Health

Surprise, surprise. Research finds Australians aren’t spending their spare time productively

If you spend your spare time watching TV or scrolling through social media, you’re not alone.

If you spend your spare time watching TV or scrolling through social media, you’re not alone. While four in five Aussies want to use their free time more productively, a whopping 84% of us are choosing to Netflix and chill instead, and 64% of us waste our spare time on social media. Research commissioned by Officeworks has shown that half of all Australians would like to exercise more and 43% would like to engage in an art, craft or writing project in their down time.

The survey revealed that one in three people wanted to start a new hobby, so Officeworks was keen to understand firsthand the benefits of leisure activities by challenging a handful of Australians to commit to a new hobby.

Rachel Devine of popular blog, Sesame Ellis undertook a two month running hobby to get back into the habit of making exercise a priority.

A post shared by Rachel Devine (@sesameellis) on

With not only her fitness levels increasing, Rachel says there has been a variety of other benefits to dedicating time to her new found hobby, “I’ve always wanted to commit to an active hobby, however like a lot of people, haven’t made time for it.”

“Over the last 60 days, I have set aside time to run regularly and have noticed a huge improvement in my concentration levels and my overall mood. When I run, I lose any self-consciousness, my mind is clear and I feel completely in the zone.”

Fitness personality, Laura Henshaw, says that engaging in an artistic hobby has helped her regain her focus and that has resulted in many fantastic benefits, “I find my new colouring hobby completely immersive – I lose time when I am doing it, which I think has given me more mental balance.”

“My day-to-day routine is action packed, whether it’s a gym class or working on my website, I’m constantly on the move so it was hard to find time for it at first, but after a few weeks it just became part of my everyday routine. I love giving it my full attention and can truly see its benefits in other areas of my life.”

For those wanting to upgrade their downtime, Officeworks is encouraging everyone to pop into their local store or jump online to browse a wide range of products to kickstart a hobby – from health, audio and fitness and art supplies to journaling, writing and tech.

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