The lazy, hazy holidays for most are coming to an end and the reality of routine life kicks in.
Making the shift from all play to ‘‘some'' work is always difficult at this time of year, especially when the weather is great and the cricket/tennis is on. How do we maintain a work-life-leisure balance in a world that seems to be getting more frenzied?
Back in the 1930s, predictions about life in the future suggested we would have shorter working hours and longer holidays. The invention of time-saving tools and advancing technology promised a world with more speed and convenience and less drudgery.
But this hasn't really happened.
Time-saving gizmos haven't really saved us time; they've eaten it up as we try to manage and multitask all this wizardry at once.
So does this mean we have less leisure time? On average, people in rich countries have more leisure time than they used to 40 years ago. The problem, therefore, seems to be perception-based.
Ever since time has been associated with money, people worry about how they're spending it, wasting it, saving it or using it. Large, wealthy cities with soaring living costs create a higher tempo of life, so it is no wonder that Aucklanders seem more harried and harassed than residents of Arrowtown.
Sport and leisure are often mirrors into the values and expectations of society, and the rushed, individualistic and achievement-oriented culture of today has influenced how and when we participate in sport and leisure.
The more valuable time becomes, the scarcer it seems, which is why shorter and more intense sports and recreational options are growing in popularity. The NZ Speedgolf Open is happening next weekend at the Rotorua Golf Club and seems like an appealing option for the ‘‘busy'' and ‘‘multitasking'' individual of today.
If you can't ‘‘afford'' the time to take a leisurely stroll around a golf course, then follow in the fast footsteps of Rob Hogan, the speedgolf world champion, who can complete 18 holes of golf in less than an hour!It ticks several boxes - a cardio workout, the desire to hit a ball as hard and as accurately as possible, fresh air, and a quick tete-a-tete with your fit friends.
Somehow I don't think the ‘‘can a hole'' version of golf is an option here!We may laugh at this, but spending the afternoon playing golf at a leisurely pace really is a luxury these days.
Golf isn't the only sport to adapt to the time-scarcity problem. Test cricket is being overtaken by twenty20 cricket, 14 versus 80 minutes of rugby seems to suit today's attention span, and fitness workouts promise maximum results in 15 minutes or less.
Structured organised sport is losing ground to activities that require less commitment to a team and more independence and flexibility. But as people feel compelled to use their time more wisely, leisure time becomes more guilt-ridden and thus stressful - which defeats the purpose of leisure, doesn't it?
A researcher from the University of Texas, Daniel Hamermesh, found that those who are well-off feel more anxious about their time, which may be one of the reasons why they try to justify an afternoon on the golf course as a business/networking opportunity?Leisureliness as a sign of success and wealth has been replaced by busyness. How many of us, when we have a spare moment, spend it staring at a screen of some sort, even though spending time with friends tends to make us happier?
All this busyness makes us feel more anxious, stressed and impatient, so how does leisure fit into this busy schedule? The holidays and the leisure we enjoy at this time of year are a ‘‘time'' to recalibrate how we perceive life's priorities so that we don't run ourselves ragged as the year progresses.
So, don't feel guilty for doing nothing, for going off-line, for forgetting what day it is or what time of day it is, for enjoying a long and lazy afternoon with family and friends, and for playing a leisurely round of golf with your mates. Relax, live in the moment, and enjoy some luxurious leisure time.
