Learning The Skill of Leisure

I came across a talk from Arthur Brooks on leisure and found it thought-provoking. The biggest shift for me was the distinction between passive and active leisure. Here's the link to that, notes below: https://youtu.be/n0apNHGLBMo

Passive leisure looks like watching TV, scrolling, or reading the news. Active leisure is more engaging. It involves creating, participating, or connecting with something in a more meaningful way. And it turns out, it contributes far more to happiness.

This matters, especially for retirees who are figuring out how to spend their time. Research suggests that being good at leisure is linked to greater happiness, better health, and even longer life. On the other hand, a steady diet of passive leisure tends to correlate with worse outcomes.

Active leisure can take many forms. Spending time in nature, playing an instrument, tending a garden, cooking, or having deeper conversations with friends. It doesn’t have to be complicated, but it does have to be engaging.

This is very different from a lifestyle built around passive consumption. That kind of leisure can feel good in the moment, but it doesn’t go very far. Over time, it tends to leave you feeling flat rather than restored.

Brooks describes the best forms of leisure as meaningful, satisfying, and enjoyable. For many driven people, work already checks those boxes. But if work is your primary outlet, life can start to feel a bit one-dimensional.

Done well, leisure fills that gap.

There’s also an interesting side effect. The right kind of leisure can actually make you better at your job. It engages your mind in a different way, which often leads to new ideas.

A few years ago, most of my downtime was passive. I’d work hard, then come home and try to shut my brain off. It worked in the moment, but it didn’t leave me feeling any better the next day.

Now my time looks different. I play bass, tend a beehive in my backyard, ride my bike, play pickleball, and spend time with friends having deeper conversations.

I feel better, more engaged. And my life feels more full. 

I wish the same for you.