Free time is something that can either be a luxury or a conundrum. It’s a luxury when we have options–when we can spend that time to relax, take a nap, read, create, go on a hike, or spend it with friends and family.
But it can be a conundrum when we have a lot of things to do. If we have a laundry list of chores, or if we have unfinished projects that we have put on the back burner, then free time functions more like a to-do list schedule than time we can enjoy.
Besides, free time is the time that we have to ourselves when we’re not working. We can spend that time on our hobbies, interests, or long term projects. Or we can spend it on things such as cooking, shopping, fixing and repairing things, or cleaning. But if we’re spending that time on things that aren’t recreational or fun, is it still considered free time, or is it something else?
Perhaps free time depends on how we define it. If we ignore self-care and the chores that need to be done, then our lives would be more difficult due to the problems that arose by neglecting them. If we spend all of our free time on hobbies, what about the pile of dirty dishes and laundry, the car that needs maintenance, and the host of other things that need to be addressed?
Perhaps free time can be categorized into groups such as leisure time, chore time, reading time, etc. Or maybe free time is just an illusion, and we are always busy working on something or addressing an issue.
Fallton Havenstonne 