“Kill time”: how to spend your free hours profitably? What to do when you have nothing to do

Every person, regardless of employment, has free time. Actually has great value what do you use yours for? free time from work, school or everyday activities. Successful people are engaged in interesting and sufficient useful things that bring them pleasure.

Most people often have questions about what to do with themselves or how to spend their free time. Many people prefer to just watch TV or talk on the phone. But does this bring any benefit or does it just take away that precious time that you can spend not only enjoying yourself, but also learning something new?

Scientists claim that a person cannot be tired by the work that satisfies him, and a change in activity is best vacation. Therefore, of course, it is impossible to live without rest, but, according to scientists, rest should be effective and useful. For example, if you work physically, then spend your free time benefiting your brain and engage in mental work, and vice versa.

First, you need to decide what you really want, what attracts you and what interests you. Make a list, and then start formulating a plan to achieve your goals. Now that you have a clear and clear plan for your goals and objectives to achieve them, all that remains is to act in the right direction.

In addition to this plan, create a schedule for each day that will allow you to use your time wisely. Once you have a schedule of things to do, it will become clear to you when and how to spend your free time. For example, you have a window during the day, and you have long wanted to start reading a book, perhaps now is the time for this, and not for social networks and surfing the Internet.

Remember that in your free time you should do what brings you pleasure, makes you joyful and happy. There is no need to force yourself to do anything, just find something you enjoy.

Walk

Organize a walk for yourself in the park, along the embankment, visit the fresh air. You can also go rollerblading or cycling.

Foreign language

Learn a foreign language, devote 30 minutes to it every day. This is a small load, but what benefits will it bring to you? You will not only gain new knowledge, but also expand your capabilities.

Garden

Plant some flowers indoor plants and take care of them. Let you have your own small, but own garden.

Significant other

When you have a significant other, the question of free time should not arise in principle. Spend time together, look for new experiences, find a common cause that will unite you.

House

In your free time, take care of your home, clean out your closets, and clear your shelves of unnecessary trash. Take yours apart workplace and put your documents, papers, plans and lists in order.

Skills

Develop your skills. For example, learn to draw or play the musical instrument, learn a new dance, learn to embroider or knit.

Our smaller brothers. Get yourself a pet. Caring for him, caring for him, walking him. For example, when you get a kitten, you will find something to do in your free time.

Self-development. Engage in self-development, read books, listen to audio format, watch. Try something new, for example, read about making money on the Internet.

Friends

Organize themed party, gather with friends for a picnic, perhaps they also don’t know how to spend their free time.

Get some sleep

Dream modern man It’s difficult to call it full-fledged, and if you sleep less than seven hours a day or your body does not have enough strength, then lie down and rest. Use your free time to sleep.

You yourself choose activities that you like and that make your life better. The main thing is that you value your time, even if it is free, and spend it usefully.

Agree, sometimes you really want to take a short break from work or study and just relax! Give yourself a mandatory five-minute rest right at your workplace - and what to do during this time, you can read below.

What to do during a break?

As a rule, a standard break at work lasts from half an hour to an hour - this is enough to do something not just interesting, but also useful. Divide your free time as follows:

in the first 5-10 minutes, do exercises with your eyes;

Devote another 10-20 minutes to a light warm-up - squats, lunges and bends, they can be done even in the office near your workplace;

Leave the remaining time for lunch, a walk outside and pleasant conversations with employees.

This peculiar graph is wonderful suitable for those who spend most of the working day in a sitting position.

What should those whose profession involves active physical activity do in their free time? It’s better for you to recuperate and relax: choose calm, interesting activities for a break. For example, women can crochet and men can read.

This does not mean that you need to get hung up on some standard hobbies - you can just watch movies on the computer, and this will already be a good vacation.

For students and schoolchildren, free time does not last so long: the average length of a long break is 20-30 minutes. During this time, it is imperative to have time to eat so that hunger does not weaken the student and does not distract him during classes.

School breakfast must include healthy vitamins and microelements. Here is an approximate composition: sandwiches with chicken breast And fresh vegetables, an apple, a cereal bar and... some chocolate! It is believed that the couple chocolates It’s even useful - sweets help improve brain activity.

