We live in a work-obsessed culture. The aim is to hustle and grind to the max to achieve the ideal lifestyle.
But this seems like a strange trade-off. Does it make sense for people to hustle for a lifestyle that is always out of reach? Arguably not.
For this reason, a paradigm shift is emerging. Career-focused individuals are having a change of heart and seeing the forest for the trees. Leisure is becoming an end in itself (not just something people do to recharge their batteries for the next round of work).
“The demand for people to have more time available is something we’re noticing as a business,” explains cleaning firm Karen’s Green Cleaning. “Our clients want to get their evenings and weekends back so they can do the things that matter to them.
Working 12 hours in an office six days a week isn’t what a lot of people want, even if there is the promise of success at the end of it.”
There are many reasons why prioritising leisure makes sense. But ultimately, the people who try it report having a higher quality of life. They enjoy themselves more, even if they feel like they could be doing more to thrive in their professional careers.
Better Mental And Physical Health
One reason leisure should be the priority is the impact it has on health. People who take regular breaks are much more likely to experience better health than those who insist on grinding away at their computers until late at night.
For starters, working all the time is bad for most people’s mental health. Eventually, the effort involved becomes overwhelming and the mind starts to struggle.
However, the toll on physical health is arguably even more severe. Sedentary workers who have to sit in chairs all day to do their work are at the most risk.
Staying still for long periods can increase things like blood pressure and slow metabolism, increasing the risk of weight gain.
Enjoying leisure, however, often has the opposite effect. People tend to be more active when they have time to themselves. Gardening, sports, exercise, and adventures reduce the risk of chronic diseases, like stroke and diabetes.
Better Long-Term Well-Being
There’s also a case to be made that leisure time improves long-term well-being. It reduces the propensity of people to experience exhaustion and encourages them to look at their lives more holistically.
“For many, household help is part of the process of improving well-being,” Karen’s Green Cleaning explains. “Coming home after a busy day and having to do more work isn’t fun for a lot of people, which is why a lot of families and individuals get support.”
Many people who put leisure first and work second report being happier and less stressed. They’re not always trying to get the next thing done (which is often what happens when work takes over someone’s life).
For many people, leisure is about doing things for the sake of doing them and not some other end. Playing a musical instrument or walking through nature is worth it by itself. It isn’t part of some wider scheme to earn more or achieve a goal.
It’s okay to have aspirations, of course. But allowing them to dictate everything you do is a recipe for making life dull and like a treadmill.
Improved Relationships
There’s also a case to be made that prioritising leisure time allows people to improve their relationships. Simply having more slots allocated to other people in the day automatically boosts interpersonal quality.
Leisure means having time, for instance, to forge closer connections with other people. When work is done, there are more opportunities to have meaningful conversations or support others in their struggles.
There’s also a chance of developing a better work-life balance. Establishing a career doesn’t need to encroach upon time spent with friends and family. Healthy working arrangements help you do both.
Helpful Societal Benefits
Interestingly, there may be broader societal benefits to more leisure time. While working hard is helpful, taking time off may also improve outcomes for people who care about the community around them.
For example, leisure industries benefit from people taking time off work. If everyone works all the time, they don’t have the time to spend.
Leisure activities also afford society cultural enrichment. People who aren’t working can do other things, like set up festivals and run events. These can support local traditions that bring everyone together and foster unity.
Without these people, the extent of civic society would be far lower. Individuals wouldn’t have the time they need to dedicate to extra-curricular activities, such as music, drama, and sports.
The Possibility Of Personal Growth
There’s also an argument that says that more leisure time leads to personal growth. While professional development might be important for a career, time off work is where most of the learning and consolidation takes place.
That’s why many of the most successful people insist on taking regular chunks of time off away from the office. These provide them with the space they need to reflect and think about what to do next. Bill Gates, for example, famously goes away every year to spend a week thinking alone before returning to his duties.
However, leisure can lead to personal growth in other ways. For example, many people find time off work to be a way to achieve new things and push their lives forward. Taking part in things like hiking and playing a musical instrument can lead to a sense of achievement.
Many of the most extraordinary people do their finest work away from formal institutions or workplaces.
Higher Productivity
Lastly, leisure can also lead to improved mood and creativity, which both boost productivity. People who take time away from the office and organise their lives around leisure are often the most insightful and useful in organisations.
Spending time just thinking often enables them to develop solutions that wouldn’t have emerged if they’d stayed at their desks for another couple of hours.
So there you have it: why leisure should be the priority for most people.
