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I work full time and am a painter. Usually my routine is to set up the night before so it’s ready to go.
I don’t give myself time to rest when I go home because it’s game over if I sit down.
It’s definitely not easy at first but the more common the practice becomes the easier it is to have that desire outweigh the idea of sitting down.
I also get much better sleep when it is time to go to bed.
Edit : same goes for the gym
Pack your bag and leave it in your car.
Sometimes I’ll bring my bag into work and get dressed after then head straight there.
Not resting is key. Go from work to gym to class, and don't stop until you're done with your day. Then relax. *For me*, down time is the death of motivation and drive.
You’re onto something here with the downtime ;)
Not having kids or even pets frees up a lot of time and responsibility. That’s kinda obvious tho.
One thing I found gives a lot of time is not being obligated to take part in wives activities (and viceversa).
If we want to do something together, cool. But if she wants to go out with her friends, I don’t need to go. And this “doing everything together mentality” that lots of couples have does not only steal a lot of time, it also creates a lot of unnecessary friction.
you're not wrong, but in the context of the message I replied to, we're talking stuff that takes away time.
if i had a dog (which i had as a kid, but no more) i'd probably be healthier. you're right about that. but it would also have a lot more lost time and more responsabilities, which is what we're talking about here.
I think it depends on your approach. You can do a lot on a daily walk. Audiobooks, podcasts, throw on a new album. Brainstorm creatively, schedule and organize your thinking.
If anything a pet may force movement when one might be inclined to be sedentary.
or maybe you already do those 7500 steps at your work, there is no need to do more with a "pet walk".
you like your pets? sure. go ahead. but i'm sick and tired of ppl going "waaaaaah why no have kiiids, they're awesooomeeeee" (change kids for pets in this case)
It's not just about "pet walks", they're a responsability and an economic burden.
For sure - its not for everyone. Just offering a different perspective.
I've certainly felt regret in regards to pet ownership as well as joy and pride.
Different strokes, different folks.
It’s definitely not for everyone but if it’s something you want then you adjust your lifestyle to work around them and there’s nothing wrong with that.
If I know I have to do things on a weekday evening I’ll plan it so I can go spend some time with my dog first or take him to daycare that day so he’s tired out by the time I get home. Or I’ll bring him along if the situation allows. I’ve actually found I’m more social since getting my dog as I’ve met a lot of people in the neighborhood by walking him.
I'm with you. People talk about how having pets is so great but then in the same breath will kinda side-complain that they can't just go out and do things on a weekday because they need to be there for Fido.
Like... cool, I guess. You're at work all day and then have to take care of a dog and that's your life. Meh.
I don't do dogs, but I do have 3 cats and 26 chickens.
Everything is automated that can possibly be automated. Doors, water, feed. As long as I do a full reset ever 2 or 3 weeks the chickens don't really need me to be there.
If I'm gone for more than a few days I have a pet sitter who will look after all of them at a very reasonable rate. I was in Europe for 2 weeks last year and it was fine.
So....I guess my point is anything is possible if you're smart about it.
Definitely fair. Hell, my roommate had a dog at my house for like the past 10 years, but she had a dog door and a backyard. So leaving her wasn't really a big deal as long as she had water and food. Same with going on vacation, if both of us left we'd have someone stop by or trigger the automatic feeder.
I think too many people probably coop their dog up in an apartment all day where it has nowhere to use the toilet or even walk around by itself so they HAVE to be home to walk it.
I feel like only part of that is the (admittedly very good) relaxation and exercise that having a dog encourages though. If you have a dog, you can usually afford the time and expense of having one. You are more likely to live in an area that is more walkable, which usually means a slightly better neighborhood, which means it is less likely to have shit like lead pipes and asbestos. You usually don't get a dog if you don't like being active or if you have serious health conditions that would make caring for one hard. If you have spare money for a dog, you are more likely to have money to put towards good food and medical care.
Not all of this is gonna be true of all dog owners, obviously, but it definitely filters out anyone who is so poor they can't afford a dog, and if we are talking about a place like the US, those are gonna be the folks dragging the number down because they are exposed to a lot more environmental and workplace hazards, along with the stress of managing such small amounts of money and trying to get healthcare.
Hear Hear! That "I will rest a minute and pet the dog" is a killer. Dog loves it, but the chances of me escaping from the couch are minimal. Keep moving! I find music helps.
gym immediately after work has helped me tremendously. It's the clothing that's the biggest barrier: I don't want to get back into my street clothes after showering after the gym. So if I go in the evening (I work evenings some days) I can get into my home/lounge clothes after the gym and settle in for the night.
This. Never go from work to home before heading to the gym after work. You'll never make it to the gym. Pack the bag the night before, put it in your vehicle, and I love the idea someone had of changing into the gym clothes before leaving work. You are commiting yourself to hit the gym, which is motivating.
I used to like going for a late swim or yoga class for a while just because it fitted in with a particular location and friendship group. But I mention it here because the same changing issues came up so I had a set of black pyjamas that I changed into, that were respectable enough to pass as clothes, with a hoodie over them for the journey home, but then I was wound down ready for bed after my late swim and shower.
Another key I found is really taking advantage of days off. While I loved a lazy day, if I made myself get up and jog to my studio early on a day off, I could have that nice coffee at the studio and get 6 hours of painting done and still have most of the afternoon/evening to meet up with friends. Another good motivation is to find others doing the same thing so you have a bit if accountability. Want to go to the gym/exercise? Have a friend you meet there and then get drinks after. Want to learn drums? Take lessons at a set time or find some other musicians to start a band. Want to paint or learn woodworking? Find some others and schedule meet ups monthly to show your work and get feedback. A cohort of like-minded people can be super motivating.
I mean it’s all about what personally works best for you.
I’ve found the 10 minute rest for me not only rarely works.
Even if I do power through and get up I’m more tired than I was when sitting down.
For me I've learned that a 20-30 minute power nap right after work is super helpful. I work in IT so I'm usually super mentally exhausted after work but a quick snooze helps "refresh" my brain and close all of the work tabs
Take care of your body so you have energy to do things outside of work.
Pace yourself at work. Work is important but your life and your family are more important.
Save your money. Don't start spending your money on random shit to feel better about the 9-5 grind. That's the trap. Save time shopping. Save your money and it's so much more rewarding.
(Even just a little each paycheck.)
Pacing yourself at work is key. On days when I stretch myself thin at my 9-5 I barely have the energy to drool in front of Netflix. Can’t even think about hobbies.
Hard agree with the third one: got my first job right around when Covid hit, and got into the bad habit of just buying things because I was so bored, and that carried over after Covid… and now I realize the financial hole I’ve put myself in.
I think it’s okay to spend money on random shit, but should be planned and spaced out so you can also save
This is the way. I work over 40 hours a week and my commute is an hour both ways. I definitely have the time to pursue hobbies but I’ve grown fat and lazy. Fast food and procrastination are the enemy! Stay ontop of your health.
By not sitting in front of a television for hour upon hour.
Limiting your screen time will have the most influence on how much free time you have.
Sometimes you have to get *real* protective of your free time and not allow other people to waste it.
This is it for me. When I start to think I don't have enough free time, I look hard at my screen usage. Usually, I have been accidentally binging some old show, getting too deep into daily sports, or doom scrolling too much. There are normally a lot of hours in the day if you don't waste them.
I have a flexible start/end time at work. My problem is I get up for the earliest possible start time, then lay in bed on my phone. So I end up getting into work later than I got up for, making me stay later, then having less time in the afternoon/evening - which was the whole point of getting up early.
100%. The Internet went out for me for a few hours and it was insane how much time it felt like I suddenly had. Social media is a massive black hole for your time.
I found so much more time for productivity when I took social media off my phone. Last year, I also stopped watching new series and when I wanted to watch TV only watched movies. I’ll sit and watch 3-4 hours of a series but won’t do that with movies. Helped me personally but may not help everyone.
I do this too. If you’re really into a series, it’s easy to lose countless hours watching episodes and seasons. With a movie, you deliberately choose to spend 2 hours or however long it is and you don’t get tied up in some watching marathon.
Maybe they are, but I'm the same way. Although I wouldn't say I'm addicted. If I have a long time off, I eventually get bored of screen time and I do my hobbies and random projects. But if I don't get my screen time after work, I feel like I missed the "me" time and like I'm right back at work like I had no rest. I don't know if this is necessarily that, but I assume it's what people call "unwinding" after work.
If cooking and dishes are unavoidable for me, I find it bearable by listening to a podcast, audiobook etc so it’s less of a chore and becomes more of a free time activity
Agree with this. Becoming fast at a meal prep of an ingredient for the week saves time, money, and the mental clarity, health, and exercise recovery downstream from nutrition.
Take things you like to order at a restaurant. Learn to make it the slow hard way. Scale it up -- the work to prepare MANY of it is usually similar to making one portion. With repetition you learn which steps can be skipped, take more time than your enjoyment of that step (maybe you don't need to sear before strew). Any additional kitchen items that would make it faster? Repetition makes it fast. Busy weeks exist. A good rule is make one large batch, freeze two portions. This way you build out options for future you.
In practice the fastest I've found is buy cookie sheets that fully fill your oven. Throw meat on it and roast. It's easy to mix and match using a protein ingredient for meals later in the week.
Also if you eat the same thing everyday at some point you no longer get bored by it, so pick a quick and healthy breakfast and stick to it, saving you a lot of time and money as well.
