoose, J. & Weed, M., 2003. An Introduction to Leisure Studies. London: Prentice Hall.

Harris, D., 2005. Key Concepts in Leisure Studies . London: Sage.

Tamara, K., 2010. The discipline of leisure. Social Identities , 4(1), pp. 45-64.

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Ielts essay 183 - which do you prefer - planning or not planning for leisure time, ielts writing task 2/ ielts essay:, some people prefer to plan activities for their free time very carefully. others choose not to make any plans at all for their free time. compare the benefits of planning free-time activities with the benefits of not making plans., which do you prefer - planning or not planning for your leisure time.

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Health & Wellness: Why you should schedule leisure time

Why? Because you need to strike a balance between too much or too little, it’s important to have a healthy attitude about it and recognize that some leisure activities are better than others.

There’s a happy medium you have to reach.

Leisure time backfires if you view it as wasteful.

Is leisure a waste of time? If you think so, that might just become a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Some leisure activities are better than others.

Watching your favorite TV show can be a great way to unwind, but if you want to be ready for Monday, be sure to balance it out with leisure activities that will really fill your tank.

A version of this article was published by The Daily Herald . It has been republished here with permission.

About Author

I am the Founder of Stage Marketing and specialize in healthcare marketing. My doctorate is in communication, which means that I draw from the areas of psychology, sociology, and the humanities to understand the emotional and spiritual side of health.

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Publisher Home

Vol. 7 No. 6 (2019): November

Authors retain the copyright without restrictions for their published content in this journal. HSSR is a SHERPA ROMEO Green Journal .

Publishing License

THE CREATIVITY DEVELOPMENT OF TEENAGERS IN LEISURE TIME

Corresponding author(s) : rozaliya shakirzyanova.

Humanities & Social Sciences Reviews , Vol. 7 No. 6 (2019): November Article Published : November 16, 2019

Authors Details

Purpose of the study: The relevance of the study is due to the great interest among psychologists and teachers to study the issues of creativity, creative thought, and creative productivity.

Methodology: The analysis of pedagogical, psychological, philosophical literature reflects various approaches to the consideration of the processes of self-affirmation and self-expression of the personality of the adolescent and shows that these processes are considered as parallel.

Results: The active development of young people in a creative environment in out-of-school children's educational institutions is a well-organized joint activity that positively affects the mental development of adolescents. The teenager unconsciously focuses on the dominant values in the team while being in a certain team in an informal atmosphere, watching the work of others. All this form a comfortable and creative environment and a positive effect on the adolescent. The materials of the article can be useful for teachers and educators of children's institutions of additional education.

Applications of this study: This research can be used for the universities, teachers, and students.

Novelty/Originality of this study: In this research, the model of the Creativity Development of Teenagers in Leisure Time is presented in a comprehensive and complete manner.

Full Article

Download citation.

Akimova, L. A. (2003). Sociologija dosuga (Sociology of leisure). Uchebnoe posobie. 123p.Moscow, MGUKI. (In Russian)

Ardakani, M. P., Lashkarian, A., & Sadeghzadeh, M. (2015). The Translatability/Untranslatability of Poetics: Eliot's" Ash Wednesday" and its two Persian translations. UCT Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities Research, 3(1), 52- 60.

Belentsov, S. I., Fahrutdinova, A. V., & Okulich-Kazarin, V. (2017). Education of Civic Consciousness in George Kershenshteyner's Creativity. European Journal of Contemporary Education, 6(1), 5-13. https://doi.org/10.13187/ejced.2017.1.5 DOI: https://doi.org/10.13187/ejced.2017.1.5

Berdjaev, N. A. (1989) Smysl tvorchestva. Filosofija svobody (The meaning of creativity. Philosophy of freedom) Moscow, Pravda. (In Russian)

Bogojavlenskaja, D. B. (2002) Psihologija tvorcheskih sposobnostej (Psychology of creative abilities) Moscow, Izd., Centr Â«AkademijaÂ». (In Russian)

Brand, C. R., Egan, V., & Deary, I. Y. (1991). General intelligence and personality: No relation?. Current topics in Human intelligence.â€“NY.

