Thursday 15 August 2019

Maximising leisure time with the 80/20 rule

How do you like to spend your spare time ideally? How do you usually spend it?

The 80/20 rule, the topic of my previous blog article, can even help us adjust our leisure priorities for the better! Think about it: 20% of all leisure activities that you usually engage in will probably provide 80% of the joy and satisfaction in your life.


The 80/20 rule can help us identify the leisure activities that nourish us – whether that’s cycling, music or writing

Categories of leisure activities range from entertainment via spending time with family to community work. Leisure activities typically involve mental or physical recovery from paid work or housework. It can be either time spent with others or time “spent with ourselves”.

I (want to) lead a busy work life, hence my spare time is limited. Of the activities in the “time-spent-with-myself” category, I most relish yoga, running, reading and writing – I don’t need much else to feel good.

Realising this was eye-opening! I therefore now deliberately spend MORE time on those 4 activities – and less on all others. Applying the 80/20 rule has had the effect that a minority has generated a majority.

The 80/20 rule can help us identify the leisure activities that nourish us. We can consequently make more space for them and incorporate them better in our everyday lives.