Most people want more leisure time, but most of us have not learned how to use our leisure time to maximise our happiness and fulfilment.

On average people in industrialised companies spend between 20 and 40% of their time on leisure activities.

Of course, some leisure is just about relaxation and that is great. But the average person in the UK watches 22.5 hours of television per week, does that make you happy and energized. A common barrier to introducing new hobbies and interests is that we say we do not have enough spare time, reducing screen time is a wonderful place to start.

Try spending 30 just minutes less a day on passive screen time and using it to do something more active like playing a game, reading something stimulating or talking to friends. That would generate nearly 200 hours per year of more stimulating time.

Where possible we should be looking to reduce the amount of time we spend on passive consumption activities and replace them with more active and engaging forms of leisure. This does not mean we should be rushing around all the time, but we should be finding a balance.

In a portfolio life we can also use our leisure hobbies and interests to bring things we do not get in other areas of our life. For example, if you are a creative person. but do not get to exercise that at work, then a creative hobby can balance your life.

In our programs we help people systematically find leisure activities that match their values and allow them to exercise their strengths in new ways.

Even moving a few hours a week from passive leisure to something more engaging can make a big difference to the quality of your life.