Dul'muhametova, G. F., Shakirzjanova, R. M. (2017). Vospitatel'naja sistema v uchrezhdenijah dopolnitel'nogo obrazovanija shkol'nikov (Educational system in institutions of additional education for schoolchildren) P. 179-181 N7. Uspehi sovremennoj nauki i obrazovanija. https://elibrary.ru/item.asp?id=29822056 (In Russian)

Elmes, D. (2018). COACH-PLAYER COMMUNICATIONS: AN ANALYSIS OF TOP-LEVEL COACHING DISCOURSE AT A SHORT-TERM ICE HOCKEY CAMP. Humanities & Social Sciences Reviews, 6(2), 44-51. https://doi.org/10.18510/hssr.2018.626 DOI: https://doi.org/10.18510/hssr.2018.626

Fahrutdinova, A. V. (2012). Grazhdanskoe vospitanie uchashchihsya v angloyazychnyh stranah na rubezhe XX-XXI vekov (Civil education of students in English-speaking countries at the turn of the XX - XXI centuries) // abstract of a thesis for a Doctorâ€™s of Pedagogic degree by speciality. Institut pedagogiki i psixologii professional`nogo obrazovaniya Rossijskoj akademii obrazovaniya Kazan, (In Russian)

Fillipova, V. M. (2006). Obshhee i doshkol'noe obrazovanie: sbornik normativnyh pravovyh dokumentov (General and pre-school education: a collection of regulatory legal documents). pod red. 448 p., Moscow, INFRA-M. (In Russian)

Gladilina, V. I.(2018). Kul'turno-dosugovaja dejatel'nost' kak sredstvo samoutverzhdenija i samovyrazhenija lichnosti podrostka. (Cultural and leisure activities as a means of self-affirmation and self-expression of a teenagerâ€™s personality) URL: http://www.dissercat.com/content/kulturno-dosugovaya-deyatelnost-kak-sredstvo-samoutverzhdeniya-i-samovyrazheniya-lichnostip#ixzz5Vyc6XWUf (accessed: 02.11.2018) (In Russian)

Issaliyeva, A., Ospanova, A. N., & Alibekul, A. (2018). Kazakhstan and GCC: Islamic component in joint collaboration. OpciÃ³n, 34(85-2), 205-220.

Jacenko, A. S. (2001) Social'nye funkcii sistemy dopolnitel'nogo obrazovanija detej (Social functions of the system of additional education of children). Sozidatel'naja missija kul'tury: sb. statej molodyh uchjonyh. Moscow, MGUKI â€“ P.82-90. (In Russian)

Karakovskij, V. A. (1991) Vospitatel'naja sistema shkoly: pedagogicheskie sistemy i opyt formirovanija (The educational system of the school: pedagogical systems and the experience of formation). 78 p. Moscow. (In Russian)

Karlsson, J. L. (1978). Inheritance of creative intelligence. Nelson-Hall.

Kulagina, I.Yu. (1997). Vozrastnaya psixologiya. (Age-related psychology) â€“ M.: URAO, (In Russian)

Lehman, H. C. (2017). Age and achievement (Vol. 4970). Princeton University Press. https://doi.org/10.1515/9781400886753 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/9781400886753

Lejtes, N. S. (2000). Vozrastnaya odarennost` shkol`nikov. (Age talent of schoolchildren) â€“ Moskva: Akademiya,â€“ 320 p. (In Russian)

Nemov, R. S. (1975). Psihologija (Psychology) V 3 kn. Kn. 1. Obshhie osnovy psihologii. 2-e izd. - 576 p.Moscow, Prosveshhenie: VLADOS. (In Russian)

Obuxova, L. F. (1999). Vozrastnaya psixologiya. (Age-related psychology) â€“ M.: Pedagogicheskoe obshhestvo Rossii, (In Russian)

Ozhegov, S.I. (2005) Slovar' russkogo jazyka (Russian dictionary). N.Ju. Shvedovoj â€“ 22-e izd. Moscow. (In Russian)

