Hello! Today’s entry follows this one on How to Break Your Social Media Addiction.
“Leisure without study is death - a tomb for a living person.” — Seneca
Many people wonder where I get the time, how I do it all- work my 8-5 as a doctor- while on call 48-72 hrs a week, write the entries and books you guys have come to love, keep up with my studies in medicine and philosophy, spend time with my girlfriend, maintain my relationships, go to the gym, party and manage my other business.
Well, it’s not that hard once you understand a simple truth- it’s impossible to get tired, bored or even burnt out if you’re doing many things, involving different parts of your brain, in a day. For instance, my day could involve doing a medical procedure at one time, then reminding myself about some anatomy immediately after, then writing about an idea, then getting back to clients or friends, and so on, intermixing everything once it starts to turn stale. It’s pretty fun and I always feel energetic.
See, it’s easy to waste hours in travel, television, endless scrolling, or idle gossip thinking they’re the only cool and enjoyable sources of entertainment- until you taste the richer and more pleasurable experiences of choosing to use your free time to learn, create, practice or deepen your relationships- these activities involve a tight and indisputable feedback loop with reality whose hardness and plethora of uncontrolled variables brings a lot of satisfaction in overcoming. For example, you can’t fake a good relationship. I’m not against memes, movies, vacations, and funny posts- if we’re honest they become boring after a while anyway- but reading a book, studying a subject you want to master, testing your body with exercise, taking a long drive, or spending unhurried time with family- these are the kinds of activities that give leisure, life.
There’s a common misperception that free time needs to be wasted so we can feel rested. But the mind, unlike our muscles, doesn’t tire as fast from use. All we need is variety of activity and some sleep. You can journal to process your thoughts or clarify your desires, review your goals and finances, fix your car, create your book-shelf, prepare better meals, or sketch out ideas for future projects. I’m not against doing nothing- even rest can become purposeful when it’s used to restore energy for the work ahead; only that most of the time our leisure should be active. However, falling into cycles of complaint, negative thinking, or passive idling on the internet drains mental focus and weakens our motivation.
Our phones make this discipline difficult. They offer endless entertainment but little satisfaction. By contrast, completing and understanding a challenging book, practicing and feeling yourself get good at a new language, or working consistently on a skill gives you confidence and long‑term pride. Gratitude strengthens this perspective. When you notice your health, family, and stability, you see why effort is worth making. These conditions form the foundation of a meaningful, happy life and you go back into the bustle of daily strife refreshed, even if you’ve been quite busy seizing your leisure time.
Leisure also benefits from structure. Taking breaks in the evening by writing letters to your friends or walking- helps you reset, while starting early lets you get ahead of daily distractions. What matters is that you choose how to spend your time rather than letting it slip away.
For leisure is also time you’ll never recover. Use it to live, not to escape living.
Join 72,000 other Stoics,
P.S: Annual & Patron members get all my books with their subscription. The bundle includes, ‘The Best of Marcus Aurelius’, ‘The Tools’, with over 40,000 words of bonus content + a free copy of ‘The Stoic Manual Vol. 1’ dropping next year. Patron members also get Lifetime Access to the publication, all bonuses, and all future benefits- at no extra cost. Featured,
P.P.S: Most people loved the series on How to Deepen Your Friendships, Part I, Part II & Part III. Also check out the practical entries on How To Deal With Toxic People, How to Process & Overcome Grief & How to Prevent and Overcome Burnout. Happy reading!
Did you like this entry? Tell me about it.
I always enjoy hearing from you, and for you to hear from each other.
Please leave a like (❤️), tell me what you think (💬) in the comment section and share this post with someone so that more people can discover and benefit from it.
Support The Stoic Manual and access 225+ premium in-depth essays: lessons & mini-courses in the art of living, consolations for difficult times, Relationship Mini-courses, The Wealth Playbook, Leadership Skills, Social Skills and Health Tools for a virile and distinguished life.
This subject is exactly what I have needed to find to reset my life and my time in a more meaningful way.
Fully aligned! I've been the recipient of similar questions, having long managed three simultaneous careers in parallel, along with myriad side projects. Years ago, I read a book from the late Victorian era on time management. The author made the excellent point that what you get done in a day has far more to do with what you prioritize than how much 'time' you have. That made a marked impression on me.
I recently completed writing a book which incorporates a chapter on 'Momentum Multipliers'; very much in line with the ideas in this post. Some time ago, I recognized a throughline across the various projects I was prioritizing. I decided to do what I could to optimize and amplify that throughline, and began to experiment with how much momentum I could derive from it without *adding* anything to my workload.
Results from the lab: it works.
I'd love to send you a book if you're interested.
Thank you for continuing to prioritize time to share stoicism with us. I find something that resonates with me in every post, and am very grateful for the time and effort you devote here.