What do you do in your spare time?

[MikeHawk]

I constantly find myself not being able to think of something I want to do in my spare time. Lifting only takes up an hour a few days a week, same with my softball, occassionally I find a book I want to read, rubbing one out, among other small unimportant tasks. Spending a couple hours a day doing things still leaves like 12 hours of the day (on non-working days), and I can't think of anything else but to fill it with tv. I really enjoy watching tv/movies but not for more than a couple of hours. It gets me restless and makes me feel unproductive. Is it me or is life just that boring?

I've asked this question many times throughout my life and usually don't get any answers that I decide to apply to my life. Maybe you guys will help me find that needle in the haystack. So what do you guys do?

[LeonidasfromSparta]

I constantly find myself not being able to think of something I want to do in my spare time. Lifting only takes up an hour a few days a week, same with my softball, occassionally I find a book I want to read, rubbing one out, among other small unimportant tasks. Spending a couple hours a day doing things still leaves like 12 hours of the day (on non-working days), and I can't think of anything else but to fill it with tv. I really enjoy watching tv/movies but not for more than a couple of hours. It gets me restless and makes me feel unproductive. Is it me or is life just that boring?

I've asked this question many times throughout my life and usually don't get any answers that I decide to apply to my life. Maybe you guys will help me find that needle in the haystack. So what do you guys do?
Well to be honest, training takes about 2 hours and a half, for 3 days. I really feel I don't have much time (on working days), and my gf complains about that sometime. On nonworking days, I usually go out and have dinner with my gf, or have some coffee with my friends. Sometimes I read a book (or read again SS :)) or play videogames. So this is pretty much it.

[gman]

Try having 3 or 4 kids. That should keep you pretty occupied.

[fnet]

Yeah, a couple kids and maintaining an old house keep me pretty well occupied.

[gzt]

I troll.

[TomF]

Yeah, a couple kids and maintaining an old house keep me pretty well occupied.What he said. Spare time?

'Course, last weekend I had a date with a wheelbarrow, shovel, and 12 yards of topsoil to make a new garden area where there was once a decrepit garage. Made a flagstone path too, with stone from around the property and some gravel I had to move from where the garden's going. Wheelbarrow again.

(3) Kids, garden, house, music ... lifting, and karate. And someday, I'm gonna build at least one boat.

[homerj742]

Don't have kids, but I am married, so when I'm not doing the "honey-do" list, or just spending time with her:

I play/practice guitar.

Read. Used to be into a lot of non-fiction, religious history. But have discovered that I'm enjoying some fiction as of late. Reading Stephen King's Dark Tower series right now.

Movies/TV. I don't watch much during the week, but when I have some time I like to follow a few shows, I also wait until the season is over and just do some mini marathons. (These days it's The Office, LOST - finished a few weeks back, Stargate SG-1 - still on season 4, Burn Notice - Finished season 2 etc...)

[gamedog]

I raise, and train an American Pit Bull Terrier. She's a one and a half year-old bitch, and I'm getting her started in weight pull. I usually make it home from work around 7:30 PM, and I eat my dinner immediately. Right after that, she needs to go for her walk, and then have her training/exercise time. If I don't have her leash on, ready to go by 7:45 she starts pacing around the living room whining LOL That keeps me occupied till around 9, and then she gets her bone, and I get to have some peace and quiet before bed. She also requires walks first thing in the morning, and some training time first thing in the morning as well. On the weekends when I'm home, we're pretty-much inseperable.

Other stuff I like to do to pass the time, reading, writing, cooking, yard work (especially gardening), listening to good music or watching movies with the wife.

I try to relax and have some couch time, but I also try to do active, productive things, too.

[hbriem]

I read a lot. Probably 1-2 books a week on average, a lot more on holidays. I play bass in a punk band and a guitar at home. I go to the swimming pools regularly and take long walks. I play bridge, but not much lately. I like to cook and have friends over for dinner and drinks. I watch a fair bit of TV. I'm 47 and have two sons, 16 and 21. I lift and coach my sister and younger son in lifting.

[crc]

I like researching stuff on the internet and foraging for wild food in the woods. I think being out in nature and doing something that forces attention to detail is both relaxing and rewarding.