Rejnval'd, N.I. (1987) Psihologija lichnosti (Psychology of Personality)196p. Moscow, Izd-vo Unta druzhby narodov. (In Russian)

Reznikoff, M., Domino, G., Bridges, C., & Honeyman, M. (1973). Creative abilities in identical and fraternal twins. Behavior Genetics, 3(4), 365-377. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01070219 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01070219

Selomo, M. R., & Govender, K. K. (2016). Procurement and Supply Chain Management in Government Institutions: A Case Study of Select Departments in the Limpopo Province, South Africa. DOI: https://doi.org/10.20897/lectito.201637

Shirvani, M., Mohammadi, A., & Shirvani, F. (2015). Comparative study of cultural and social factors affecting urban and rural women's Burnout in Shahrekord Township. UCT Journal of Management and Accounting Studies, 3(1), 1-4.

Sternberg, R. (1985). General intellectual ability. Human abilities by R. Sternberg. â€“ 1985. â€“ Ð . 5â€“31. Sternberg R.Y. Inside intelligence // American scientist. â€“ 1986. â€“ Vol. 74, 32. â€“ P. 137â€“143. ( In English)

Taylor, C. W. (1985). Cultivating multiple creative talents in students. Journal for the Education of the Gifted, 8(3), 187-198. https://doi.org/10.1177/016235328500800303 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/016235328500800303

Tereso, A., Ribeiro, P., & Cardoso, M. (2018). An Automated Framework for the Integration between EVM and Risk Management. Journal of Information Systems Engineering & Management, 3(1), 03. https://doi.org/10.20897/jisem.201803 DOI: https://doi.org/10.20897/jisem.201803

Terman, L. M., & Merrill, M. A. (1937). Measuring intelligence: A guide to the administration of the new revised Stanford-Binet tests of intelligence.

Titov, B.A. (2013) Socializacija detej, podrostkov i junoshestva v sfere dosuga (Socialization of children, adolescents and youth in the field of leisure). 276p. SPb. (In Russian)

Torrance, E. P. (1965). Scientific views of creativity and factors affecting its growth. Daedalus, 663-681.

Vernon, P. E. (1967). Psychological studies of creativity. Child Psychology & Psychiatry & Allied Disciplines. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-7610.1967.tb02191.x DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-7610.1967.tb02191.x

College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

Fall 2024: important dates and deadlines for students.

As a student at the University of Iowa in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, please be mindful of these key dates and deadlines for the fall 2024 semester.

Here are a few tips for staying ahead of important dates:

Create a calendar or planner and mark down all the important dates and deadlines for your semester.
Set reminders for yourself on your phone or computer marking upcoming deadlines.
Be aware of your course assignments to avoid the stress of missing a deadline.
Talk to your academic advisor if you have any questions about important dates and deadlines.

Four key dates and deadlines to keep in mind:

Census date Monday, Sept. 9, 2024

The census date is the date for enrollment in a certain number of credits to be eligible for some scholarships and financial aid. If you do not meet the census requirement, you may have to pay more tuition or lose financial aid. Be sure to check with student financial aid for more information about your specific situation if you are changing your schedule.

Tip: Keep track of your credit hours throughout the semester so that you do not accidentally fall below the requirement.

Add or drop deadlines Several dates

Add/drop deadlines allow you to add or drop classes without penalty. After the first add/drop deadline, you will only be able to drop classes with a W grade, which will not affect your GPA.

Tip : If your course does not meet for the full semester, the deadlines will vary. Be sure to check your specific course deadline .

Last day to drop without a W (full semester-length courses only): Monday, Sept. 9, 2024
Last day to add without collegiate approval: Monday, Sept. 9, 2024
Last day to drop (full semester-length courses only): Monday, Nov. 18, 2024
Last day to withdraw from the entire spring 2024 semester: Monday, Nov. 18, 2024

Winter and spring registration Nov. 11-Dec. 6.

It’s important to register for next semester’s classes as soon as you are eligible to ensure you get the classes you need for graduation.

Tip : Schedule an appointment with your advisor about a month before registration to plan your schedule. If you get notified about a registration hold, clear it as soon as possible.

