If you recognize these 8 signs, you have a bit too much free time on your hands

If you’re always finding yourself bored, chances are, you’ve got too much free time. If you’re constantly scrolling through social media with no end in sight, you guessed it – too much free time.

Now, don’t get me wrong. A little downtime is great. It’s needed.

But when the scales tip towards too much idle time, things can get a bit tricky.

Just like people who can read others exceptionally well due to certain personality traits, there are telltale signs that you might be swimming in a sea of extra hours.

And I’ve got eight of them lined up for you.

So buckle up and let’s figure out if you’ve really got too much time on your hands.

1) You’re always bored

Boredom is a strange beast.

It sneaks up on you when you least expect it and before you know it, you’re caught in its grasp, unable to shake it off.

Now, we all get bored from time to time. It’s a part of life. But if you find yourself constantly stuck in a cycle of boredom, with your days blending into each other and everything feeling monotonous, then something’s not right.

You see, when you’re always bored, it’s not because there’s nothing to do. It’s because there’s too much time and not enough things filling it up.

Just like how empaths can sense a shift in someone’s emotions, if you’re always bored, it’s a clear sign that you have too much free time on your hands.

Are you always looking for something to do because you’ve got nothing better to do?

Well, that might just be your first clue.

2) Social media has become your life

Let’s be honest. We’ve all spent a little too much time scrolling through social media at some point. But for me, it became a wake-up call.

A few months ago, I found myself mindlessly scrolling through my Instagram feed, double-tapping on pictures, and watching stories of people I hardly knew. Hours would pass and I wouldn’t even notice.

One day, out of curiosity, I checked my screen time. And boy, was I in for a shock! I was spending an average of 5 hours per day on social media alone. That’s a full-time job!

That’s when I knew something had to change. I was wasting precious hours of my life on trivial matters instead of doing something meaningful or productive.

So if you’re constantly checking your phone and social media is the first thing you look at when you wake up and the last thing you see before going to bed, it might be time to re-evaluate how you’re spending your time.

Trust me, it’s worth it.

3) You’re never busy

Being busy can be stressful, but it’s also a sign that you’re engaged and productive. You’re accomplishing tasks, meeting deadlines, and moving forward with your goals.

On the other hand, if you find that you’re never really occupied with anything, it might be a sign that you have too much free time.

Consider this: The average person has about 5 hours of leisure time per day after accounting for work, sleep, and other responsibilities.

If you find yourself with significantly more leisure time on a regular basis and without any real commitments or tasks to fill it up, then it’s likely you have an excess of free time.

So next time when you find yourself saying “I’m not busy”, think about what that really means. It might just be a sign that you’re not making the most of your time.

4) You procrastinate a lot

Procrastination is often a sign of having too much time on your hands. If you had less time, you’d likely be more motivated to get things done right away.

But if you’re constantly putting things off till tomorrow or even the day after, and then the day after that, it might be because you subconsciously know you have the luxury of time.

Let’s be clear, everyone procrastinates now and then. But if it’s become a habit and you’re always delaying tasks because there’s still ‘plenty of time left’, then it’s a pretty clear indicator.

Remember, time is precious. Don’t waste it by pushing everything to ‘later’.

5) Your sleep schedule is all over the place

I’ve been there. Staying up late watching TV shows, sleeping in till noon, and then wondering why my sleep schedule is out of whack.

If you’re like me and have found yourself in this situation, it may be a sign that you have too much free time.

When we have too much time on our hands, it’s easy to let our sleep schedule slip. We stay up late because we don’t have to be up early. We sleep in because we don’t have anything pressing to do in the morning.

But let’s be real, a consistent sleep schedule is important for our health and productivity. So if your sleep pattern is more like a roller coaster ride, it might be time to reassess how you’re spending your time.

Trust me, I’ve been there and making a few changes can make a world of difference.

6) You’re not learning anything new

You’d think that having loads of free time would mean picking up new skills or learning something new every day. But strangely enough, it often leads to the exact opposite.

When we have too much time, we tend to fall into a comfort zone. We stick to what we know and rarely venture out of it. There’s no urgency to learn anything new because, well, there’s always ‘tomorrow’.

But growth comes from constantly learning and evolving. If you realize that you haven’t learned anything new in a while, despite having the time for it, it might be an indication that you have too much free time and not enough motivation to utilize it effectively.

So go ahead, challenge yourself. Learn something new. It can be as simple as a new recipe or as complex as a new language. The point is to keep learning and growing.

7) You spend a lot of time planning

Planning is essential. It helps us stay organized, manage our time effectively, and keep track of our goals. But there’s a fine line between planning and over-planning.

If you find yourself spending hours creating detailed plans for even the smallest tasks or constantly rearranging your schedule for no particular reason, it might be because you have too much free time.

The key to effective planning is to strike a balance. Plan your time well, but also make sure you’re leaving enough room for action. After all, a plan is only as good as its execution.

8) You don’t feel fulfilled

At the end of the day, having free time isn’t a bad thing. It’s what we do with that time that matters. If you’re spending your free time on things that bring you joy, help you grow, or contribute to your goals, then that’s fantastic.

But if you find yourself feeling unfulfilled or unsatisfied despite having all this free time, it might be a sign that you’re not using your time effectively.

Remember, fulfillment comes from spending our time on things that matter to us. So take a moment to reassess. Are you using your free time in a way that aligns with your passions, goals, and values? If not, it might be time for a change.

Embracing the gift of time

If you’ve come this far, you might recognize some of these signs in your own life. And that’s okay. Having too much free time isn’t necessarily a bad thing. It’s what you choose to do with that time that matters.

Time, after all, is one of the most precious resources we have. It’s a non-renewable asset that, once spent, we can never get back.

So if you find yourself with an abundance of it, consider it a gift. A gift that gives you the opportunity to learn, grow, and discover new things about yourself and the world around you.

But like all gifts, it’s not about having it. It’s about how you use it.

So ask yourself: Are you using your time wisely? Are you spending it on things that truly matter to you?

Remember, the value of time is not measured by its quantity but by its quality. So make every second count. After all, as Benjamin Franklin once said, “Lost time is never found again.”

Now go ahead and reflect on this. How are you spending your time? Is there room for improvement? And most importantly, what changes can you make today to ensure that your time is well spent?