Free time is a valuable treasure in a college student’s life. After we finally turn in that 10-page paper or finish that test that we have been stressing over for weeks, a little free time sounds perfect. Free time means something different for every individual. People enjoy watching TV, playing video games, catching up on Netflix, going out with friends and doing other activities to indulge themselves. Activities like writing and making music are seen as productive, because you are moving towards creating an end product or meeting a goal. However, I do not believe that it is fair to determine what qualifies as a “productive” use of one’s time.
By this point in our lives, we have learned that everyone’s interests are different. Everyone has different likes and dislikes, along with different minds and aspects that make us all individuals. Therefore, every individual’s free time is spent in a different way. I am a big fan of shows like “Law and Order: SVU,” “Friends” and “Gilmore Girls,” so my free time consists of watching reruns and hanging out with my friends. “I like knitting, Skyping my family and boyfriend, hanging with friends and going to the mall,” sophomore Erin Steingraber said. “In my very little free time, I watch TV, take pictures and hang out with friends,” sophomore Kelly Moore said. All of us have different ways to take a break and unwind.
Also, different people have different personalities, leading some people to need more free time. I think we can all agree that engaging in free time is needed sometimes, because we get overwhelmed with work. People that tend to be more anxious about work may biologically need more free time in order for their minds to unwind. Some people are better suited for non-stop work, and others need a break every now and then in order to recharge. Taking a break and engaging in free time is a way to relieve anxiety. According to the Australian Psychological Society, “Certain personality types are more at risk of high anxiety than others.” Free time is far from being a waste of time; it is needed in order to relieve the anxiety that college students frequently experience.
Whether or not we are “constructive” or “productive” during our free time is very subjective. Being “constructive” means serving to improve or advance, and free time consists of improving or advancing personal goals. If one of your goals is to watch the entire series of one of your favorite TV shows, you may accomplish this feat during your free time. According to the definition, this would be a “constructive” use of time because you are, in fact, advancing towards your goal. I do not believe that a certain value can be placed on how one uses his or her free time. Free time is productive in that it provides a necessary release for our mind so we can refresh and continue working with a fresh mind, while working on personal goals.
During our free time, we may enhance skills that we may use in the future. Spending hours playing a video game and doing whatever it takes to get to the next level requires determination. Hanging out with friends or Skyping with loved ones enhances social skills. Reading a book or watching TV could be informative, and may enhance linguistic and visual skills. I believe that any activity that provides a release for the brain, while possibly enhancing skills, is a worthwhile use of free time.
In retrospect, we may start to question how much of our time is spent as free time. We may begin to wonder if what we are doing during that span is valuable to our future. But college is a life experience as well as it is an educational experience. So take a little time for yourself and do what makes you happy. Go out with your friends and create some lasting memories. Recharge your brain and refresh your soul. Embrace life in all of its forms. Devote time to your studies, but also make sure to have some fun along the way.