Don’t forget about interesting activities like games of catch, hide and seek, and even football. Of course, there will be a lot of noise during the break, but why? bigger baby moves during breaks, so much the better - after all, he spends the rest of the day sitting at his desk in one position.

Rest after work

Despite many everyday worries, some people have a question: what to do in their free time after work?

In this case, interesting activities are divided into 2 categories: those that are suitable for relaxation after work on weekdays, and those that can be enjoyed on weekends.

Free time after work

After work, it is important to give rest not only to your body - your brain also needs to be rebooted and cleared of work thoughts. Don't rush to do household chores immediately after returning home: sit in a chair and just sit for 5 minutes. Don't think about anything at all or think about something pleasant.

The rule of contrast applies here again - if you work sitting all day, be sure to move - go for a walk, do exercises or dance.

If you are on your feet all the time, spend your free time calmly: watch TV or read the newspaper.

It is better to choose entertainment publications rather than news ones: those that publish humor, crosswords, and photo jokes. And you don’t have to buy the press: interesting sites Nowadays they appear like mushrooms after rain - you just have to go online.

After your break from work is over, you can devote yourself to your favorite hobbies - that’s what free time is for! Depending on your preferences and daily routine, choose active or passive hobbies.

The first includes running, cycling and roller skating, dancing, volleyball and football, the second includes scrapbooking and ribbon embroidery, batik painting and creating designer jewelry.

Weekend holidays

Weekends provide room for imagination - you can do everything you wanted, but didn’t have time due to work.

For example, men are attracted to fishing trips to the nearest lake, some prefer to work on equipment and sort out their cars, while others go for a long workout at the gym.

Girls and women also know how to spend their free time wisely: what could be better than going shopping with your beloved friend and hanging out in a cafe with open terrace? There are also those who immerse themselves in their favorite hobby. For example, felting wool toys is a very interesting activity, but it requires a lot of time, which is so lacking from Monday to Friday!

By the way, free time spent doing needlework can be beneficial. Some craftswomen have become adept at creating such masterpieces that they have turned their passion into their life’s work - and are earning more than they did at their old job.

Internet - for relaxation

Sometimes free time appears in the most unexpected places: in a traffic jam, in line to see the doctor. Naturally, the question arises: what to do if you only have a mobile phone at hand?

Fortunately, now in almost all public places there is free Wi-Fi, and where it is not available, it can catch mobile internet. Yes, you understood correctly - the World Wide Web can also be great entertainment for a while. About a selection of the most interesting sites on the Internet.

Sites for men

The Internet can satisfy any needs, because there are entertainment sites, thematic portals, news feeds and online games.

Young kids will definitely like it free services games in which you can find quests, shooting games and much more. Young guys will like educational sites about various technical, computer, sports fashion news, presented in tabloid format (sites in which texts small size accompanied by huge photographs).

And mature representatives of the stronger sex can be offered websites of news agencies and online platforms of newspapers or TV channels.

Sites for women

Girls and women will enjoy collections of fashion tips. How to make up your eyeliner, which jeans are considered fashionable this season, or what sweets are best for dinner - probably every beautiful and smart woman wants to know all this.

Especially if articles with advice on such portals are supported by bright photographs illustrating each step.

Universal advice on what to do in your free time, which is suitable for both girls and guys - register on dating sites. You may be skeptical, but the best dating sites for serious relationships will provide you with opportunities that are unlikely to be found on other online services.

Here are just a few of them: interesting acquaintances with people who could become yours best friends and even your other half, practice foreign languages(if the dating site is foreign), the ability to listen to music, play in suggested applications and share your thoughts. And all this is free!

You can learn useful tips for those who are just planning to register on a dating site from the following video:

Organization is the search for resources and people who contribute to our development.

There are three key life resources:

time;
energy;
money.

In this article we will talk about time, because using this resource effectively is very difficult, but each of us should be able to do it.

What do you want?

I want to kill time.

Time really doesn't like being killed.
"Alice in Wonderland", Lewis Carroll

I’m sure you’ve heard the following phrases: “I don’t have time for this” or “I can hardly keep up with work, whatever...”. Of all resources, only time is absolutely irreplaceable.

