Do you ever get spare time and then realize you have no idea what to do with it? Many people end up grabbing their phones and scrolling through TikTok or doing something to distract themselves from the schoolwork they have to complete. 

Deciding what to do when you get free time isn’t always easy. Some students say that after a full day of schoolwork, relaxing and scrolling on apps like TikTok feels like the easiest option, and even if it might be it is still giving them less time to finish their homework.

While finishing homework may be more productive than playing sports, many people also believe that it’s important to take a break once in a while, especially after a long day of school.

Some students feel pressured to spend their spare time completing assignments because they worry so much about their grades.

While free time is given to students so they can finish any missing work or start on any assignments, others see it as a much-needed break after a very long day of school.

Sometimes having too much spare time can also be a problem too. People who express that they’re tired all the time and need spare time usually spend that time doing something pleasurable and not useful.

Others intake on how free time is spent

According to UCLA’s “To much Free time?,” people who usually have very short spare time usually tend to stress about how they’re going to accomplish something in such a short period of time. Well being does not increase with free time beyond two hours a day, in fact it begins to decrease. There is a falloff of happiness among people who usually have a lot of free time daily that is associated with solitude and with unproductivity during that free time.

 Socializing and communicating with others is not something I would call productive. On the other hand, participating in sports, working out and maybe even finishing missing work you have for a class is something productive to do during your leisure time.

According to another article called “The productivity mindset is changing How people spend their free time”, everyone enjoys their leisure time even if they’re being unproductive. When people become obsessed with personal productivity it tends to take over our free time, they’re a lot more people who are usually unproductive during their leisure time. 

People might collect experiences the “same way someone might collect rare coins.” Some of these experiences that people are influenced by are often made by a productivity mindset.  People who are more productive when they find free time prefer experiences that are not pleasurable. People who are focused on being productive want to do things they’ve never done before rather than repeat the same hobby over and over again.

iSchool opinions

The students at school either spend their leisure time productively or unproductively. These students who were interviewed and the way they spend their leisure time is very similar but also very different. 

Britney, who is a freshman here at iSchool, reveals how she spends her free time and her thoughts on what activities she believes are productive to do during your spare time.

She states, “I could spend my leisure time doing a lot more productive things. I just feel like school is already enough, I always need a 6 hour break, school tends to feel like too much sometimes. And I spend most of my leisure time Doomscrolling. Doing an internship, sports, doing your homework, finishing extra school work is considered productive leisure time. If you’re not doing anything to benefit yourself it is not helping you at all.” 

Students prefer spending their free time on their phones instead of working on school work because they want to rest from sitting in a chair all day.

Zoe, a freshman here at iSchool, expresses what she does when she has spare time and how she manages her free time.

Zoe states, “I do my homework, travel, go out with friends or just stay at home and watch my phone. And when I get assigned work and have free time, I do the homework first so that later on I don’t have to worry about doing the homework later, and also so that I have time to do whatever I want after.”

I think it really depends on the students, whether they’re putting work as the main priority or leaving it for last. Having leisure time is an advantage to get things done in time and explore new interests and hobbies.

Serafina, also a freshman here at iSchool, reveals what she does during her spare time and why she believes students nowadays are unproductive when they have leisure time.  

Serafina states, “I play the piano, and I’m currently trying to learn guitar but I’m really bad at it. I like to do sewing projects, and I also like to knit. Sometimes I tend to doomscroll on tiktok,  but I do like reading and writing. I think the abundance of technology that we have access to now and the fact that we constantly have access to hits of dopamine has caused a decline in motivation to do productive things.”

Most people, especially kids these days, spend a lot of time on their phones and social media. This can affect how much work they’re completing at home because half of their spare time is spent being on their phones.

My Thoughts

I believe that students should always rest once in a while, but it is also very important to keep up with your grades and complete your assignments on time. Not everyone gets to have free time but those who do, should not take it for granted. It can be a chance to catch up on missing schoolwork or work on improving your self esteem.

Free time can also be used to work on yourself, whether that means reflecting on your goals or building confidence in yourself. Free time is like a privilege, managing your time shows responsibility, you should spend it wisely instead of wasting it. 

The most productive thing you can do during your free time is enjoy it to your fullest.