The 9 Best Ways to Make Your Free Time More Productive

How you spend your downtime is totally up to you. You can sleep all day, do a marathon of your favorite series, travel, or just sit on the couch and stare at a wall. But if you’ve had enough of those things and you want your free time to be spent in a more meaningful way then that is good too! In fact, that’s what this article is about. We compiled a list of some of the best ways how to make free time more productive.

The tips that we’re going to share can be applied to both the personal and professional aspects of your life. And they are easy to follow as well, making them perfect for eliminating that guilt you feel for wasting time. Are you ready? Let's begin.

1. Become a Volunteer

Signing up as a volunteer (for NGOs in particular) is a great way to spend your free time productively and in a meaningful manner. There are a lot of things that you can do as a volunteer depending on which organization you’re going to be a part of. You can be tasked with things such as feeding the hungry, providing clothes to the less fortunate, cleaning the ocean, teaching lessons to uneducated street children, and so much more.

But what’s in it for you? Well, a lot. From having a renewed sense of purpose and improved social skills, volunteering can also help you in your career by boosting your reputation. Doing volunteer work is also an excellent way of distracting you from your usual stressors, allowing your mind to take some well-deserved break even though your body is technically working.

Some of the local NGOs that you can sign up as a volunteer include:

2. Spend Time with Your Loved Ones

Pretty sure you’ve heard this before but it’s 100% true, your job isn't everything. When you're in your downtime, you need to forget about your professional life and instead focus on your personal one. Why? It’s because when your career falls apart, it’s your friends and family who will have your back.

From watching movies and cooking a bunch of food to window shopping and going to the beach, the sky is pretty much the limit on the number of things that you can do with your loved ones during your free time. You can use this to strengthen the bond you have with the people you’re closest to. And believe it or not, spending time with them can help your physical and mental health.

3. Start a New Hobby

If your usual free time routine is downright boring you out, then why not spice it up by trying out a new hobby? Even the most successful people out there do something enjoyable on the side to relieve their brains of the stress they deal with daily.

When picking a hobby, you need to choose one that will not just alleviate your stress but also leave you satisfied after. Think of that one thing that you’ve always wanted to do but never had the chance to. Whether it be reading, surfing, skydiving, or even hiking, finally doing that top entry on your to-do list and turning it into a hobby will make you spend your free time productively.

4. Acquire A New Skill

Using your downtime to acquire new skills and expand your general knowledge is another great way to spend your free time more productively. We know not everyone is into the idea of studying new things, especially after they graduate from college but doing this in your free time could be very beneficial to you.

Here are some great benefits of learning a new skill:

You can include it in your resume
You get to rediscover yourself
You get to have fun
Your newly acquired knowledge can be used to further your career or start a side hustle
You get to practice your social skills
It can help improve your mental health
It’s a great confidence booster

Now:

There are different ways you can acquire a new skill. You can either attend classes conducted by groups such as TESDA and SkillShare or watch Youtube videos regarding specific things you want to learn more about.

5. Read, Read, Read

Yes, you read that right, you're actually doing it right now. Reading comes with a lot of benefits that will make you like you've spent every second of your free time productively.

Want to know what some of them are? Take a look at the following:

Widens your vocabulary
Exposes you to different topics and scenarios
It can stimulate the brain
It helps relieve stress
Great for focus improvement
Inspires you to do creative writing
Helps you have a better grammar
Exercises your imagination

If you don’t have the traditional hardbound book then don’t worry because you can still read e-books, articles, online dictionaries, web-based fictional stories, etc.

6. Look for a Source of Extra Income

Finding new means to generate income is another awesome way to make your free time productive. When brainstorming for ideas on how to make money, two of the first things you need to consider are your interest and availability. Think if it’s something that you want to do and how much time are you willing to invest to make it work.

Thankfully, there are many ways to earn extra moolah. One is to turn your favorite hobbies into side gigs, another is to invest in business ventures that can help you earn passive income. You just have to choose which one would suit you the best.

7. Set and Review Your Goals

Have you ever written a list of goals that you would like to accomplish before a certain year or age? If so, then use your free time to check it and see which ones you’ve already achieved. But if you haven’t written a list yet then it would be good to go ahead and make one.

Why? It’s because writing a list of goals that you want to achieve within the next few weeks, months, or even years can help your mind focus on important things. To make it even more effective, you could also write a master plan for each goal detailing everything you’re going to do to get them.

You might think this isn’t a productive way of spending your downtime but it is, because not only are you making plans for your future but you are also training your mind’s ability to focus and deal with any possible problem.

8. Start Exercising

No list of tips on how to make your free time more productive would ever be complete without this one. Exercising is important for it can help keep your body fit and healthy. On top of that, it can also increase your motivation levels and improve overall mental health, allowing you to be more productive and efficient.

Incorporating exercise into your downtime is easy as well because there are workout routines that will only last for about five minutes, short enough that you can still do other stuff after. Exercising can also be a fun bonding moment for you and your loved ones.

9. Let your Brain Rest

Mental health matters, so if you have free time then dedicate it to letting your brain breathe. The brain deals with a lot of daily stress that could wear it down over time, taking it for granted could lead to unwanted things such as being burned out, weaker defense against diseases, depression, anxiety, and other mental disorders.

Some of the things you can do to let your “brain” rest are listed below:

Meditate
Go for a walk
Go camping
Do Yoga
Take a long hot shower

Final Words

If you like to spend your downtime just laying around and doing nothing then that is 100% fine. But, if you want to know how to spend your free time productively then the tips we shared above should do trick. They are easy to follow and will give you more benefits than you may think.

But before we go, here are a couple more good ideas on how to make your free time more productive:

Start a blog
Clean your office/home
Celebrate your achievements
Make new friends
Update your finances
Pay your bills
Read unopened emails
Spend time with your pet(s)

Want to read more articles about productivity and career? Then click here to check out CourseFinder’s collection of high-quality and informative blogs.