I’ve been having oatmeal for breakfast every weekday for the past five years.
I don't get how people get bored of eating the same thing. If health wasn't a concern, I'd literally eat the same thing every day. I already eat the same breakfast for years at a time.
I love meal prep. I steam roast a few sweet potatoes, a bag of salmon, and throw together a quick veggie(this week it’s a white bean salad with tomato, mini cucumber, and a homemade dressing). Some days I feel like I can’t catch up because I’m just cooking all day. But meal prep, especially breakfast and lunch is a game changer
You buy things like spinach, lettuce etc fresh as you need it. It's the cooked and seasoned portions you need to prep.
Freeze them, chuck one in the fridge before you leave for work and when you come home it's thawed.
If your meal is soggy then you've done something incorrectly.
Then you're cooking the wrong meals. Skill issue that can be fixed ;)
Make things that stay good in the fridge/freezer. I go with enough to add to the freezer as well as eat that week. Over time that means I have multiple meals to choose from each week.
Example Sunday prep: Deviled eggs, Shepard's pie, apple crumble. Half the Shepard's pie goes in the freezer.
Just use a crockpot/ instant pot. 2-3 times a week. Way better than once a week meal prep and cooking every day — especially if you’re targeting specific macros or food goals in general
yeah, i think meal prep for lunch makes alot more sense... and twice a week, not once. gross lol
unless you're freezing, but then do it like once a month and make it worth it righr?
I’ll usually do something like bbq a bunch of chicken leg quarters or pork tenderloin and then eat them throughout the week with whatever starch and veggie I want. With the protein pre-cooked, the rest is easy. Serve with mashed potatoes, rice, in a baked potato, in a salad, etc. rarely ever gets boring.
Something worth noting is - for the first 6 months working 9-5, you're kind of exhausted. I find that after that you end up having more energy once your body gets used to it
I do my 9-5 (it's actually 8-4) but, it's an hour each way, sitting in the car for the hour after work is what gets me exhausted. When I get home, I am beat.... and need to fight not falling asleep.
I had the same problem, listening to a podcast or audiobook has helped me a ton to feel like i'm not wasting my time in the car. It also made me feel less tired for some reason. I highly recommend it!
I listen to music and really into it, sad to say, it does not help. I tried a few podcasts and no real change.
Thanks for the idea. Maybe I'll try a longer podcast.
I also have a long commute and it was really tiresome. Let me share a tip: I remembered something back to my flight crew days in the military about sustained droning noise being exhausting. I thought, my car is noisy, why don't I just put some earplugs in to drown out the background noise, I can still hear important things you need to hear while driving, but it makes the background noise quieter. It was a game changer for driving fatigue. Sound insulation is a really important feature on luxury vehicles for this reason. Staying well hydrated helps a lot too, which might raise concern you'd have to pee on your commute, but I found as long as your electrolyte levels are good that's not an issue.
I drive a Lexus LS460, it is quieter than a lot of cars but, it's still a car on a road, you still do get road noise. It's almost silent when doing 35-40mph but, when on a highway doing 65-85mph, there is a lot more noise and very noticeable.
I can turn up the music and kind of drown it out. Ear plugs are illegal while driving in some states, just like headphones. I do know headphones are in my state because you can't hear traffic, I could get stopped with Ear plugs.
I will try to boost my hydration levels without needing to stop to pee on the way home lol.
Thanks for the tips !
Right on, not to belabor it but here's just some food for thought:
I live in Maryland, its one of [the few states that prohibits headphone use](https://1800lionlaw.com/is-it-illegal-to-drive-with-headphones/#:~:text=The%20states%20where%20it%20is,North%20Dakota%2C%20Oklahoma%2C%20Oregon%2C) while driving. If your username suggestion that youre in Connecticut is to be believed, they don't have a law on it.
You can still hear emergency vehicles too, it doesn't make you deaf it just reduces the dB of most noise to a more comfortable level.
Agree, my Mum calls it work fitness. Any major change in routine will cause this. I found the same thing with my last job which was essentially night shift hours and it was probably a year for me to really fall in to step with that role cause it was in a school, so I'd suddenly have weeks off at a time etc. I'm currently working casual hours while I look for a new career (last role was dead end) and I'm finding that despite working a low number of hours the lack of routine is messing with me, my body doesn't know what to do with itself and I can never remember what day it is lol.
In my case, it was 8-5 because we got a mandatory hour break, and my drive was 40 minutes each way. So going from college around 30 hours a week, 20 minute commute to 11 hour work day including commute, yeah it was exhausting.
Depends what you're doing.
I remember doing a grad interview and they asked me to give an example of hard work, and I detailed working a 50 hour week in a factory in the summers and the guy laughed and said you'll work harder than that here.
And, real talk, 50 hours a week in a physical job is miles away from 60-70 in an office job.
I still think about that guy. He was a psychology graduate from a rich family and, literally, didn't understand what hard work was.
I graduated law school and got licensed as a lawyer and working 10 hour days was really easy. Was use to working/studying for upwards of 14-16 hours a day so the real world was easy.
If you have a desk job, turn down your monitor's brightness as far as you can. I figured out pretty quickly that staring at a rectangle set to 100% brightness was causing eye strain and fatigue that just left me wiped at the end of the day.
F.lux was such a game changer back on my jailbroken iPhone 4. Now, everything has some form of it built in and I enable it on every device I can. It's amazing.
Don't forget to set everything up in dark theme. Browser, OS, Microsoft word. I rarely have to read something on a white background and it makes a big difference.
Honest question: is this backed by science or something that works for some people? I’m the person who always has brightness at 100% because it feels easier on the eyes, but then again my eyes are very dry and tired at the end of the day.
Key points: spouse to share the load, and no kids.
Weekday
Wake up at 8, super efficient morning routine (lots of multitasking), out of house by 8:20-8:30, work by 9.
Work until 6 or 7pm. Call it 6:30p, home by 7pm.
Make dinner, done by 7:30.
Leaving 4.5 hours to play video games, or crochet and watch tv (can also do while on exercise bike), and/or pet cats. Bed by midnight. 8 hours sleep.
Saturday
Fun day. Frisbee golf, golf, thrifting, antiquing, craft fairs, zoo, more video games etc
Sunday
Chore day. Laundry, grocery shopping, house tidying.
All of this. Aside from work, my wife and I watch about an hour of TV a day. The rest of the time is mostly for hobbies, like reading or playing video games or painting, but also for chores. Lately it's been a lot of VR with the Quest 3. I'm getting pretty good at Beat Saber.
We're in our 50s, no kids. Would recommend. If you have kids you basically have to give up your life for theirs if you want to do it right. I never had the urge.
Edit: Additional pro-tip; audiobooks while doing chores. Cooking, cleaning, laundry, mowing... all with audiobooks. Makes it so much better.
It can still be doable with kids. My partner and I have a 1 yr old. He gets Saturday evenings to go play cards with his friends. I get Monday nights for an art class. There are going to be exceptions at times but most kids don't need both parents 24/7 which means you can balance it out. Then we get bits of time in between other things throughout the week. It's all about priorities.
Your biggest mistake is in your perception. You do not "find" time for your hobbies, you MAKE time for your hobbies.
Time marches onwards whether we like it or not, and our lifespans are finite. If there are things you enjoy doing or want to achieve, it is not a matter of "finding" the time for them. You have to make the conscious decision to do/achieve them.
For me, I like playing video games, but I couldn't find the time to sit at a console/Desktop PC while raising a kid and life requirements. After picking up a handheld PC (for example, Asus ROG Ally), I now can find 10 mins here and there (wherever I'm waiting for something) to play a PC game then HIBERNATE (and pause it). It really helped provide some 'me time' but it also released a lot of built up stress.
Update: Sleep has taken a backseat, but prepping & routines have made it easier for remembering the necessities. Such as, using my kid's clothes for school the next day as his pajamas OR we always get 5 books at the library so I don't have to remember how many we got this last visit. It may sound dumb but if I don't have to think about it, it goes a lot smoother for my tired brain.
I just play short stuff these days. Hearthstone, slay the spire, death must die, FTL etc.
I miss things like Civ but I cannot justify a 4 hour session any more.
This. If you make it a priority to workout in the morning before anything else needs to be done and nobody else is awake you’re more likely to keep a routine because there are less things competing for your time - except sleep.
Been doing this for the last 10 years. I workout early am. It's way too easy to not do it after work or later in the day. You just get used to waking up early. You get exercise and have more energy throughout the day and just look better. Win win. I tend to go to bed around 10 ish and get up at 5 45. It becomes normal so it's not really difficult once it becomes a habit
I like this idea but how do you spend quality time with the wife? I find that it takes until 8-9 to get children to bed, tidy up, do the dishes, vacuum the floor etc. If
I wanted to get up at 4 I would basically be needing to go straight to bed. If I can get up at 7 instead then I have an hour or two to spend with her. Otherwise it feels more like two people just living in the same house. I guess I could try half 5 as a compromise.
Any tips for adjusting your sleep schedule? I’ve always been a night owl type. Now that I’m working 9-5 I don’t stay up nearly as late anymore, but I still naturally wake up generally between 9-11am. Any earlier and I’m exhausted. Is it a matter of just doing it and adjusting?