The philosopher B. Fuller said: “I lived 70 years. This amounts to 600 thousand hours. Of these, I slept 200 thousand, 100 thousand were spent on eating, drinking, restoring my health, 200 thousand hours I studied and earned a living. Of the remaining 60 thousand hours, I spent on the road. The remainder - the time that I could freely dispose of - amounted to only about 40 thousand hours, or about an hour and a half a day."

The main question: how to spend this time profitably?

Dozens written good books on time management. I will share just a few principles that will help you better manage this resource.

Control

Don't be fooled by your calendar. There are only as many days in a year as you can use. So, in one person’s year there are only seven days, in another person’s year there are 365.
Charles Richards, American pentathlete

Control your time. In order to have 24 hours in your day, and not two, three or five, you must clearly understand what you are spending them on.

There are people who in the evening say: “Well, another day has flown by unnoticed.” And there are those who spend this evening usefully, for example, reading books, just because it was so.

Keep a diary, use notes, put crosses on your hand. You only realize the value of time when you start noticing it. Don't let your time fly by, catch it and make it work for you.

Sacrifice

Don't talk about how you don't have time. You have exactly the same amount of time as Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, Thomas Jefferson, Pasteur, Helen Keller, Albert Einstein had.
Jackson Brown

I really like this aphorism. Few people realize that we all have the same number of hours in a day. We see people who run in the morning or manage to complete overtime and wonder: how do they do it?

It's very simple: these people made certain sacrifices. You must understand that the goal of developing a skill or achieving good results in something must inevitably crowd out other things from your schedule.

There are students who sit on their smartphones during lectures, and there are those who listen carefully to the teacher. There are those who sleep at seven in the morning and those who meditate. There are those whose Friday evening ends with a party at the club, and those who at this time are working on a new project.

Don't fool yourself. In fact, the phrase “I will start learning English” sounds like “I will start learning English instead of spending time on the computer.”

Always immediately indicate what you will have to give up in order to achieve your intended results. And keep reminding yourself that it's worth it.

Discipline

People don't change overnight.
"Cruel Intentions"

You have an inspiring goal, a plan in place, and you begin to follow your new schedule. And so a day passes, two, three, but something is definitely wrong. You ask yourself: “Well, where is the result? Why haven't I become a millionaire yet?

The source of motivation is exhausted. But it will give you something more - consistency in working on yourself.

Our motivation is a manual generator. We receive its charge and begin to frantically turn the handle, generating energy for change. We watched an inspiring film, went to a training session, read a book, but a day or two passes, and we do less and less until we say to ourselves: “That’s it, I give up.”

Discipline is the engine. You design it step by step, improve it, increase its power. Once you turn it on, it won't slow down. Monitor its work and make adjustments. Yes, it doesn’t last forever either, but its charge will last you a long time.

Build discipline with small efforts every day. Constantly work on yourself, develop new habits, give up old ones. The main thing is, don’t stop following your plan for a minute. If it becomes too difficult, just tell yourself: “You can give up, but only tomorrow, and today keep working.” And so every day.

This is not a psychological deception, it is an acceptance of the fact that you need to change at the present moment and carry it out with maximum benefit.

What to do?

Start a diary, download a calendar app, buy a book on time management. Calculate how much time you have left to work on yourself.
Before you do, make a list of what you will have to sacrifice for her. Answer for yourself what is more important to you, and only after that start working.
Learn discipline. Execute your plan for today and keep repeating it until it becomes part of your routine. Remember: habit builds character.

If you have your own ways to improve time management, please email me [email protected] or in VK.

Hearing the phrase “rest time,” many automatically think that it is time to sit back and do nothing. Yes, it’s completely normal to relax during your leisure time, but only occasionally. Free time also provides an excellent opportunity to finish unfinished business or improve yourself personally or professionally. Spend your leisure time productively - engage in self-development, communicate social networks and improve your health.

