There is a weird dichotomy that I have noticed in life. It’s something that I have discussed with others, and many people have agreed with me. This dichotomy is that people tend to be happier the busier they are. This obviously means that people are less happy when they are less busy, which is weird considering one might think people would be happier if they were less busy since they would have more time for the hobbies that they enjoy.
I think this dichotomy exists because people feel a sense of satisfaction at completing tasks; at getting things done. Thus, it would make sense that people are happier when they are busier since they are, presumably, getting more things done. There is, however, a breaking point. If someone is too busy and has no time for any of their hobbies, their happiness quotient would understandably drop a considerable amount.
However, even if it is assumed that this dichotomy is true, an even more interesting aspect to this is that people seem to have more time for their hobbies when they are busier. Personally, I can remember specific times in my life when I was extraordinarily busy yet had just as much, if not more fun, than the times in my life that were more relaxed. Again, another dichotomy.
I think this is true because people waste less time when they are busier. Since they realize they have such a little amount of time, they do not waste it on unfulfilling activities. This means that the little amount of free time that they do have, they are spending it on things that are important to them, like spending time with family and friends. They are forced to choose between the most essential activities in their lives, which filters out all of the garbage in their lives, leading to more fulfilling free time. They aren’t wasting it on silly things like Netflix marathons, playing flash games all night or reading Wikipedia articles for five hours straight.
These dichotomies are something that have always interested me. It seems I am on a constant course to try and maximize the amount of free time that I have. I think most people try to do the same thing actually, at least within the confines of trying to be successful in their careers, as well. However, it is odd that it seems like the more I try and maximize my free time, the less fulfilling it tends to be.
Maybe this all boils down to having a greater purpose in life. If people have a purpose for what they are doing, they are going to be busier, but they are also going to feel more fulfilled at what they are doing. By having this purpose, it enriches all of the aspects of a person’s life, so even though they are busier, life just seems better. Either that or people simply enjoy working, but I doubt that’s the case…
Until next time, I hope you enjoyed this edition of random ramblings by me. Thanks for reading.
All Grades Final 