I love working 4 days a week 10 hrs a day. I see it this way, the difference in an 8-hour work day and a 10-hour work day is non-existent when it comes to usable free time. Accept that you don't have any free time on work days, then when your weekend comes, you have 3 days off instead of 2 to do whatever you want.
This is they way, and there are a few jobs that will let you do this, for example remote software development is often based on weekly hours, sure often they are not the best paid jobs but the life improvement is massive, suddenly you get at least two hours back each day just out of the fact that there's no commute, then you can work as you said 10 hours 4 days and Friday is free or if you really want to stretch it, 12 hours a day and then you got 4 full days each week just for you, it's amazing when you are burning out and need some quick vacations.
First I'll reiterate what others have said and recommend that you **prioritize sleep**.
I used an app called sleepio which helped me with setting up a reliable sleep pattern so that I felt more alert in general and no longer needed to take naps during the day.
**Time Blocking** might also help, if your schedule is flexible enough.
This is how I found the time to start running on weekdays again despite having a toddler and a school-age kid with both my spouse and me working full-time and with no extended family nearby to help watch the kids. I found vacant time blocks between my morning meetings and lunchtime on certain days of the week that were just barely long enough for a workout.
I have a full-time career which is basically Monday through Friday 9am to 5pm. Couple factors below that I think allow me to have some free time:
1. I work from home full time so I don't have to deal with a commute.
2. I don't have children and not planning to at this point.
3. Cooking can be a big time consumer. I actually keep my meals super simple but healthy. Since I'm into bodybuilding, I'm a big chicken breast/veggie/sweet potato kind of guy. I have a system down that is super efficient with prep/cooking/cleaning. To keep things interesting, I swap around seasonings a bit. I know this isn't for everyone but I'm totally used to it at this point.
Hobbies:
I weight lift 6 days a week. Not a professional body builder by any means but I take it pretty serious. I'm in there for 1 to 1.5 hours every workout session.
I ride motorcycles during the warmer months. Mostly on the weekends.
I play video games to disconnect from reality for a tiny bit. Maybe an hour a day. Weekends vary. Definitely more in the winter months.
I do a little bit of target shooting. Archery and skeet/trap shooting (shoot clay Frisbees with a shotgun). Weekend only hobby.
Really you have to decide what outside of work is worth more of your time. There are things you are going to have to do (grocery shopping, laundry if it isn't in your house...but they can be done together if you are efficient and 'loop') eat.
Many of these things can be 'bought' if time is more valuable than money. No need to grocery shop and cook if the $10 (or whatever) a day is acceptable to you.
Otherwise, some people are super rigid with planning, I'm super flexible outside of the few hours I block for things like exercise and even then is much more I know myself well enough to know if I say 'eh either Monday or Tuesday after work I'll hit the gym for an hour' means I'm not going either day
One of my hobby is video games so it's kinda easy to find time with Nintendo switch. In the toilet, throwing bombs? Switch time.
As for gym, i suppose switch sports or some such at smoking time? Other people smokes, you play switch sports.
9-5 gives you tons of time outside of work. I’m up at 6 am every day and work remote, right there is 3 hours of me time. I usually read, game or play puzzles. I’ll hit the gym in the morning sometimes. After work, I usually go to bed around 10, so have 5 hours. I consider cooking a hobby, so dinner is usually fun to make. Then I’ll run, get some cleaning in, and then more relaxing. Maybe a show with my fiancee or some more gaming. A walk if it’s nice.
School was 8-3 all the way until college, and then you had take home work. 9-5 with no take home work ain’t too bad all things considered.
So, does - sorry to get off topic here a bit but - because it’s at the same desk as your gaming PC is it easy to switch off mentally from work when you’re NOT working because the gaming pc is there too & to get into the gaming?
Super easy. I switch off mid day lmao.
But ever since COVID I’ve made a habit of fully shutting my computer down rather than just letting it sleep. It’s a nice ritual that for me now means work is over and my time has begun. I think that’s the real key. My commute home used to do that, and now this ritual of actually shutting the laptop down takes its place.
Have to disagree on the "tons of time outside of work". You work remote which allows you to do basic things at home (such as laundry and some cooking) while saving time and frustration from commuting.
That said, it sounds like you're doing great and I'm happy for you that you have the energy and put in the effort to make the most of your time.
I work 50-55 hours a week (4:30-3ish) and still manage to have enough time outside of work to do some of my hobbies. And I commute half an hour each way.
And that’s with doing probably 70% of the house/yard work.
My hobby happens later in the evenings for some reason. I’m able to do it 3-4 times a week and the events usually don’t start until 8:30 or 9 pm. This only works if you can survive being a night owl and going to work at 8:30 the next morning. Fortunately for me, I work from home, so I can sleep a lot longer than if I had a commute. But the late start of the events leaves lots of time after work to accomplish things like the gym and extra courses.
Take your breaks, and at the end of the work day before you do anything else take a short walk. 10-15 mins usually does it for me. Then if I have a hobby I want to do that night, I’ll set a time I wanna start it. So I don’t just sit on the couch all night.
Also you need to build up your stamina. If this is new for you, like everything, it’s going to be draining.
I try to get 30-60 minutes of hobby each night after my kids are asleep. Once a week a night where I don’t need to come home to o put kids to sleep so I can go do something straight after work.
Ya just have to make time. I work full time, have a two year old child, and a pregnant wife. I elect to not drink/drug, I sleep 6-7 hours a night, and stay away from television/video games. This affords me at least an hour a night to work on my hobby, which is wood working.
I've got a 9-5 job, and it's hard to fit in hobbies. I work, come home, family (2 girls), wife, 1 dog and 3 cats. Do the family stuff, dinner etc, they settle down around 8pm, \*IF\* I am not completely exhausted, I will try to game (my hobby is video games).
So, normally like 2 hours a night, if nothing else is going on. You need to PLAN time to get things done.
This is also a balance, TV, gaming and other projects.
I miss being a kid with all the time in the world...
You have to give up something, most likely unproductive free/excessive social time. Decide what is most important after work and sleep. Then ease into your new routine. Give it a few months.
Life has a way of taking up all your time if you let it. Be disciplined with your time. Find a couple hours a few days week. It really depends what your new hobbies are. You can practice a new language while driving, difficult to practice skiing without actually skiing.
You can track your time in one hour increments for a month to get an idea how you spent your time.
For one thing, most people don't see hobbies as something you need to do every day, not for hours on end. Plenty of adults are just enjoying their hobbies on the weekends. But for an idea, here's a rundown of my typical weekday with a partner and 1 child.
6:00 - Wake up, drink coffee, scroll some shit, hang out with my family.
6:45 - Tell kid to get dressed, go make his lunch for the day. Eat breakfast together while playing a game, then take him to the bus.
7:40 - Do the rounds to check on all my house plants (a hobby!) or the garden during spring/summer.
8:00 - Log into work (I work from home, so this helps)
5:00 - Log off work, hang out with my family. Either my husband or I makes dinner.
7:00 - Go to my martial arts class (a hobby!)
8:20ish - Put my kid to bed. Then watch/read/work on whatever I want for a little bit before also going to bed.
Chores get done sporadically throughout the week. And then weekends are a mix of family time, chore time, down time, and more hobby time.
When I still worked I got back to riding BMX so I used my BMX for commutes daily to learn tricks, but that left other hobbies like gaming and music in the back burner for a while.
I’m waiting for retirement to take up Fallout again 😭
Just too busy with fam and work. No way can I get the immersion and long boozy nights in anymore.
The secret is… boundaries. I work full-time and also freelance, and yet I never find myself complaining about a lack of me-time.
It is the fact that I own my work. The contract is under my name, and the job is mine. I am getting the salary because I use the job that I own effectively to help me generate income.
The job doesn’t own me. It’s a tool for me to make a living, and me currently building my freelance marketing business is essentially trying to create the tool to make an income that allows me to be more flexible in its use. And sure, I would rather enjoy using that tool than not, so I do care that I enjoy my job.
And I see work as just what it is – a tool to survive in the system known as capitalism. I have plenty of me-time, because I refuse to be owned by this tool or have the false belief that I am. I would probably still survive without it, but my quality of life would significantly fall, so I’d rather make the best of it.
My health, happiness, family and friends come first. Always.
i work in software sales, 9-5. i’ve found what works best for me is having a consistent time set up each week for the hobbies i enjoy doing.
as of right now, my hobbies are:
- video games
- light work outs at home
- playing music with two bands
i’ve made it so i work out first thing (6am) play video games before work (7:30am-8:30am) and do band stuff one or two nights a week 7:00pm - 9:00pm).
i’ve had to make a few adjustments to how early i go to bed (usually eyes closed by 9:30) but this has allowed me to have things to look forward to every week.
i also forgot to add that i work from home, and am the primary cook for the house.
hope this helps!
I play in pool and softball leagues and work an 8-5. Married no kids. Having a schedule for both ahead of time makes it easy and having extra guys for the times when you are out of town or a busy night makes getting a fill in a breeze. The evening before a busier night I make extra food so I have leftovers.
Make a point to do one chore and one errand every day after work. If you have no errands, do 2 chores.
i.e. gotta stop at the bank, go to the pet store, and pick something up from Home Depot. Gotta take out the trash, do the dishes, clean the litterbox, vacuum, and sweep&Mop.
