In a world where people are bogged down with the thoughts of how to achieve their professional goals, personal growth often takes a backseat. Personal goals do not find a priority in our list of things to do and as such we do not devout a good amount of time on them. However, it is our personal goals only that can separate us from the crowd of mediocrity and can forge for us a path to success.

Our time is valuable. Office and business demand a certain chunk of time from our daily lives and we have to give that time there to make our living, but what about the rest of our time? What do we do with it? How can we use it for our benefit?

People who are successful in their respective fields have often commented that it is the time they spend away from work that made all the difference. It recharged them, refreshed their mind, and filled them up with a renewed enthusiasm. Since it is these successful people we look up to, it will bid us well if we pay attention to what they have to say on how to spend our free time.

Before throwing light on some interesting and productive activities through which you can utilize your time in an efficient manner let’s first have a look at what some of the big names in the world choose to do with their spare time.

• Richard Branson

The founder of Virgin Group who is known for his adventurous side likes to stay on his island during his time away from work. On the island, he engages in all sorts of sports that can including tennis, scuba diving, and kitesurfing. He likes to have a good time and spends his Saturday evenings partying. He has also confessed to having a keen interest in chess and spends his free time playing board games.

• Warren Buffet

The CEO and Chairman of Berkshire Hathaway is an avid reader both at work and at home. He admits that his way to get smarter is by reading 500 pages a day. Besides being a voracious reader, he also spends his free time playing the ukulele- a Hawaiian-origin four-stringed guitar. Though initially, he learned to play the instrument to impress a girl, now it has turned into a habit that he enjoys.

• Anna Wintour

The editor-in-chief of Vogue, Anna Wintour gets up early each day to spend 1 hour in playing tennis. She believes in staying active and finds it a great way to maintain her physical and mental well-being.

• Oprah

The famous talk show host, Oprah Winfrey is a believer in finding stillness and calm in her everyday busy life. She is a spiritual person and makes sure to meditate for 20 minutes twice a day.  

Now that you are all jazzed up and motivated to make the most out of your spare time. Let’s straightaway dive into some productive things to do in your free time:

Reading

Reading is the most popular habit that successful people have in common. It can keep people up to date on the latest happenings around the world or the latest developments in the field of one’s interest. Bill Gates, Warren Buffett, Elon Musk, and Mark Zuckerberg are all ardent readers. Reading a good book or even newspaper is not only beneficial for accumulating knowledge but for most, it also serves as a way of relaxing or de-stressing after a long day’s work.

Meditation and breathing exercise

Yoga gurus for a long time have been advocating and preaching about the vast positive effects that meditation and breathing exercises can bring to our lives. Now, there are even scientific studies available that can vouch for their claims. It has been found that when people incorporate meditation, yoga, and breathing exercises in their regular life, there is better communication between the left and right lobes of the brain. The hyperactive state of the brain gets ebbed down to a calmer state that not only helps to de-stress but also promotes better mental and physical performance.

Exercise

Most of us would agree on the fact that exercise is important for our health, but even after knowing this we often give lame excuses to avoid it. Some of the excuses that we have can range from being ‘too tired’ to being ‘too busy’ because of work. However, it turns out that even for achieving one’s professional goals one has to be in his or her physical and mental best forms; Only then is it possible to take on the heavy responsibilities that come with the higher job positions. Successful people know this and therefore, they include some form of exercise in their leisure time activities.

Networking

One of the most productive things to do in one’s spare time is networking. Meeting new people and striking friendship is a great way to unwind and it also increases the size of your network. Having a big network of people can mean more opportunities in the future. It is not necessary that you go with a certain goal in mind to meet such and such people. You just have to step out of your comfort zone and get acquainted with new people. You never know when someone can prove to be a help for you or you prove to be a help for them.

Learning a new thing

Most leaders who are experts in their domains view themselves as eternal students. For them, learning doesn’t stop at college. They are constantly on the lookout for learning new skills that they can add to their resumes. It can be anything from learning a new musical instrument to acquiring a professional diploma, but the key point here is to never stop learning. 

Now that you have the answer to what to do in your free time? It’s time to incorporate these productive habits into your daily life. We can all do well by learning a thing or two from people who are already triumphant in their respective fields. By taking inspiration from how they utilize their spare time we can also achieve the best in our mental and physical health and go after what we want in life with an indomitable force.