Over coffee a few weeks back, a friend – someone I consider thoughtful and high-performing – let out a sigh and said, “I don’t know what’s happening with my weekends anymore. By Sunday night, I just feel… flat. Like the time slipped through my fingers.”

We traced back his last few weekends. A bit of sleeping in, some errands, aimless scrolling, maybe an episode or two of a show, dinner with friends – and yet, no real sense of rest or satisfaction. He wasn’t exactly burning out, but he wasn’t recharging either.

That conversation stayed with me because it captured something many professionals quietly wrestle with: when downtime feels both unproductive and unfulfilling. Not because we need to squeeze productivity out of every moment, but because unstructured leisure, when left on autopilot, often leaves us running on empty.

How do you usually spend your free time? For many professionals, evenings and weekends drift by in a haze of screen time – scrolling through phones, half-watching shows, maybe responding to leftover work messages. After long days packed with meetings, logistics and decision-making, it’s easy to default to whatever feels effortless.

But that low-effort mode often backfires. Instead of feeling restored, we end up feeling oddly unfulfilled—like we’ve “used up” our free time without really enjoying it. So, could we be approaching leisure all wrong? Is there a better way to spend our downtime – one that actually leaves us feeling recharged?

This week, let’s dig into the concept of “leisure crafting”. Explore how a more structured approach could help you maximise both the joy and benefits of free time.

While the term “leisure crafting” was coined about 10 years ago, the practice has been around for millennia. Cast your mind back to ancient Greece, for instance. During this period, the privileged class had plenty of free time and their idea of fun was to play sports, hold debates and learn music. These were all active pursuits — not easy but certainly engaging, enjoyable and satisfying.

The modern concept of leisure crafting is straightforward. It means taking a proactive approach to structuring your free time, with three key elements:

• goal-setting
• human connection
• personal development

What would this look like in practice? Let’s say Anita loves cooking. She creates a list of iconic dishes and decides to make a new one every fortnight. She shares her experiences with other cooking enthusiasts in an online group. After a few months, she hosts a dinner with the best dishes for her foodie friends.

By being more structured about her hobby, Anita fulfils all three criteria: she sets and achieves goals, she connects with others in a meaningful way, and she learns new skills to grow as a person.

When leisure crafting was first defined, researchers thought it stemmed from a lack of fulfilment at work, giving people a much-needed avenue to express their potential and find meaning. Now, new evidence shows that making good use of your free time not only compensates for the absence of work satisfaction but also has a spillover effect that actually improves your experience of work.

Keep in mind that leisure crafting is not about scheduling every second of your free time. At the end of the day, this time is meant to be enjoyed, not treated like a second job! Also, it’s not so much about what you do but how you do it. There are no right or wrong types of activities as such. Bringing intentionality and the right mindset to any interest or hobby can transform it into leisure crafting and provide benefits that go far beyond passive leisure.

For the Leisure Haters

Of course, there are those who see leisure as a waste of time and struggle to enjoy time off. If this rings a bell for you, it can be helpful to focus on the professional upside of leisure crafting. Making time for a well-structured hobby outside the office can elevate your work performance in several ways. Over and above the benefits mentioned earlier, studies have linked leisure crafting to improvements in job stress management, idea generation, entrepreneurial performance and career management.

Anat Keinan, a professor at Boston University, suggests the use of a “functional alibi” to enjoy your leisure time. Simply put, give yourself a practical excuse for having fun. As Keinan notes:
Having a ‘functional alibi’ that articulates a purpose for an activity (such as the health and productivity benefits of taking a much-needed vacation) allows many consumers to relax without feeling guilty.

Leisure Crafting in Action

Are you ready to become more proactive about your free time? Here are seven suggestions to get you started:

1. Pick a pursuit.

Start by choosing an activity that genuinely excites you, not what’s trendy or “good for you”, but what truly brings you joy. Whether it’s watching cult movies, building Lego sets or taking photographs, the point is to keep it real.

2. Give it structure.

In what ways can you explore your hobby more deeply? Can you set goals that challenge you and help you connect with others, while still having fun? Be realistic about your time and energy, while aiming for something concrete. As an article in the Harvard Business Review points out:

The size of the goals doesn’t matter. But it does matter that you stay committed to them. When goals are loose or unstructured (for example, “I want to be a more knowledgeable baker”), they can be hard to pursue.

If you like watching classic movies, you could set a goal to work your way through a Top 25 list, complete a film appreciation course, or organise monthly screenings with fellow movie buffs. If you love running, you could try out a new route every week, join a running group at your local park, or commit to training for a long-distance run.

3. Find the story.

By channelling your hobby into memorable experiences, you create stories worth remembering and sharing, which in turn increases joy, meaning and social connection. For example, attending the midnight premiere of a long-awaited movie or completing a half-marathon. Make it a point to plan such experiences from time to time — they can reignite your motivation and leave you with lasting memories.

4. Disconnect to discover.

Many of us feel too tired for “old school” hobbies like reading, crafting or gardening. Why so? It’s because we now have screens all around us, offering low-effort instant gratification. As author Scott H. Young says in his piece for Forge:
You have been transported back in time — before the days of smartphones, television, or even electricity. What would you do for fun? You’d probably read more books. Maybe start painting, knitting, playing an instrument, or play card games with friends. Do you think these activities would be exhausting? Of course not. People did those things for fun.

To break free of the screen trap, Young recommends identifying and curbing your biggest digital time sink. If you spend precious hours browsing social media or refreshing news feeds, place limits on these habits to open up more time for a hobby you’ve always wanted to try out or return to.

5. Elevate holidays.

If travel is your thing, here is a way to make your trips even more meaningful: use the “peak-end rule”. Psychology tells us that we tend to remember experiences based on their emotional high point and how they end. So, while on vacation, plan one highlight activity somewhere in the middle and another one right at the end. Curating the trip in such a way positively influences the way you remember it, amplifying its benefits.

6. Strike a balance.

Not every moment needs to be planned. Passive downtime — like bingeing a new show or browsing funny Instagram videos — absolutely has its place. The key is balance. Use some of your leisure time intentionally while leaving room for spontaneous, no-pressure relaxation.

7. Keep it fun.

If you find yourself becoming stressed or dreading a goal, it’s time to remind yourself that leisure crafting is supposed to be fun! Is your hobby making you feel anxious and burned out instead of happy and satisfied? If so, you’re probably putting unnecessary pressure on yourself. Take a step back, relax and readjust your approach.

Unlike unstructured downtime, leisure crafting actively recharges you, leaving you feeling more refreshed, fulfilled and genuinely happier. And the benefits don’t stop there. This kind of intentional leisure can spill over into your work life, sparking greater motivation, creativity and engagement on the job.

In a world where burnout has become the default and joy can feel like a luxury, leisure crafting isn’t just self-care — it’s strategic renewal. You don’t need to be perfect at your hobby. You just need to begin. Not later, not someday — but now. Pick something that lights you up — and let it change how you lead, live, and feel.