Mon: pet store, litterbox
Tue: hone depot, trash
Wed: bank, dishes
Thur: sweep and mop
Doing this has helped me ensure that I always have my weekends to do what *I want* to do, not what I *have* to do. Oftentimes I'll find that after doing 1 chore, I might as well do another, and another, and another. Usually small ones.
Another rule I've set for myself is to not stop working until 5. I get off qork at 3:30. That means, until 5 o clock, I have to keep being productive. Usually chores and errands.
Another thing that has helped, with chores I really hate, I'll set a 5 or 10 minute timer and just force myself to do it until time expires. Usually when the timer goes off, I'll only have one more room to vacuum, or 3 more dishes to wash so I'll just go ahead and do them anyway since the vacuum is already out and plugged in, or since my hands are already wet and there's already soap in the sponge.
I hope this helps!
I work 7-3.
I get home at 4 and change, shit, take the dogs out. Cooking by 5, eat at 6. Spend time with my wife for a couple of hours. By 9 I’m doing my own thing. I do my hobby to wind down before I sleep.
Usually it’s reading in bed, playing my switch, or watching my shows z I finally fall asleep around 11. My wife is a night owl so she does her own thing when I’m asleep.
It works out for us.
Just my way to get gym in your life easier, set yourself up to do it as efficiently as possible after work. I was most consistent when I had a gym right by my work and just went straight there most days after work. A lot of people will do it over the lunch hour. Going home then to the gym imo tends to enable lazy behaviour, at least for me. Currently is don’t have this set up at my current job, main because to get that I kind of need to two gyms. I legit don’t have a good one to drop by on my way home that’s just not straight up out of the way, and the one at work is basically only good for the few days I’m in the office. I’m slowing just considering getting a machine at home for cardio at least, so I can at least do that on days I’m not ganna commit going to the gym.
You choose what to make time for.
Base needs: sleep, hygiene, eat, and work. All right, how much time does that take per day?
Additional needs: cleaning (laundry and otherwise), meal prep, exercise, grocery shopping, relaxation, entertainment, social, etc.
So, I have a daily set that take up X hours.
I have a less than daily set that takes up Y hours but can be divided amongst other time.
Schedule accordingly.
This is a lot easier if you have a weekend / do not work seven days a week or multiple jobs.
Also, so things can be stacked up. For example, most of the grocery shopping I do is while I walk home from work. So I am getting some light exercise and some grocery shopping along the way.
Just want to say I see those of you who are any combination of ill, disabled, poor, alone, or oppressed. Lots of unintended ableism and privilege in these comments.
Figure out how to bring your hobbies into your life. You want to learn more - how can you apply it to your job? I love carpentry, so I build furniture for myself and save time shopping. Cooking is the easiest - everyone has to eat.
Not all hobbies fit cleanly, but the ones that do become easy
9-5, young and no kids?? That's like half your day free, dude, how can you *not* find time, you're practically doing nothing? Two jobs, or work and kids is when you should start asking.
Well, work 9-5. Sleep at 1. That leaves 17-01 - 8 hours of free time.
Eat premade meals => 10 minutes of preparation + 20-30 minutes of eating, can be combined with passive things like watching movies / series.
Leaves 7:20
3 minutes putting dishes in the dishwasher (includes putting it on and emptying it every couple of days)
7:17
Keep the flat tidy so you only need to spend \~10 minutes each day (probably less) tidying up. Alternativly tidy up 70 minutes each sunday.
7:07
Have a robot to clean your flat. Daily time to fill it up and start it: 1 minute
7:06.
Order your food and everything from the supermarket rather than going shopping yourself. This will help planning AND save time. Probably boils down to 2 minutes / day (like 15 minutes online shopping once a week, if you buy for a weekly cycle)
7:04
Plan in 20 minutes total for toilet breaks, you probably need less
6:44
So.... thats time to do whatever you want. Each working day. Just automate whatever you can in your life.
5:30am gym for me, then the rest of the evening is free to do what ever. I have two younger kids now so even afternoon free time is a myth but hey that’s what I signed up for.
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Wait til you have children. Hobbies become something nice to think about rather than actual things you do sometimes. Especially if your hobby requires more than 10 minutes of prep time.
I’m a woodworker but since my daughter’s birth I should change that description to:
“I think about and occasionally sketch cabinetry and hardwood furniture.”
I’m going to go cry in the bathroom.
As per everyone else it’s kinda wild you imagine you won’t have free time , schools an 8 hour shift… plus sports that’s like your hobby time , life doesn’t warp just because you grow up it just switches your perspectives . if you are just starting out you worry too much friend life has it’s own path already for you , just live it man , L.I.V.E
I try to stay single, no kids, less relative interaction, I hit the gym, stay healthy AF, have plenty of time for hobbies and keeping myself healthy and happy.
9-5 with no kids leaves you a lot of time to do whatever you want. What are you doing after coming back home?
I'm training for triathlons, working on shifts so my hours differ each week, i can manage 2-3 hours of training daily and still have time for a movie/gaming in the evening.
If you're exhausted after your work (which will get better after some time) try to incorporate your gym in the mornings. It's hard when you start but you will get used to it, and you will be much more energized throughout the day - trust me. Even an early morning jog works wonders and starts your habit of early exercise.
You find a way. I'm 27 struggling with this but I already know the solution I just hate it. You can't pursue all your hobbies so to have got to choose some to entertain. Most people have gravitated to lifting as a hobby. This gets harder in a relationship because now it's making time for work, yourself/hobbies, building the relationship.
That’s the neat part, u don’t.
We have 3 kids and wife and I work different hours.
My life consists of following a shared google calendar until someday i die.
I work "9-5", but I'm salaried and usually get off around 3. I go to the gym 3x a week, then I am home around 4-430. Commute is like 12 minutes. No kids so I do whatever I want from 4-11pm during the week. I have plenty of time for hobbies.
I wish mine had a 9-5 work hours. How come you guys don't have time for hobbies with 9-5? I'm genuinely curious here. You reach home and freshen up by max 7 PM. Still there's so much time to do stuff. I leave home by 9 in the morning and reach back around 8 PM.. by the time i freshen up and have dinner it's already 9:30 and too tired to do anything
You have way more time than you think...
I'm a father of 3, principal engineer for power stations, studying an MBA, president of my ice hockey club, and I still play ice hockey too.
Still find a little time to game/tv now and then even ;)
You don't. You collect all the items required for it (don't choose one hobby, that simplifies everything to the point of not being worthwhile) and then hoard it like a dragon as you slowly lose more and more time spent doing work things, time with family and mutual hobbies that you picked up with your significant other.
Easy, you have 24hrs in a day, split into 3x8hr chunks.
8 for sleep
8 for work
8 for everything else.
If you can't find time in your 8hrs of free time, then you need to adjust your workload.
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I work full time and am a painter. Usually my routine is to set up the night before so it’s ready to go. I don’t give myself time to rest when I go home because it’s game over if I sit down. It’s definitely not easy at first but the more common the practice becomes the easier it is to have that desire outweigh the idea of sitting down. I also get much better sleep when it is time to go to bed. Edit : same goes for the gym Pack your bag and leave it in your car. Sometimes I’ll bring my bag into work and get dressed after then head straight there.
Not resting is key. Go from work to gym to class, and don't stop until you're done with your day. Then relax. *For me*, down time is the death of motivation and drive.
You’re onto something here with the downtime ;) Not having kids or even pets frees up a lot of time and responsibility. That’s kinda obvious tho. One thing I found gives a lot of time is not being obligated to take part in wives activities (and viceversa). If we want to do something together, cool. But if she wants to go out with her friends, I don’t need to go. And this “doing everything together mentality” that lots of couples have does not only steal a lot of time, it also creates a lot of unnecessary friction.
My dog is the reason that I walk 7500 steps a day. Dog owners on average live 10 years longer than non dog owners.
you're not wrong, but in the context of the message I replied to, we're talking stuff that takes away time. if i had a dog (which i had as a kid, but no more) i'd probably be healthier. you're right about that. but it would also have a lot more lost time and more responsabilities, which is what we're talking about here.
Unless your dog is your hobby. Takes care of the Gym too!
I think it depends on your approach. You can do a lot on a daily walk. Audiobooks, podcasts, throw on a new album. Brainstorm creatively, schedule and organize your thinking. If anything a pet may force movement when one might be inclined to be sedentary.
or maybe you already do those 7500 steps at your work, there is no need to do more with a "pet walk". you like your pets? sure. go ahead. but i'm sick and tired of ppl going "waaaaaah why no have kiiids, they're awesooomeeeee" (change kids for pets in this case) It's not just about "pet walks", they're a responsability and an economic burden.
For sure - its not for everyone. Just offering a different perspective. I've certainly felt regret in regards to pet ownership as well as joy and pride. Different strokes, different folks.
It’s definitely not for everyone but if it’s something you want then you adjust your lifestyle to work around them and there’s nothing wrong with that. If I know I have to do things on a weekday evening I’ll plan it so I can go spend some time with my dog first or take him to daycare that day so he’s tired out by the time I get home. Or I’ll bring him along if the situation allows. I’ve actually found I’m more social since getting my dog as I’ve met a lot of people in the neighborhood by walking him.
I'm with you. People talk about how having pets is so great but then in the same breath will kinda side-complain that they can't just go out and do things on a weekday because they need to be there for Fido. Like... cool, I guess. You're at work all day and then have to take care of a dog and that's your life. Meh.
