Сборник материалов международной научной конференции студентов, магистрантов, аспирантов

М.А. Янущик

Республика Беларусь, Брест, БрГУ имени А.С. Пушкина

Научный руководитель – Н.Н. Домбровская

FREE TIME: HOW TO SPEND IT USEFULLY?

The notion of leisure time emerged in the 19th century with the rise of mechanized industry when workers could give more time to recreation and leisure.

A time when a person is free from compulsory activities such as work, household duties, education, eating and sleeping is called free time or leisure time.

In the life of any person there are periods of time when he feels extremely bored. It happens because this person doesn’t know what to do with his time and can't find anything interesting to do, or because he doesn't like what he is doing.

Free time is one of the most important things, people can’t live without. It is a big part of our life, and it actually shows the character and temper of person. Filling your free time with useful pursuits is a way of increasing your creativity, energy, enthusiasm, and sense of fulfillment from life.

There are many ideas that can implement to make your leisure time very productive. Any activity is much better than doing nothing.

It should be noted: sometimes young people spend their free time varies according to the country, as they sometimes depend on national traditions. For example, in the USA young people normally like different types of popular culture which originated in their country like blues, different kinds of rock, country music and hip hop in music and pop art in fine arts. American youngsters are fond of eating a lot of junk food like hamburgers and cheeseburgers and drink Coca-cola or Pepsi. British youngsters are really fond of watching football matches and sorts of races such as horse-racing, boat-racing and even dog-racing, as well as playing football, rugby and golf and taking part in races. They are really fond of pets and often spend some time in the evening taking their dog for a walk. In going out for the evening, they still prefer pubs to restaurants, bars and cafes. In music, their tastes are nearly the same as those of their American peers. In Germany young people prefer drinking beer when meeting their friends and spending much time doing various sports.

In Spain many youngsters, as well as older people, are fond of watching bullfighting. In France they like listening to French chanson.

The weekends have always been the time for families in Belarus.

Saturdays are busy time for shops with many families going to markets and department stores. Sunday is believed that it’s important that families have time to be together.

According to the results of Eurostat survey people in Belarus spend about 45 per cent of their free time watching TV. The addiction to digital devices is constantly growing in Belarus as well. About 24 per cent of the free time of Belarusian people is spent on socializing.

Also people enjoy visiting and entertaining with friends and relatives. Going to the grandparents at the weekend has become quite a traditional point on the weekend plan. Another favorite pastime is gardening. Many people in Belarus have a dacha, a country house where they go in order to run away from a noisy city. Gathering wild berries and mushrooms hasn’t changed over the centuries. It’s real fun to leave the city and go to the forest and enjoy the beauty of our Belarusian nature.

Sports and physical recreation have become widely spread around the country. Also some people prefer to spend Saturday or Sunday morning on a horse farm. Horseback riding is a unique way of keeping fit and also has psychological benefits.

Today Belarus is becoming more and more popular as a tourist destination. Different exciting routes have been offered to travelers. Museums and art galleries also give people entertainment. Even if you are not interested in art or history, there is always something to catch your attention.

Here are some possible ways planning free time for you. To start: guard your free time from unnecessary stress. The reason for this is that your free time is needed to refresh you and improve your energy, your creativity, and your sense of self.

Make a plan for your free time. Free time will only become useful to you if you’ve focused on how you’d like to use it. Simply expecting free time to turn productive, creative, or fulfilling won’t bring it about because you haven’t thought about the process needed to fill that time effectively.

Write down a list of the things you’d like to be doing in your free time. You can rank it any way you like, or treat everything as equally important on it.

Keep a journal about your life and include how you’d like your life to be. Create a visualization board that sets out the ways in which you’d like to spend future free time.

Expand your comfort zone. By stepping beyond your usual comfort zone, your free time becomes a journey of self-discovery and helps you to grow.

Change your approach to media usage. Turn off the TV and leave it out of your free time. Statistics shows: the average American adult 2.5 hours a day watching television. Only 38% of Americans entertain friends or family at home at least once a year. What was the other 62% doing? Get a free meal.

Think about creative ways to use media in your free time. Perhaps you can write some poems or short stories, and add them to an online portfolio. Or if you’re passionate about fashion, piece together some eye-catching pieces, find a model, and create your own fashion blog. Maybe music is more your thing and you'd like to compose a song and share it with people online. These useful uses of your free time will tap into your creativity and give other people something they can cherish, enjoy, or learn from as a result – a win all around!

Hobbies are useful because they give you the opportunity to expand knowledge, improve skills, and to be focused, diligent, and switched on. Even within one hobby, there are many roads to take to keep yourself occupied.

Finally, but most importantly, don’t hide yourself away all the time when it comes to free time. Reach out to others and spend time with people you care about. Hobbies are practiced for interest and enjoyment and personal fulfillment, rather than for remuneration, though engaging in a hobby can lead to acquiring substantial skill, knowledge, and experience.
В статье раскрывается суть свободного времени, его значимость и необходимость в жизни людей. Автор рассматривает, как проводят свободное время люди в нашей стране и в других странах, и рекомендует некоторые способы планирования свободного времени.