Steps

Engage in self-development

Review your goals and set new ones. Use free time as a period for reflection. Review the goals you've set, decide whether you're making progress toward them, and determine whether you need to amend them or better define new goals.
- For example, if you set a goal last month to “save $10,000,” check your savings to see how well you did. If everything goes as planned, move on to the next goal. However, if you are behind on deadlines, it may be worth lowering the bar (say, to “5,000 rubles”), or coming up with a strategy that will help you stay on schedule (for example, find a part-time job).
Determine what you would like to study. Time away from work, school, or household responsibilities can be spent productively by using it as a chance to learn something new. New skills can help you advance your career or just challenge your creative side.
- Make a list of a few new skills that you would like to learn. This could include activities such as learning a new language, improving computer knowledge, or learning to ride horses.
- To maintain balance in life, choose several skills related to personal or professional development, as well as a couple of activities that you want to do purely out of curiosity.
Optimize your to-do list. Perhaps your to-do list is full of overwhelming tasks that you struggle to complete day after day. Such tasks cause frustration and are rarely completed, and when they are completed, it is only at the very last minute. Get things organized, organized, and done.
- Write down your most important tasks on paper. next week. Then determine whether you can complete the task at once or in stages. Instead of “finish a history essay,” break the task into several steps, such as “find history sources,” “make an outline,” and “create a draft.”
- It's the one-step items that you're most likely to check off at the end of the day.
Earn extra money. If you need additional funds, you can spend your time away from work or school by working part-time or choosing a creative way to earn money. Find a second job that you can do in the evenings or on weekends. Monetize your passion for jewelry making by setting up a shop on Etsy (or similar sites). Sell old books or clothes stored in the attic or closet.

Build Social Connections
1. Expand your base of professional contacts. Beyond the 9 to 5 schedule, there are a number of networking events you can attend. Saturday brunch or evening cocktail parties can serve as a great backdrop for promoting a new idea or exchanging business cards.
  - Look for similar events in your area, or test the waters at your job or union to find out about after-hours events.
2. Invite friends or relatives to visit. Having a strong support group will make you more resilient to stress and even improve your self-esteem. If you usually don't pay much attention to your loved ones because of school or work, use your free time to go out with friends and "feed" your friendships.
  - Plan a movie night, a game night, or a trip to the ice cream parlor. Call a few friends or family members you can't seem to meet and invite them to join in the fun. Communication with loved ones is a great way to spend your free time.
3. Start volunteering your time in the community. Helping out in your local community will give you the opportunity to connect with others, do something meaningful, and even improve your resume. Think about how you can help your city and figure out how it can be implemented.
  - You could help plan a community event, work at a homeless shelter, or pick up trash after the annual festival.
4. Perform random acts of kindness. If you are looking interesting ways fill your free time, do something nice for someone else. Random acts of kindness will show others that you care and will also give you a reason to be proud of yourself.
  
  Take care of your health
  1. Find healthy recipes that you would like to try. If you have some free time, cooking is great way use it. By planning and preparing meals in advance, junk and unhealthy foods can be avoided. Look for interesting recipes on Pinterest and make a grocery list to take with you to the store.
    - Ask a neighbor, partner, or children to help you. This way you will complete the task faster. Plus it's more fun together.

It would seem that our life is so fleeting that we constantly lack time for any useful accomplishments. But it happens that we find ourselves in situations where this time is literally nowhere to go.

What to do when there is nothing to do?

Take work as an example: in modern life it involves an endless series of rush jobs and idleness, and it is impossible to say for sure which of these cycles tires us more.

How to pass your free time in such cases?

Of course, you can do outright nonsense, like playing Tetris on a tablet or smartphone. But such “killing” of time will not benefit you at all.

It’s much more pleasant and productive to actually do something interesting things, which can even bring you material profit. You “kill two birds with one stone”- on the one hand, you are not bored, on the other hand, you get your own benefit from the process.

And even if it is not material, but spiritual, it is still better than spending several hours on the same idleness, only performing some simple tasks.

To spend your time properly at home, work, school, train or hospital, it is important to identify your priorities in this matter. What do you generally like to do? Maybe you have a craving for art and painting? Or maybe you like to write poetry and prose? Or are you into any hand-made things?