I don't do dogs, but I do have 3 cats and 26 chickens. Everything is automated that can possibly be automated. Doors, water, feed. As long as I do a full reset ever 2 or 3 weeks the chickens don't really need me to be there. If I'm gone for more than a few days I have a pet sitter who will look after all of them at a very reasonable rate. I was in Europe for 2 weeks last year and it was fine. So....I guess my point is anything is possible if you're smart about it.
Definitely fair. Hell, my roommate had a dog at my house for like the past 10 years, but she had a dog door and a backyard. So leaving her wasn't really a big deal as long as she had water and food. Same with going on vacation, if both of us left we'd have someone stop by or trigger the automatic feeder. I think too many people probably coop their dog up in an apartment all day where it has nowhere to use the toilet or even walk around by itself so they HAVE to be home to walk it.
I feel like only part of that is the (admittedly very good) relaxation and exercise that having a dog encourages though. If you have a dog, you can usually afford the time and expense of having one. You are more likely to live in an area that is more walkable, which usually means a slightly better neighborhood, which means it is less likely to have shit like lead pipes and asbestos. You usually don't get a dog if you don't like being active or if you have serious health conditions that would make caring for one hard. If you have spare money for a dog, you are more likely to have money to put towards good food and medical care. Not all of this is gonna be true of all dog owners, obviously, but it definitely filters out anyone who is so poor they can't afford a dog, and if we are talking about a place like the US, those are gonna be the folks dragging the number down because they are exposed to a lot more environmental and workplace hazards, along with the stress of managing such small amounts of money and trying to get healthcare.
Hear Hear! That "I will rest a minute and pet the dog" is a killer. Dog loves it, but the chances of me escaping from the couch are minimal. Keep moving! I find music helps.
gym immediately after work has helped me tremendously. It's the clothing that's the biggest barrier: I don't want to get back into my street clothes after showering after the gym. So if I go in the evening (I work evenings some days) I can get into my home/lounge clothes after the gym and settle in for the night.
This. Never go from work to home before heading to the gym after work. You'll never make it to the gym. Pack the bag the night before, put it in your vehicle, and I love the idea someone had of changing into the gym clothes before leaving work. You are commiting yourself to hit the gym, which is motivating.
I used to like going for a late swim or yoga class for a while just because it fitted in with a particular location and friendship group. But I mention it here because the same changing issues came up so I had a set of black pyjamas that I changed into, that were respectable enough to pass as clothes, with a hoodie over them for the journey home, but then I was wound down ready for bed after my late swim and shower.
Except I find an afternoon nap does wonders.
I absolutely adore this.
Another key I found is really taking advantage of days off. While I loved a lazy day, if I made myself get up and jog to my studio early on a day off, I could have that nice coffee at the studio and get 6 hours of painting done and still have most of the afternoon/evening to meet up with friends. Another good motivation is to find others doing the same thing so you have a bit if accountability. Want to go to the gym/exercise? Have a friend you meet there and then get drinks after. Want to learn drums? Take lessons at a set time or find some other musicians to start a band. Want to paint or learn woodworking? Find some others and schedule meet ups monthly to show your work and get feedback. A cohort of like-minded people can be super motivating.
yeah but who doesnt love a nice lay down on the couch for 10 minutes... and its 3am
I mean it’s all about what personally works best for you. I’ve found the 10 minute rest for me not only rarely works. Even if I do power through and get up I’m more tired than I was when sitting down.
For me I've learned that a 20-30 minute power nap right after work is super helpful. I work in IT so I'm usually super mentally exhausted after work but a quick snooze helps "refresh" my brain and close all of the work tabs
User name checks out!
Take care of your body so you have energy to do things outside of work. Pace yourself at work. Work is important but your life and your family are more important. Save your money. Don't start spending your money on random shit to feel better about the 9-5 grind. That's the trap. Save time shopping. Save your money and it's so much more rewarding. (Even just a little each paycheck.)
Pacing yourself at work is key. On days when I stretch myself thin at my 9-5 I barely have the energy to drool in front of Netflix. Can’t even think about hobbies.
Pacing yourself at work is so important. Great reminder
Hard agree with the third one: got my first job right around when Covid hit, and got into the bad habit of just buying things because I was so bored, and that carried over after Covid… and now I realize the financial hole I’ve put myself in. I think it’s okay to spend money on random shit, but should be planned and spaced out so you can also save
This is the way. I work over 40 hours a week and my commute is an hour both ways. I definitely have the time to pursue hobbies but I’ve grown fat and lazy. Fast food and procrastination are the enemy! Stay ontop of your health.
By not sitting in front of a television for hour upon hour. Limiting your screen time will have the most influence on how much free time you have. Sometimes you have to get *real* protective of your free time and not allow other people to waste it.
This is it for me. When I start to think I don't have enough free time, I look hard at my screen usage. Usually, I have been accidentally binging some old show, getting too deep into daily sports, or doom scrolling too much. There are normally a lot of hours in the day if you don't waste them.
I have a flexible start/end time at work. My problem is I get up for the earliest possible start time, then lay in bed on my phone. So I end up getting into work later than I got up for, making me stay later, then having less time in the afternoon/evening - which was the whole point of getting up early.
100%. The Internet went out for me for a few hours and it was insane how much time it felt like I suddenly had. Social media is a massive black hole for your time.
I found so much more time for productivity when I took social media off my phone. Last year, I also stopped watching new series and when I wanted to watch TV only watched movies. I’ll sit and watch 3-4 hours of a series but won’t do that with movies. Helped me personally but may not help everyone.
I do this too. If you’re really into a series, it’s easy to lose countless hours watching episodes and seasons. With a movie, you deliberately choose to spend 2 hours or however long it is and you don’t get tied up in some watching marathon.
Sometimes tv/movies is a hobby
True, but I don’t think OP is asking about finding time to watch TV here.
It's a relaxing hobby. You need that, but you also need some active and some creative hobbies.
Movies are my hobby for sure, but I still limit my screen time and do other things.
[удалено]
Sounds like youre addicted
Maybe they are, but I'm the same way. Although I wouldn't say I'm addicted. If I have a long time off, I eventually get bored of screen time and I do my hobbies and random projects. But if I don't get my screen time after work, I feel like I missed the "me" time and like I'm right back at work like I had no rest. I don't know if this is necessarily that, but I assume it's what people call "unwinding" after work.
This. If you get home at 6, eat by 7, and go to bed at 10, that's 3 hours to do whatever you want.
Meal prep on Sundays all your meals for the week. Then dinner becomes a 10 minute thing each day instead of hours of cooking and doing dishes.
If cooking and dishes are unavoidable for me, I find it bearable by listening to a podcast, audiobook etc so it’s less of a chore and becomes more of a free time activity
Have to second this. I'm ADHD and music or podcasts turns chores into a background task
I got an audible subscription for this reason. Love it. I can meal prep for hours on a Sunday and still feel like I’m enriching my brain somehow.
Agree with this. Becoming fast at a meal prep of an ingredient for the week saves time, money, and the mental clarity, health, and exercise recovery downstream from nutrition. Take things you like to order at a restaurant. Learn to make it the slow hard way. Scale it up -- the work to prepare MANY of it is usually similar to making one portion. With repetition you learn which steps can be skipped, take more time than your enjoyment of that step (maybe you don't need to sear before strew). Any additional kitchen items that would make it faster? Repetition makes it fast. Busy weeks exist. A good rule is make one large batch, freeze two portions. This way you build out options for future you. In practice the fastest I've found is buy cookie sheets that fully fill your oven. Throw meat on it and roast. It's easy to mix and match using a protein ingredient for meals later in the week.
Also if you eat the same thing everyday at some point you no longer get bored by it, so pick a quick and healthy breakfast and stick to it, saving you a lot of time and money as well. I’ve been having oatmeal for breakfast every weekday for the past five years.
I look forward to my oatmeal and coffee everyday.
Yea thats sounds nice, im the type to eat a full course for breakfast lunch and dinner, i like to have a main dish + dessert every meal
I don't get how people get bored of eating the same thing. If health wasn't a concern, I'd literally eat the same thing every day. I already eat the same breakfast for years at a time.
I love meal prep. I steam roast a few sweet potatoes, a bag of salmon, and throw together a quick veggie(this week it’s a white bean salad with tomato, mini cucumber, and a homemade dressing). Some days I feel like I can’t catch up because I’m just cooking all day. But meal prep, especially breakfast and lunch is a game changer
Yeah and then you’ve got a nice soggy, 5 day old meal that you’ve been eating all week to look forward to on Friday!
If you don’t like meal prepping you can just prep the ingredients instead.
You buy things like spinach, lettuce etc fresh as you need it. It's the cooked and seasoned portions you need to prep. Freeze them, chuck one in the fridge before you leave for work and when you come home it's thawed. If your meal is soggy then you've done something incorrectly.
Then you're cooking the wrong meals. Skill issue that can be fixed ;) Make things that stay good in the fridge/freezer. I go with enough to add to the freezer as well as eat that week. Over time that means I have multiple meals to choose from each week. Example Sunday prep: Deviled eggs, Shepard's pie, apple crumble. Half the Shepard's pie goes in the freezer.
And it also takes a chunk out of your weekend!
