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Posted on August 18, 2015 @ 08:00:00 AM by Paul Meagher
An area of study that has my interest this week is "leisure studies".
What is leisure studies. Wikipedias page on
leisure studies defines it as follows:
Leisure studies is a branch of the social sciences that focuses on understanding and analyzing leisure.
Recreation and tourism are common topics of leisure research.
The work settings of people with a degree in leisure studies are:
- Rehabilitation centers
- State and municipal parks
- Schools
- Camps
- Coaching
- Athletic programs
- Fitness centers
- Sporting organizations and businesses
- Correctional facilities
- Non-profit organizations
- Community centers
- Hospitality services
- Nursing homes
Questions that interest me about leisure include:
- What is leisure?
- Is leisure time increasing or decreasing?
- How important is leisure time?
- What are people doing with their leisure time?
- Are the Kardashian's followed because they examplify leisure class lifestyles?
- What are the opportunities in leisure?
- What are some theories of leisure?
The question of what leisure is arises in my own case because this is a busy time of year on the farm. One way to keep on farming day after day is to make a mental shift where the physical work is not perceived as economic work but as leisure activity. Recreation in the form of physical workouts in the gym are a prime example of what some people do with their leisure time. A large amount of farming is pursued as a leisure activity because it can't be justified on economic grounds (so called "hobby farms"). Many farmers have a second job and persue farming as a side income/leisure activity. I mention these things because it appears we can reframe our activity as economic work or leisure activity. Perhaps all that is needed is a mental switch. It can be a source of motivation for many if the work they are doing is viewed as incorporating elements of leisure rather than pure economic work.
Are leisure and work fundamentally different ways to occupy our time? They are probably fundamentally different at the extremes, but they might start to blend at certain times and when doing certain activities.
Do entrepreneurs have less leisure time or are they mixing leisure and work so they can work longer hours? Leisure time in the form of hobbies can turn into businesses. When your leisure activity becomes a business that might put you in a good position for success.
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