Good Lifestyle

People who spend a lot of time on both sides of the Atlantic tend to say that "in Europe, people work to live; in America, they live to work." Indeed, in my travels, I noticed that, while the Europeans seem to consider the leisure time asSomething as essential as eatingThe Americans are more likely to think about it as something you do if you have more time after work - something you plan in your planner as a pedicure or a dentist trip.

Now a new document published in the magazineCurrent notice in psychologyConfirms that planning your free time is not the best way to appreciate it because you start to see it in the same way as all other races and responsibilities you have climbed for the day.

"It's part of our list of things to do, Selin A. Malkoc, Associate Professor of Marketing at the University of Ohio State and co-author of the study,RecountThe Washington Post. "As a result, they become less enjoyable."

For example, the document quotes a study of 163 colleges, half of which has been told to plan the period to get frozen yoghurt with a friend and the other half has been told of frozen yogurt with a friend they hit. As expected, those who had put their trip from Fro-Yo in their calendar "interpreted it more like a job"

As my European friends, Malkoc attributes this perspective on quiet activity on the fact that our culture values ​​personal achievements - getting an increase, finishing a great project, and more and more feeling happy every day.

"The focus on productivity is so widespread that people even strive to make productive hobbies and boast of being busy", reads the paper. "Most of this work implicitly assume that, when managing time, the ultimate goal is an optimization of the activity - making the greatest number of activities. However, a second, and possibly more importantly, the Objective is to maximize each activity and achieving the desired results.. "

On the basis of their analysis of time management studies, it seems that the maximization of activity really has an inverse relationship with maximizing results. What it means is that while taking a class bar with a friend to catch up and getting your daily workout can seem like a great way to kill two birds with a stone, it diminishes actually the enjoyment you get one of the activities. .

Time is the most valuable resource we have and the document notes that a recent curve survey found that nearly half (44%) of the Americans present "weather famine" - they think they have too much do and not enough time to do it. So how do you manage to do everything and find time to see your friends?

The paper suggests avoiding you multitasking, space your maturity uniformly and create more "approximate planning", which means to make lots to exit instead of tightening your friend for a coffee at one hour between Your Pilates class and your next appointment. In addition to making your leisure time, you will feel less chore, not having time "Hard Stop" will improve your pleasure of your time.

He also suggests leaving the spontaneity room and living in the moment. After all, too many of us spend a leisure activity planning our next leisure activity, thus compromising our ability to take advantage of what we do.

"Recent studies have revealed that knowing a desirable future activity steals the current (and otherwise desirable) activity of enjoyment", reads paper. "For example, the participants appreciated a comic video less when they knew they then looked at another pleasant video compared to those who did not know the future activity. Such a result is consistent with previous work showing that being more in the Moment, or conscious, improves enjoyment, as well as work showing that the packaging of many activities in short periods can compromise happiness. "

Finally, you should schedule less, even if it means to reduce the things you think you are important. You really haveno need to increase as much as you think you do And this car you saved will not make you happy. For more things about that, check why I took Yale's happiness course and here's all I learned .

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