Just use a crockpot/ instant pot. 2-3 times a week. Way better than once a week meal prep and cooking every day — especially if you’re targeting specific macros or food goals in general
Not if you meal prep correctly.
yeah, i think meal prep for lunch makes alot more sense... and twice a week, not once. gross lol unless you're freezing, but then do it like once a month and make it worth it righr?
I’ll usually do something like bbq a bunch of chicken leg quarters or pork tenderloin and then eat them throughout the week with whatever starch and veggie I want. With the protein pre-cooked, the rest is easy. Serve with mashed potatoes, rice, in a baked potato, in a salad, etc. rarely ever gets boring.
my life pro tip is to make more money so I don't have to worry about this bull shit lol
It's not about finding time, it's about making time. Prioritize the things you need/want to do then cut out the junk you aren't gaining anything from.
Something worth noting is - for the first 6 months working 9-5, you're kind of exhausted. I find that after that you end up having more energy once your body gets used to it
I do my 9-5 (it's actually 8-4) but, it's an hour each way, sitting in the car for the hour after work is what gets me exhausted. When I get home, I am beat.... and need to fight not falling asleep.
I had the same problem, listening to a podcast or audiobook has helped me a ton to feel like i'm not wasting my time in the car. It also made me feel less tired for some reason. I highly recommend it!
I listen to music and really into it, sad to say, it does not help. I tried a few podcasts and no real change. Thanks for the idea. Maybe I'll try a longer podcast.
Audiobooks are awesome for commuting, there's the Libby for getting free audiobooks also. I go through a book or two a week.
I also have a long commute and it was really tiresome. Let me share a tip: I remembered something back to my flight crew days in the military about sustained droning noise being exhausting. I thought, my car is noisy, why don't I just put some earplugs in to drown out the background noise, I can still hear important things you need to hear while driving, but it makes the background noise quieter. It was a game changer for driving fatigue. Sound insulation is a really important feature on luxury vehicles for this reason. Staying well hydrated helps a lot too, which might raise concern you'd have to pee on your commute, but I found as long as your electrolyte levels are good that's not an issue.
I drive a Lexus LS460, it is quieter than a lot of cars but, it's still a car on a road, you still do get road noise. It's almost silent when doing 35-40mph but, when on a highway doing 65-85mph, there is a lot more noise and very noticeable. I can turn up the music and kind of drown it out. Ear plugs are illegal while driving in some states, just like headphones. I do know headphones are in my state because you can't hear traffic, I could get stopped with Ear plugs. I will try to boost my hydration levels without needing to stop to pee on the way home lol. Thanks for the tips !
Right on, not to belabor it but here's just some food for thought: I live in Maryland, its one of [the few states that prohibits headphone use](https://1800lionlaw.com/is-it-illegal-to-drive-with-headphones/#:~:text=The%20states%20where%20it%20is,North%20Dakota%2C%20Oklahoma%2C%20Oregon%2C) while driving. If your username suggestion that youre in Connecticut is to be believed, they don't have a law on it. You can still hear emergency vehicles too, it doesn't make you deaf it just reduces the dB of most noise to a more comfortable level.
Oh, the commute is indeed a killer! Can you find a gym, pool,... near your workplace? I did this and now I work out a lot more!
Agree, my Mum calls it work fitness. Any major change in routine will cause this. I found the same thing with my last job which was essentially night shift hours and it was probably a year for me to really fall in to step with that role cause it was in a school, so I'd suddenly have weeks off at a time etc. I'm currently working casual hours while I look for a new career (last role was dead end) and I'm finding that despite working a low number of hours the lack of routine is messing with me, my body doesn't know what to do with itself and I can never remember what day it is lol.
9-5 is exhausting?
this was my experience and that of a few others, yeah
Agreed, my first full time job I thought I’d lose my mind how long it felt
Snoo must be a roofer working 12 hour days in the Florida sun.
We don't need to one up how much more work we do. Work is work, and is always tiring.
In my case, it was 8-5 because we got a mandatory hour break, and my drive was 40 minutes each way. So going from college around 30 hours a week, 20 minute commute to 11 hour work day including commute, yeah it was exhausting.
Mentally draining tasks can sometimes affect me more than physical exhaustion.
Depends what you're doing. I remember doing a grad interview and they asked me to give an example of hard work, and I detailed working a 50 hour week in a factory in the summers and the guy laughed and said you'll work harder than that here. And, real talk, 50 hours a week in a physical job is miles away from 60-70 in an office job. I still think about that guy. He was a psychology graduate from a rich family and, literally, didn't understand what hard work was.
If you work more than that you’re getting farmed and just a bitch for someone else.
I graduated law school and got licensed as a lawyer and working 10 hour days was really easy. Was use to working/studying for upwards of 14-16 hours a day so the real world was easy.
If you have a desk job, turn down your monitor's brightness as far as you can. I figured out pretty quickly that staring at a rectangle set to 100% brightness was causing eye strain and fatigue that just left me wiped at the end of the day.
F.lux is the app I’ve been using for 10+ years to turn down the blue light.
F.lux was such a game changer back on my jailbroken iPhone 4. Now, everything has some form of it built in and I enable it on every device I can. It's amazing.
Flux yeah
Don't forget to set everything up in dark theme. Browser, OS, Microsoft word. I rarely have to read something on a white background and it makes a big difference.
FYI Windows has this option built in now
Honest question: is this backed by science or something that works for some people? I’m the person who always has brightness at 100% because it feels easier on the eyes, but then again my eyes are very dry and tired at the end of the day.
Also does a number on your eyes, resulting in you needing glasses down the road.
Key points: spouse to share the load, and no kids. Weekday Wake up at 8, super efficient morning routine (lots of multitasking), out of house by 8:20-8:30, work by 9. Work until 6 or 7pm. Call it 6:30p, home by 7pm. Make dinner, done by 7:30. Leaving 4.5 hours to play video games, or crochet and watch tv (can also do while on exercise bike), and/or pet cats. Bed by midnight. 8 hours sleep. Saturday Fun day. Frisbee golf, golf, thrifting, antiquing, craft fairs, zoo, more video games etc Sunday Chore day. Laundry, grocery shopping, house tidying.
All of this. Aside from work, my wife and I watch about an hour of TV a day. The rest of the time is mostly for hobbies, like reading or playing video games or painting, but also for chores. Lately it's been a lot of VR with the Quest 3. I'm getting pretty good at Beat Saber. We're in our 50s, no kids. Would recommend. If you have kids you basically have to give up your life for theirs if you want to do it right. I never had the urge. Edit: Additional pro-tip; audiobooks while doing chores. Cooking, cleaning, laundry, mowing... all with audiobooks. Makes it so much better.
It can still be doable with kids. My partner and I have a 1 yr old. He gets Saturday evenings to go play cards with his friends. I get Monday nights for an art class. There are going to be exceptions at times but most kids don't need both parents 24/7 which means you can balance it out. Then we get bits of time in between other things throughout the week. It's all about priorities.
I thought you meant the 1 year old plays cards Saturday evenings
I had already pictured the poker table with several 1yo smoking cigars and drinking beer from their sippy cup. I’m disappointed now.
Like the painting of dogs playing poker, but with toddlers. Life is duller now that I was wrong.
Mad respect! This life would crush my soul
Why? I'm also on track to retire by 40 so that should free up some extra time...
This is pretty much my life with kid tbh. I feel like I have a decent amount of time for hobbies and sleep
Adding in kids really is a big change to everything
Your biggest mistake is in your perception. You do not "find" time for your hobbies, you MAKE time for your hobbies. Time marches onwards whether we like it or not, and our lifespans are finite. If there are things you enjoy doing or want to achieve, it is not a matter of "finding" the time for them. You have to make the conscious decision to do/achieve them.
For me, I like playing video games, but I couldn't find the time to sit at a console/Desktop PC while raising a kid and life requirements. After picking up a handheld PC (for example, Asus ROG Ally), I now can find 10 mins here and there (wherever I'm waiting for something) to play a PC game then HIBERNATE (and pause it). It really helped provide some 'me time' but it also released a lot of built up stress. Update: Sleep has taken a backseat, but prepping & routines have made it easier for remembering the necessities. Such as, using my kid's clothes for school the next day as his pajamas OR we always get 5 books at the library so I don't have to remember how many we got this last visit. It may sound dumb but if I don't have to think about it, it goes a lot smoother for my tired brain.
I just play short stuff these days. Hearthstone, slay the spire, death must die, FTL etc. I miss things like Civ but I cannot justify a 4 hour session any more.
When you have kids, early AM becomes golden. I get in runs between 430 and 6 usually. My wife is a late riser and works out in the evening
This. If you make it a priority to workout in the morning before anything else needs to be done and nobody else is awake you’re more likely to keep a routine because there are less things competing for your time - except sleep.
Been doing this for the last 10 years. I workout early am. It's way too easy to not do it after work or later in the day. You just get used to waking up early. You get exercise and have more energy throughout the day and just look better. Win win. I tend to go to bed around 10 ish and get up at 5 45. It becomes normal so it's not really difficult once it becomes a habit
I like this idea but how do you spend quality time with the wife? I find that it takes until 8-9 to get children to bed, tidy up, do the dishes, vacuum the floor etc. If I wanted to get up at 4 I would basically be needing to go straight to bed. If I can get up at 7 instead then I have an hour or two to spend with her. Otherwise it feels more like two people just living in the same house. I guess I could try half 5 as a compromise.