Meet with your academic advisor to be cleared for registration, if necessary
Spring 2025 schedule builder open: Monday, Sept. 30, 2024
Early registration for winter begins: Monday, Nov. 11-Friday, Dec. 6, 2024
Early registration for spring begins: Monday, Nov. 11-Friday, Dec. 6, 2024

Final exams Dec. 16-20, 2024

Final exams are held at the end of each semester. They are typically not during your normal course meeting time. Be sure to check your syllabus.

Tip : Start studying for your final exams early! This will help you to avoid feeling overwhelmed and stressed during finals week.

Last day of class before final exams: Friday, Dec. 13, 2024
Final Exam Week: Dec. 16-20, 2024

Other important deadlines

Tip : Start working on your scholarship and graduate school applications early. This will give you plenty of time to gather all of the required materials and proofread your essays.

Deadline to apply for Fall 2024 graduation: Friday, Oct. 4, 2024
Midterm reports: Friday, Oct. 25, 2024
Fall break: Nov. 25-29, 2024
CLAS Commencement: Sunday, Dec. 22, 2024
Fall grades posted: Monday, Dec. 30, 2024

In addition to these general university and college deadlines, there are other important dates and deadlines specific to your classes or program of study. Be sure to check your syllabi and keep an eye on your uiowa e-mail.

IMAGES

Leisure Time Essay Example
Leisure Time Essay
A Useful Leisure Time Activity
Essay Discussing Leisure Time
My Leisure Time_Essay
An essay about leisure time and academic pressure