Surprisingly, in normal everyday life we very often do not have enough free minutes and hours for creative pursuits. So why not take the opportunity and use your free time to benefit yourself and self-development?

If there are several hours left before the end of the working day

It happens that you have completed all the work that was planned for today, and there are still two or three hours left until the end of the working day. And of course, no boss will let you go home, simply because the framework of corporate discipline requires it. What to do in this case?

Altruists immediately intend to help others and do their work for a “thank you.” But this should not be done under any circumstances: firstly, your colleagues will quickly recognize your good soul and begin to use you constantly, which may ultimately affect your own professional productivity.

Secondly, you will not receive any material or even moral compensation for this (the boss will be more likely to be dissatisfied with such actions than to treat them commendably and mark you as a potential candidate for promotion).

And thirdly, you yourself will not learn anything from this thankless task - since you have undertaken to help, it means that you know more than your colleague, and accordingly, you will not learn anything new at this moment.

Use your free time to get some benefit out of it. If you know or feel that you will be free early, take parts of your hobby with you to work.

For example, yarn and knitting needles, album sheets and pencils for sketching, an organizer for writing a poem or story.

Do not spend your free hours on the Internet, especially on social networks.

They are the real thieves of our time! And you will not find anything useful in them, unless you communicate with loved ones who are far from you. However, the Internet is still not the worst option for spending time, especially if you can learn some useful skills and abilities from it.

How to pass the time at work:

Find an exotic recipe online for a family dinner, make a grocery list and plan cooking after work;
Get creative - write a poem, draw a sketch for a painting, come up with an action-packed plot line for your future novel;
Turn to handmade - sewing dolls, felting, modeling, knitting, creating decorations for your home or office. This can bring you not only moral satisfaction, but also income;
Work on freelance exchanges on the Internet - this is also useful, especially if you are constantly short of money;
Develop a sketch for a new dress, blouse or jacket if you know how to sew. Find the corresponding patterns on the Internet and add them to your album;
Do exercises - if you monitor your health and body condition, it is useful to do this even during lunch breaks and other “intermissions” at work.

You can do anything - the main thing is that it is pleasant and useful for you. Don’t allow yourself to later regret a fruitless pastime that could have been spent interestingly and productively.

The hospital is hell for hard workers and slackers

Why hell? Yes, because even inveterate slackers, when they get into it, begin to love all work. They are ready to do anything to stop the series of these aimlessly lived days. Even worries about painful procedures recede - so much does any person want to quickly free themselves from this terribly monotonous existence.

How can you pass the time in the hospital if discharge is still far away?

Make a detailed list of plans for your recovery (if you are pregnant, it is useful to read books on child care, early development, and also provide for everything that needs to be bought before the baby arrives at home);
Knit, embroider, do crafts;
Watch TV shows or movies that you usually don't have time for at home;
Play your favorite game on your computer, laptop or tablet;
Think about how you can pass the time on the Internet so that it is useful for you - study different tutorials, practice performing certain makeup techniques, find video tutorials on what you are most interested in (creativity, business, cooking, etc.);
Learn a new skill to use modern technology– for example, a photo editing program.

You can spend your time as you wish, the main thing is that it does not contradict your indications for treatment and does not harm your health (at least if you want to be discharged as soon as possible).

School and university

The question of how you can pass the time at school or university may seem very strange at first glance, because in educational institutions It is customary to gain knowledge. And indeed, here it is better not to lay out threads with beads in front of you - for this you can simply be kicked out of a lesson or lecture.

Therefore, if you already think that you know everything the teacher is talking about, proceed to next topic and start studying it. Or put your energy into preparing for final exams- this way you will not only kill a boring couple, but also save yourself from the need to cram on sleepless nights in anticipation of tests.

If you're on the road...

How to pass the time on the train - quite interesting question. In our era of information, people are accustomed to turning to the Internet to kill their spare minutes and hours. There will be a lot of them on the train, but here’s the catch: very few are equipped with WiFi networks vehicles. At least in our country.

Stock up before traveling interesting books or magazines, download a series or a couple of films, buy a licensed game that you have long dreamed of playing. Carrying tools for your hobby with you is pointless and inconvenient, especially if you already have a lot of things in your luggage.