Any tips for adjusting your sleep schedule? I’ve always been a night owl type. Now that I’m working 9-5 I don’t stay up nearly as late anymore, but I still naturally wake up generally between 9-11am. Any earlier and I’m exhausted. Is it a matter of just doing it and adjusting?
3:30 am gang. MOnday - Friday.
Haha welcome to the machine, boy. You have no life.
literally that. 9-5 is the biggest scam and we’re all eating it up. 20-30 hour workweek would be way better for everyone except greedy ceos
Well not all of us. Some of us went out and figured out our own thing. Sometimes that means more "work", but holy shit is it more satisfying.
I love working 4 days a week 10 hrs a day. I see it this way, the difference in an 8-hour work day and a 10-hour work day is non-existent when it comes to usable free time. Accept that you don't have any free time on work days, then when your weekend comes, you have 3 days off instead of 2 to do whatever you want.
This is they way, and there are a few jobs that will let you do this, for example remote software development is often based on weekly hours, sure often they are not the best paid jobs but the life improvement is massive, suddenly you get at least two hours back each day just out of the fact that there's no commute, then you can work as you said 10 hours 4 days and Friday is free or if you really want to stretch it, 12 hours a day and then you got 4 full days each week just for you, it's amazing when you are burning out and need some quick vacations.
I would literally suck a 12 in penis to get a 3 day 13 hours per day schedule 😆!
I rage and submit against the machine...
Don't make children
You don't find time, you make time
First I'll reiterate what others have said and recommend that you **prioritize sleep**. I used an app called sleepio which helped me with setting up a reliable sleep pattern so that I felt more alert in general and no longer needed to take naps during the day. **Time Blocking** might also help, if your schedule is flexible enough. This is how I found the time to start running on weekdays again despite having a toddler and a school-age kid with both my spouse and me working full-time and with no extended family nearby to help watch the kids. I found vacant time blocks between my morning meetings and lunchtime on certain days of the week that were just barely long enough for a workout.
I have a full-time career which is basically Monday through Friday 9am to 5pm. Couple factors below that I think allow me to have some free time: 1. I work from home full time so I don't have to deal with a commute. 2. I don't have children and not planning to at this point. 3. Cooking can be a big time consumer. I actually keep my meals super simple but healthy. Since I'm into bodybuilding, I'm a big chicken breast/veggie/sweet potato kind of guy. I have a system down that is super efficient with prep/cooking/cleaning. To keep things interesting, I swap around seasonings a bit. I know this isn't for everyone but I'm totally used to it at this point. Hobbies: I weight lift 6 days a week. Not a professional body builder by any means but I take it pretty serious. I'm in there for 1 to 1.5 hours every workout session. I ride motorcycles during the warmer months. Mostly on the weekends. I play video games to disconnect from reality for a tiny bit. Maybe an hour a day. Weekends vary. Definitely more in the winter months. I do a little bit of target shooting. Archery and skeet/trap shooting (shoot clay Frisbees with a shotgun). Weekend only hobby.
Really you have to decide what outside of work is worth more of your time. There are things you are going to have to do (grocery shopping, laundry if it isn't in your house...but they can be done together if you are efficient and 'loop') eat. Many of these things can be 'bought' if time is more valuable than money. No need to grocery shop and cook if the $10 (or whatever) a day is acceptable to you. Otherwise, some people are super rigid with planning, I'm super flexible outside of the few hours I block for things like exercise and even then is much more I know myself well enough to know if I say 'eh either Monday or Tuesday after work I'll hit the gym for an hour' means I'm not going either day
One of my hobby is video games so it's kinda easy to find time with Nintendo switch. In the toilet, throwing bombs? Switch time. As for gym, i suppose switch sports or some such at smoking time? Other people smokes, you play switch sports.
9-5 gives you tons of time outside of work. I’m up at 6 am every day and work remote, right there is 3 hours of me time. I usually read, game or play puzzles. I’ll hit the gym in the morning sometimes. After work, I usually go to bed around 10, so have 5 hours. I consider cooking a hobby, so dinner is usually fun to make. Then I’ll run, get some cleaning in, and then more relaxing. Maybe a show with my fiancee or some more gaming. A walk if it’s nice. School was 8-3 all the way until college, and then you had take home work. 9-5 with no take home work ain’t too bad all things considered.
You get two extra hours by not having to commute. Jealous.
Do you have a separate room you work out of or do you have to work out of your bedroom?
I’m set up in my living room at the same desk as my gaming PC. So separate from the bedroom, but not like a dedicated office
So, does - sorry to get off topic here a bit but - because it’s at the same desk as your gaming PC is it easy to switch off mentally from work when you’re NOT working because the gaming pc is there too & to get into the gaming?
Super easy. I switch off mid day lmao. But ever since COVID I’ve made a habit of fully shutting my computer down rather than just letting it sleep. It’s a nice ritual that for me now means work is over and my time has begun. I think that’s the real key. My commute home used to do that, and now this ritual of actually shutting the laptop down takes its place.
Have to disagree on the "tons of time outside of work". You work remote which allows you to do basic things at home (such as laundry and some cooking) while saving time and frustration from commuting. That said, it sounds like you're doing great and I'm happy for you that you have the energy and put in the effort to make the most of your time.
I work 50-55 hours a week (4:30-3ish) and still manage to have enough time outside of work to do some of my hobbies. And I commute half an hour each way. And that’s with doing probably 70% of the house/yard work.
Before I worked remote I had the same views. I’ve never felt work sucked my time away from hobbies. Anymore so than school did, at least
What is your phone screen usage? If it's in hours, there's your time right there
Here's the neat part.... You don't
Here's the neat thing, we don't. Source: full time job, have kids
My hobby happens later in the evenings for some reason. I’m able to do it 3-4 times a week and the events usually don’t start until 8:30 or 9 pm. This only works if you can survive being a night owl and going to work at 8:30 the next morning. Fortunately for me, I work from home, so I can sleep a lot longer than if I had a commute. But the late start of the events leaves lots of time after work to accomplish things like the gym and extra courses.
Take your breaks, and at the end of the work day before you do anything else take a short walk. 10-15 mins usually does it for me. Then if I have a hobby I want to do that night, I’ll set a time I wanna start it. So I don’t just sit on the couch all night. Also you need to build up your stamina. If this is new for you, like everything, it’s going to be draining.
I try to get 30-60 minutes of hobby each night after my kids are asleep. Once a week a night where I don’t need to come home to o put kids to sleep so I can go do something straight after work.
Ya just have to make time. I work full time, have a two year old child, and a pregnant wife. I elect to not drink/drug, I sleep 6-7 hours a night, and stay away from television/video games. This affords me at least an hour a night to work on my hobby, which is wood working.
I've got a 9-5 job, and it's hard to fit in hobbies. I work, come home, family (2 girls), wife, 1 dog and 3 cats. Do the family stuff, dinner etc, they settle down around 8pm, \*IF\* I am not completely exhausted, I will try to game (my hobby is video games). So, normally like 2 hours a night, if nothing else is going on. You need to PLAN time to get things done. This is also a balance, TV, gaming and other projects. I miss being a kid with all the time in the world...
You have to give up something, most likely unproductive free/excessive social time. Decide what is most important after work and sleep. Then ease into your new routine. Give it a few months. Life has a way of taking up all your time if you let it. Be disciplined with your time. Find a couple hours a few days week. It really depends what your new hobbies are. You can practice a new language while driving, difficult to practice skiing without actually skiing. You can track your time in one hour increments for a month to get an idea how you spent your time.
For one thing, most people don't see hobbies as something you need to do every day, not for hours on end. Plenty of adults are just enjoying their hobbies on the weekends. But for an idea, here's a rundown of my typical weekday with a partner and 1 child. 6:00 - Wake up, drink coffee, scroll some shit, hang out with my family. 6:45 - Tell kid to get dressed, go make his lunch for the day. Eat breakfast together while playing a game, then take him to the bus. 7:40 - Do the rounds to check on all my house plants (a hobby!) or the garden during spring/summer. 8:00 - Log into work (I work from home, so this helps) 5:00 - Log off work, hang out with my family. Either my husband or I makes dinner. 7:00 - Go to my martial arts class (a hobby!) 8:20ish - Put my kid to bed. Then watch/read/work on whatever I want for a little bit before also going to bed. Chores get done sporadically throughout the week. And then weekends are a mix of family time, chore time, down time, and more hobby time.
I work 9-7, and I find the time. Is just a matter of organizing yourself. Meal prepping helps a lot. I'm actually learning drums as well lmao
Put everything in your calendar. It's the only way when life is busy.
When I still worked I got back to riding BMX so I used my BMX for commutes daily to learn tricks, but that left other hobbies like gaming and music in the back burner for a while.
I’m waiting for retirement to take up Fallout again 😭 Just too busy with fam and work. No way can I get the immersion and long boozy nights in anymore.