COMMENTS

Should you plan your leisure time, or does that take the fun out of it?
No! Say researchers at Washington University. According to a series of studies ( written up in Time — originally in Health — see link here ), people who schedule their leisure time enjoy it less. It feels too much like work. Longtime readers know I am quite a planner, and so I have to admit, I have been puzzling over this contribution to ...
Should You Schedule Your Free Time or Go With the Flow?
Well, you could schedule all of your free time. That means if you wanted to go out to dinner with friends or attend a concert, you add these to your calendar. It may sound extreme. But, it prevents you from scheduling anything else during this block of time. The other option would be to "wing it.".
Leisure Time Essays
Below is my first essay on leisure time, every comment is a helpful advice for me! Some people think that it is important to use leisure time for activities that improve the mind, such as reading and doing word puzzles. Other people feel that it is important to rest the mind during leisure time. Discuss both views and give your opinion.
Why You Should Schedule Your Free Time
Better Health and Well-Being. Scheduling free time is essential for maintaining your overall health and well-being. Participating in recreational activities provides a well-deserved break, allowing your mind and body to rest and recover from daily stressors. Engaging in leisure activities like exercise, meditation, or spending time in nature ...
Health & Wellness: Why you should schedule leisure time
By scheduling leisure time, you'll find yourself better able to tackle your most important tasks. Newsletter Join thousands already receiving our daily newsletter.
How I Spent My Leisure Time, Essay Sample
How I Make My Free Time Count. My favorite way to spend my leisure time would be to hang out with my friends at the beach. I enjoy the cool breeze from the ocean and watching people have fun on the shore. Walking along the shores of the beach calms my inner chaos. Occasionally, I collect seashells on the beach and bring them to my siblings.
The way we view free time is making us less happy
The same study reports that as of 2017, 54% of American workers didn't use up their vacation time, leaving 662 million days reserved for leisure unused. Part of the problem, new research shows ...
How scheduling takes the fun out of free time
"We find that the detriment of scheduling leisure stems from how structured that time feels," Malkoc said. Tonietto "While we may tend to think of scheduling in structured terms by referring to specific times — such as grabbing coffee at 3 p.m. — we can also schedule our time in a rougher manner by referring less specifically to time ...
IELTS Essay: Activities for Leisure Time
Write a clear opinion. Read more about introductions here. 1. Arranging one's leisure activities ahead of time is a natural impulse to ease tension and ensure their usefulness. 2. Some psychologists have termed humans the 'planning animal' because of an inborn tendency arising from a calming need for security. 3.
An essay about leisure time and academic pressure
Check your writing: gap fill. Worksheets and downloads. An essay about leisure time and academic pressure - exercises 800.19 KB. An essay about leisure time and academic pressure - answers 160.95 KB. An essay about leisure time and academic pressure - essay 623.67 KB.
Leisure Time: The Types of Activities
Introduction. Leisure time refers to the time in one's life when one is free from the demands of his/her duties or studies. During this time, one is free to spend his/her time as he wills or as he deems right. Many people opt to spend this time having fun in different ways as a way of relieving the physical and mental stress accumulated ...
Want to be happier? Stop scheduling your free time
Stop scheduling your free time. Your social calendar might be sucking the joy out of activities that are supposed to be fun or relaxing, according to an upcoming paper co-written by a professor ...
IELTS Writing Task 2 Sample 241
IELTS Writing Task 2/ Essay Topics with sample answer. ... Others state that after busier schedule, one should relax their mind. I believe that leisure time provides us opportunities to further enhance our knowledge and mind. ... Leisure time is the free time spent and enjoyed by us away from other responsibilitie s such as business, job ...
IELTS Essay 183
Use specific reasons and examples to explain your choice. You should write at least 250 words. Model Answer 1: It is a fact that every individual spends his/her free time differently, as a group of people choose to spend their leisure time without any plan at all, while others prefer to spend it with agenda and schedule.
PDF An Essay About Leisure Time And Academic Pressure
3. 4. Some essay questions ask you to discuss a problem (Which maq Involve explaining the causes of it) and suggest solutions. Look carefutrg at the wording of the question so you know what to write about. Start gour essatd by paraphrasing the question in your OWVi words. Avoid copying the question.
Health & Wellness: Why you should schedule leisure time
Be sure to strike a balance between too much and too little free time, remember that leisure time is good for you and prioritize activities that add to your energy in the long run. By scheduling leisure time, you'll find yourself better able to tackle your most important tasks. A version of this article was published by The Daily Herald.
Leisure Time Essays: Examples, Topics, & Outlines
View our collection of leisure time essays. Find inspiration for topics, titles, outlines, & craft impactful leisure time papers. Read our leisure time papers today! Homework Help; ... A Study of Time and Motion" (1992) are concerned primarily with a specific aspect of time: the scheduling of diplomatic and other governmental business in Asante.
The Creativity Development of Teenagers in Leisure Time
Purpose of the study: The relevance of the study is due to the great interest among psychologists and teachers to study the issues of creativity, creative thought, and creative productivity. Methodology: The analysis of pedagogical, psychological, philosophical literature reflects various approaches to the consideration of the processes of self-affirmation and self-expression of the ...
PDF The Leisure Time Activities of Moscow's Teenagers
leisure time, and thereby find the threads that cultural institutions can pull at to interest people in visiting them. While conducting this study we aimed to find out how Moscovites of different ages organize their free time, what they take into account when choosing an activity, which cultural sphere they prefer and what options and
Soviet Patterns of Time Use and Concepts of Leisure
A recent survey of Soviet workers' preferences for different forms of reduced working time showed that of 3,4II workers ques-tioned, 530% conisidered an additional day off per week as most. desirable, 380% preferred longer vacation periods, and only 9O% voted for reduced working hours per day.23. Patternas of Leisure.
Cultural variation in the use of leisure time: Foreign tourists at the
Though time has often been treated as a sociological variable in the study of leisure, common assumptions about cultural variation in the use of leisure time remain largely untested. This study examined the time‐budgets of foreign visitors on organized tours at Grand Canyon National Park. Using over 1,400 observations of 40 tours, we examined ...
Fall 2024: Important dates and deadlines for students
This will give you plenty of time to gather all of the required materials and proofread your essays.Deadline to apply for Fall 2024 graduation: Friday, Oct. 4, 2024Midterm reports: Friday, Oct. 25, 2024Fall break: Nov. 25-29, 2024CLAS Commencement: Sunday, Dec. 22, 2024Fall grades posted: Monday, Dec. 30, 2024In addition to these general ...

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Free Time Makeover Guide

Should You Schedule Your Free Time or Go With the Flow?

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Why You Should Schedule Your Free Time

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