Dangers of Having Too Much Free Time
What seems like a good thing is not always a good thing.
One example is free time.
I’m sure you whined about a lack of time before.
‘How the heck am I going to get all this homework done in such a short amount of time??’
A lot of things we whine about are time-related.
Have you ever thought about the opposite?
Whining about having too much free time?
‘Why the heck would I whine about something like that?? I dream of a moment when I have too much time.’
Beware.
Dreams can easily turn into nightmares.
Dangers of Having Too Much Time
There is a famous verse that goes like this:
- Idle hands are the devil’s workshop.
Translation, too much time makes you do sinister things.
2 sinister things that you will do during too much time are:
- Regret your life.
- Stir up drama.
‘Why do humans default to negativity when they have too much time?’
Because the mind is a problem-solving machine.
When it does not have any problems to solve, it creates problems.
3 Reasons for Having Too Much Free Time
One reason a person has too much free time is because they just retired.
Before, they had a job to clock into.
After retiring, no more work to clock into.
Before retiring, they had kids taking up their time.
After retiring, the kids are starting a family themselves.
They are no longer a headache to the retired person.
This retiree must design his schedule to fill up his 24 hours.
But he has no clue what to do….
Another reason for too much free time is due to a recent breakup.
When you were in a relationship before, you would spend time after work watching Netflix shows with your girl.
Recently, you and your girl broke up.
You have suddenly been returned a bunch of time where you don’t have to call her, watch shows with her, or go to restaurants with her.
Now what?
The 3rd reason we have too much free time is when things get super simple.
A difficult task is now autopilot.
It used to take me 2 hours and 15 minutes to write a blog.
After cleaning up some processes, it began taking me 1 hour and 30 minutes to finish a blog.
After cleaning some more processes, it began taking me 1 hour and 15 minutes.
Suddenly, I have been returned an hour.
Imagine that a bunch of my daily activities become autopilot.
I can easily see myself having an extra 2-3 hours returned.
Start with When You’ll Rest
I have a simple rule to effectively fill up your schedule.
- Think about when you will take your rest.
I work from morning to evening.
After 7 pm, I know I’m not doing anything work-related.
Those are my rest hours.
By knowing when I am going to rest, I am strategic about filling up my work hours.
To effectively design your schedule, start with the rest.
This makes it less daunting for your mind to be productive.
Suggested Activities to Do If You Have Too Much Free Time
You can fill up your schedule however you desire.
I’ll give you some suggested activities that have benefited my life.
Take whatever works and discard the rest.
Join a Club
Joining a club allows you to fill up certain blocks of your day.
You can find nearby clubs by downloading the Meetup app.
My suggestion is to join a Toastmasters.
This is a public speaking club that will get you out of the house.
In addition to getting out of the house, you’ll have certain weeks when you have to give a speech.
For those weeks, you’ll find yourself having something productive to do.
Rather than getting off work and staring off into the abyss.
Now you can brainstorm a speech, finalize a speech, and practice a speech.
Gym & Sports
Life will kick your ass many times.
But one thing that will always have your back are the weights.
I love lifting weights.
You may hate it.
If you hate it, then lift weights.
I used to hate lifting them too.
There was so much pain throughout my body the day after lifting.
After I healed, I became stronger.
The stronger I became, the more I wanted to get back to the gym.
Hate turned into love.
The unique thing about the gym is that it creates a flywheel effect.
You want to sleep better, meal prep, and set new PRs.
Start Creating Content
There are different creative hobbies a person can get themselves into.
Painting, singing, dancing.
But I think the best creative hobby is to create content.
Things like blogging, YouTubing, podcasting, etc.
When I started my blog in 2019-ish, one of my Twitter followers said:
‘You’ll be a different person in blog 100 than in blog 1.’
I didn’t know what he meant.
I published my 1st blog.
Then I continued to publish.
By the time I hit blog 128, I thought about what that follower once said.
He was right.
Blogging helped me make sense of my internal world, solidify my philosophy, and build a brand.
I was different.
Quit Feeling Guilt
When you have too much free time, you’ll find yourself feeling guilty.
You start regretting your past, whining about your heritage, and magnifying your mistakes.
You know what they say:
‘Hurt people hurt people.’
Your low self-esteem causes you to put others down.
Drama ensues.
Idle hands are a devil’s playhouse indeed.
Quit remaining idle.
Get in motion.
The more movement that you have today, the more you can direct your energy towards something positive.
Having too much free time is the worst.
Having too much work is better than having too much free time.
But the best is when you have some free time after you have completed your work.
Find work that moves you forward in a certain direction.
Watch the guilt melt way.