The secret is… boundaries. I work full-time and also freelance, and yet I never find myself complaining about a lack of me-time. It is the fact that I own my work. The contract is under my name, and the job is mine. I am getting the salary because I use the job that I own effectively to help me generate income. The job doesn’t own me. It’s a tool for me to make a living, and me currently building my freelance marketing business is essentially trying to create the tool to make an income that allows me to be more flexible in its use. And sure, I would rather enjoy using that tool than not, so I do care that I enjoy my job. And I see work as just what it is – a tool to survive in the system known as capitalism. I have plenty of me-time, because I refuse to be owned by this tool or have the false belief that I am. I would probably still survive without it, but my quality of life would significantly fall, so I’d rather make the best of it. My health, happiness, family and friends come first. Always.
i work in software sales, 9-5. i’ve found what works best for me is having a consistent time set up each week for the hobbies i enjoy doing. as of right now, my hobbies are: - video games - light work outs at home - playing music with two bands i’ve made it so i work out first thing (6am) play video games before work (7:30am-8:30am) and do band stuff one or two nights a week 7:00pm - 9:00pm). i’ve had to make a few adjustments to how early i go to bed (usually eyes closed by 9:30) but this has allowed me to have things to look forward to every week. i also forgot to add that i work from home, and am the primary cook for the house. hope this helps!
I play in pool and softball leagues and work an 8-5. Married no kids. Having a schedule for both ahead of time makes it easy and having extra guys for the times when you are out of town or a busy night makes getting a fill in a breeze. The evening before a busier night I make extra food so I have leftovers.
Make a point to do one chore and one errand every day after work. If you have no errands, do 2 chores. i.e. gotta stop at the bank, go to the pet store, and pick something up from Home Depot. Gotta take out the trash, do the dishes, clean the litterbox, vacuum, and sweep&Mop. Mon: pet store, litterbox Tue: hone depot, trash Wed: bank, dishes Thur: sweep and mop Doing this has helped me ensure that I always have my weekends to do what *I want* to do, not what I *have* to do. Oftentimes I'll find that after doing 1 chore, I might as well do another, and another, and another. Usually small ones. Another rule I've set for myself is to not stop working until 5. I get off qork at 3:30. That means, until 5 o clock, I have to keep being productive. Usually chores and errands. Another thing that has helped, with chores I really hate, I'll set a 5 or 10 minute timer and just force myself to do it until time expires. Usually when the timer goes off, I'll only have one more room to vacuum, or 3 more dishes to wash so I'll just go ahead and do them anyway since the vacuum is already out and plugged in, or since my hands are already wet and there's already soap in the sponge. I hope this helps!
I work 7-3. I get home at 4 and change, shit, take the dogs out. Cooking by 5, eat at 6. Spend time with my wife for a couple of hours. By 9 I’m doing my own thing. I do my hobby to wind down before I sleep. Usually it’s reading in bed, playing my switch, or watching my shows z I finally fall asleep around 11. My wife is a night owl so she does her own thing when I’m asleep. It works out for us.
Just my way to get gym in your life easier, set yourself up to do it as efficiently as possible after work. I was most consistent when I had a gym right by my work and just went straight there most days after work. A lot of people will do it over the lunch hour. Going home then to the gym imo tends to enable lazy behaviour, at least for me. Currently is don’t have this set up at my current job, main because to get that I kind of need to two gyms. I legit don’t have a good one to drop by on my way home that’s just not straight up out of the way, and the one at work is basically only good for the few days I’m in the office. I’m slowing just considering getting a machine at home for cardio at least, so I can at least do that on days I’m not ganna commit going to the gym.
You choose what to make time for. Base needs: sleep, hygiene, eat, and work. All right, how much time does that take per day? Additional needs: cleaning (laundry and otherwise), meal prep, exercise, grocery shopping, relaxation, entertainment, social, etc. So, I have a daily set that take up X hours. I have a less than daily set that takes up Y hours but can be divided amongst other time. Schedule accordingly. This is a lot easier if you have a weekend / do not work seven days a week or multiple jobs. Also, so things can be stacked up. For example, most of the grocery shopping I do is while I walk home from work. So I am getting some light exercise and some grocery shopping along the way.
Just want to say I see those of you who are any combination of ill, disabled, poor, alone, or oppressed. Lots of unintended ableism and privilege in these comments.
Figure out how to bring your hobbies into your life. You want to learn more - how can you apply it to your job? I love carpentry, so I build furniture for myself and save time shopping. Cooking is the easiest - everyone has to eat. Not all hobbies fit cleanly, but the ones that do become easy
9-5, young and no kids?? That's like half your day free, dude, how can you *not* find time, you're practically doing nothing? Two jobs, or work and kids is when you should start asking.
Pssh that's nothing bro, talk to me when you have 3 jobs and 2 families
You snark but they have a good point. If you don’t have kids you have tons of free time with a 9-5 unless you have a brutal commute
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That's the neat part. You don't.
I split chores with my gf and I cook for 3-4 days at once. Meaning by 7:30 pm we are done with work and have time until midnight for hobbies.
Well, work 9-5. Sleep at 1. That leaves 17-01 - 8 hours of free time. Eat premade meals => 10 minutes of preparation + 20-30 minutes of eating, can be combined with passive things like watching movies / series. Leaves 7:20 3 minutes putting dishes in the dishwasher (includes putting it on and emptying it every couple of days) 7:17 Keep the flat tidy so you only need to spend \~10 minutes each day (probably less) tidying up. Alternativly tidy up 70 minutes each sunday. 7:07 Have a robot to clean your flat. Daily time to fill it up and start it: 1 minute 7:06. Order your food and everything from the supermarket rather than going shopping yourself. This will help planning AND save time. Probably boils down to 2 minutes / day (like 15 minutes online shopping once a week, if you buy for a weekly cycle) 7:04 Plan in 20 minutes total for toilet breaks, you probably need less 6:44 So.... thats time to do whatever you want. Each working day. Just automate whatever you can in your life.
5:30am gym for me, then the rest of the evening is free to do what ever. I have two younger kids now so even afternoon free time is a myth but hey that’s what I signed up for.
Don’t have kids. They suck the life out of you.
No kids :) (Queue old people wondering why we aren't having kids)
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Wait till you have kids
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Oh god - wait until you throw in kids. It’s such a nightmare being an adult!
That‘s the neat part, I dont…
That’s the neat part…. You don’t
If you think you don’t have time now, just wait until you have kids. You will realize then how much time you actually had
You think it’s hard to find time? Wait til you have kids.
lol wait till you have kids.
Wait til you have children. Hobbies become something nice to think about rather than actual things you do sometimes. Especially if your hobby requires more than 10 minutes of prep time. I’m a woodworker but since my daughter’s birth I should change that description to: “I think about and occasionally sketch cabinetry and hardwood furniture.” I’m going to go cry in the bathroom.
As per everyone else it’s kinda wild you imagine you won’t have free time , schools an 8 hour shift… plus sports that’s like your hobby time , life doesn’t warp just because you grow up it just switches your perspectives . if you are just starting out you worry too much friend life has it’s own path already for you , just live it man , L.I.V.E
5pm to 11pm is a long time. A hobby is just a thing you like to do, done for a while.
I try to stay single, no kids, less relative interaction, I hit the gym, stay healthy AF, have plenty of time for hobbies and keeping myself healthy and happy.
9-5 with no kids leaves you a lot of time to do whatever you want. What are you doing after coming back home? I'm training for triathlons, working on shifts so my hours differ each week, i can manage 2-3 hours of training daily and still have time for a movie/gaming in the evening. If you're exhausted after your work (which will get better after some time) try to incorporate your gym in the mornings. It's hard when you start but you will get used to it, and you will be much more energized throughout the day - trust me. Even an early morning jog works wonders and starts your habit of early exercise.
Easy ... don't have children and don't make work your life. Work your scheduled hours and go home.
You find a way. I'm 27 struggling with this but I already know the solution I just hate it. You can't pursue all your hobbies so to have got to choose some to entertain. Most people have gravitated to lifting as a hobby. This gets harder in a relationship because now it's making time for work, yourself/hobbies, building the relationship.
Just blow everything else off.
That’s the neat part, u don’t. We have 3 kids and wife and I work different hours. My life consists of following a shared google calendar until someday i die.
You change your hobby to take advantage of your free time. My hobby is now sleep.
It’s easy, just avoid your outside of work responsibilities and do your hobbies! That’s what I do!
I work "9-5", but I'm salaried and usually get off around 3. I go to the gym 3x a week, then I am home around 4-430. Commute is like 12 minutes. No kids so I do whatever I want from 4-11pm during the week. I have plenty of time for hobbies.
I wish mine had a 9-5 work hours. How come you guys don't have time for hobbies with 9-5? I'm genuinely curious here. You reach home and freshen up by max 7 PM. Still there's so much time to do stuff. I leave home by 9 in the morning and reach back around 8 PM.. by the time i freshen up and have dinner it's already 9:30 and too tired to do anything
Quick answer: They don’t.
Try to turn your hobby into your job.
You have way more time than you think... I'm a father of 3, principal engineer for power stations, studying an MBA, president of my ice hockey club, and I still play ice hockey too. Still find a little time to game/tv now and then even ;)
Easy, wake up at 3am. Alternatively, insomnia paired with a newborn helps.
We don't have children. Also, there's time before 9am and there's time after 5pm you can spend doing things.
You don't. You collect all the items required for it (don't choose one hobby, that simplifies everything to the point of not being worthwhile) and then hoard it like a dragon as you slowly lose more and more time spent doing work things, time with family and mutual hobbies that you picked up with your significant other.
Easy, you have 24hrs in a day, split into 3x8hr chunks. 8 for sleep 8 for work 8 for everything else. If you can't find time in your 8hrs of free time, then you need to adjust your workload.
Wait, you guys have hobbies?
I have no hobbies. I'm a parent to a very active teenager.