I find the concept of leisure time to be interesting. For me, it’s more than idle time. Idle time is the time I might play a computer game. It’s distracting and enjoyable, but probably not very fulfilling. Leisure time is time spent carving, reading interesting things, cooking for the family, or writing a blog post. It has a creative element that continues on after the effort is completed.
The creative endeavors I’ve found are a sort of insurance against the blahs, blues, or depression. No, I don’t have a clerical subroutine that measures it all. The pleasure isn’t measured by a clerk against boredom or sadness, and is fed into a statistical measure. It’s more free-form than that.
Satisfying leisure time activities for me also include periods of reflective stillness. Now in winter time its time in front of the woodstove, with the mind wandering and reflective. It’s interesting to see where the mind wanders when set free of constraint. And no, I don’t consider this to be idle time. My body is relaxed, and my mind is free-wheeling, but it’s far from idle. At some point, I stop and examine the wanderings. Sometimes it’s just been an amusing interlude. But sometimes there are insights, creative ideas, or just wondrous episodes, musings about things I haven’t thought about in years.
Well, that’s my viewpoint on it.
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For active people, idle time is good for you. You are right about this.
I haven’t figured any of this out as you have. Right now I’m in the middle of book judging which, this year, for some reason, isn’t really fun. I don’t know if that’s whirled events or the changes in me since last winter. I’ll have to do some musing…
You are a busy man, it’s good that you look at it as “leisure”.