More often than not, we spend our days working to the very limit of our capabilities. The demands of being in the workforce are, as necessary as it may be, the biggest time constraint we have. Let’s say we take an eight hour day. Assuming we sleep anywhere from six to eight hours a night, work takes up almost a third of our lives, and more than half of our waking hours. That may as well be three-fifths of our perceived lifetime. With that in mind, it may be difficult figuring out what one would do during their free time. It’s almost a foreign concept that we pack with so many wants and goals. We often overlook the primary purpose of having free time: to rest and relax. So in the spirit of leisure and the enrichment of life, here are some of the best ways you can spend your free time at home.
Learn About Wine!
Wine is a very layered and tiered subject. On one level, it’s all about enjoyment and celebration. It’s a drink. No more, and no less. On another level, it’s a massive industry that is focused on various markets and their perceived quality standard in each. And then you get to tasting and collecting. This is where wine turns into a blend of art and science. People spend their entire lives becoming high level sommeliers, cultured and experienced in every standard, the market offers, pitching the best in each sector. Now, you don’t have to be the best of the best, but gaining a bit of knowledge about wine is a great hobby to engage in. For starters, it’s fun. Wine tasting can’t be fun. To enjoy wine like the pros, you can pick a top rated wine aerator and pick up on the hints, flavors, and tannins that wine connoisseurs rave about. But in the end, it’s all about having fun. In no way is wine supposed to be 100% accurate, or toted as an exact science. It’s merely the fact-based perception of a good drink.
Exercise!
Another wonderful and enriching activity is exercise. I know, I know, the big “E” word brings out some strange emotions. It conjures up bad feelings and self-conscious. We all think we’ve done everything we can do and that the ends don't justify the means. Well, that’s simply not true. That’s a perceived truth, not an objective one. The truth is that fitness is whatever you want it to be. It’s just the movement. You can set your own home workout routine with just your body weight and some space. Some people choose yoga—a mentally taxing and static endurance-heavy practice, to get their workout in. Not the biggest calorie burner, but there is a spiritual angle that people use to stay motivated. Others choose high intensity interval training. Choose a full body movement (like squat jumps or burpees) and to it to maximum effort within a period of time. Set a time and rest, and repeat it again. Get it to a pace where you can do it for about a half hour. Or, you can do any combination of body weight workouts. The fitness world is your oyster.
Start A Podcast!
If you’ve got a skill or a base of knowledge that you’re passionate about, why not start a blog or a podcast? You can curate the information you put out and become part of a global community of content providers. You can do purely audio or both audio and video. The basis behind it is that whatever you’re into, someone else is into it, too. There’s nothing new under the sun, only interesting takes from individuals. The wonderful part of putting it out in the world is finding out how many people share your passion. There is, of course, a bit of a downside. We’re still dealing with the internet, so there are trolls and negative people that can potentially sabotage your desire to keep going. Don’t let them. Remember, you’re out there potentially reaching a billion people. Someone will find your content and agree. Those are your people. Cater to them and reward them with more content. It’s that simple. The best part is, if you’ve got a smartphone, you can start from there. You don’t need any special equipment. And if you get a following, who knows, you might even be able to sell ad space and such.
Free time is best spent either doing nothing or doing something to better yourself. The latter may take time, but it will never feel like work. You're doing it for you, not some boss. So when you get the chance to finally breathe from your job, choose one of the above options. You will not regret it.
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