Leisure and hobbies: why fun is not a waste of time
Rest, play, creativity and things you do for fun. When did you last do something just for fun? If you have to think about it, this area needs you.
By Edward Korytskyi, founder of Elegix · Updated · 4 min read
Why leisure matters
Ambitious people often treat fun as a reward for when everything is done. Everything is never done. Leisure is how you recover: it's what makes the next week of hard work possible, and often where your best ideas show up.
Rest is also different from numbing. Scrolling and another episode pass the time but rarely refill you. Hobbies, play and creative things usually do.
Signs your leisure score is low
- Your hobbies turned into “someday”.
- Free evenings feel empty, so you fill them with work or a screen.
- You feel guilty when you're not being productive.
- Holidays are spent answering email.
How to bring fun back
Pick one old hobby
Something you loved before work took over. Book one hour for it this week.
Make it social
A weekly game, class or match with friends is harder to cancel than a solo plan.
Guard one evening
One evening a week with no work and no plan to be productive.
Track it
Give leisure a score every week. It's the area most people forget to measure, and the one that drops first after health.
Not sure where your leisure time stands? Rate all 6 areas in the free Life Balance Check, or read how to fill in the Wheel of Life.