[gordonrumble]

You can try to educate yourself more. Get some certifications, take a class, stuff like that. It'll improve you and/or give you more career options.

Volunteer. Help out your community, make the world a better place.

Join some social clubs and events that happen on a weekly basis. Play a sport.

Do something creative. Write a book, brew your own beer, start a blog, something like that.

Look at alternate revenue streams. Investments, real estate, your retirement; figure those out, possibly spend some time investing. People have to put a lot of money toward retirement, more than they realize, and some time on the weekends is a good time to sort out your finances. I have a friend who bought a house and fixes it up to flip on the weekends. He's also doing a law degree and working full time in a hospital.

If you have it so easy that you can't possibly find anything useful, productive or entertaining to do 2/7ths of the week, then I want to be you.

[fnet]

...or you can spend every waking hour on the 'net watching porn.

[ColoWayno]

Join the Young Republicans club in your area.

[jameson]

With a baby on the way, I don't expect to have much time so I'm widdling down my hobbies. Personally, I like to shoot (whiskey & guns), read, play the occasional videogame, watch movies, hang out with my wife (or friends), mess around at my dad's farm, etc. I'd personally love to spend most of my day doing strongman stuff - my dad's farm is the perfect playground.

If I were you, and had that much time on my hands, I'd enter a competition. Then I'd spend most of my time preparing, learning, eating, resting, and thinking of how to improve.

Just as an aside (it may not apply to you): I think a lot of time is wasted not training for fear of over-training. Your body will adapt if you make it. Work harder, put more time in.

[RyanW]

...or you can spend every waking hour on the 'net watching porn.

I have a feeling MikeHawk would enjoy this

[broseph]

Hunting from fall to spring... There's something very manly about killing your own food, dragging out of the woods, and butchering it. As a bonus, when consuming a trophy buck or gobbler, I feel I absorb it's buck-ness and/or tom-ness... This gives me the strength I need to kill more animals.

Summer is best spent at the beach, contemplating the population's profound lack of muscular body weight and profound abundance of adipose reserves.

[Gary Gibson]

I'm in flux right now. It's just one of those years. But in more normal times I play piano a lot and read books on evolutionary psychology, physics and Austrian economics. I barbell train three or four times a week for about ninety minutes and that eats up a lot of my "spare time." Lately I've also been spending a lot of time with a very pretty lady.

Right now I'm separated from my piano and my library and so when I'm not working or training I just spend a lot of that time reading about powerlifting on the interwebs and posting on this forum. I also don't watch any internet porn since meeting that lady I mentioned.

[milk-grinder]

Maybe get a project car. It will consume your money and time.

Or take up another sport besides softball.

[tennisgod]

The economy is screwed and will be for years. Best to use your time to augment your employment skills, or learn a new skill.

[grizzlybuck]

I work a ton, and have a wife and two kids. I work a swing shift though, so I do find some time to read, I fiddle on the internet as well. I watch sports and cooking shows when I get home from second shifts. I used to do some woodworking, but haven't in a few years, since my back doesn't really like me standing on concrete for extended periods.

[PVC]

I'm a university student, and right now I'm working full time as a car jockey for a car rental company, I'm taking a summer course and I play guitar/am taking lessons. These three things are taking up most of my time now.

Oh yeah, and I lift too.

[Marotta]

Learn to play an instrument, Carpentry or Welding/ Metal Work, Restore an old car, Learn about modern physics (call me a nerd, but it's very interesting), Get a motorcycle, Become a vigilante.

[ILiftAlone]

Fishing is fun, and relaxing. Basically it's an excuse to get out into nature and drink some beer. The fish catching is a bonus, but if you get something good you've got a snack for later.

[gzt]

Gary - Austrian economics? Couldn't you spend your time learning real economics?

[78704]

Lifting with friends Saturday morning, cliff diving at Pace Bend park Sunday morning if the lake is high enough, Barton Springs pool or matinee or long motorcycle ride in the afternoons. Girlfriend gets evenings.

If a house wife and kids is too much, get a dog, walk her twice a day.

[Damien Thompson]

Go join the average broz gym....