What do you do with your free time?

A full time adsenser

[roycerus]

I recently quit my day job and started my own proprietorship. But somehow this "Working at home" things is making me feel weird.

Am I happier? Yes - much more than I was when I worked the day job - more so cause my boss was an idiot.

Now, I spend a lot of time on the development of my websites but there is definitely "More free time".
I wonder what others like me do with that free time. You can't watch TV all the time! And I am smoking more and sitting idle more than ever. Not Good!

[jhood]

Get a dog. Or an old sports car that needs fixing up.

[ken_b]

Or an old sports car that needs fixing up.

Yup, nothing like skinning your knuckles under the hood or such to make you appreciate the tenderness of your keyboard! I just got a hot rod 61 Ford pickup to keep me busy. Old cars suck cash too, so it keeps ya working. :)

I also run out for coffee at the local cafe every day so I get some human interaction.

[thaidomain]

The word 'recently' is the key word. You have to first get used to it a bit.
Working a regular job has kept you from developing some regular other interests for sure, and you have to slowly rediscover them.
Spending to much time behind your computer is actually not a good idea. To compensate for this sedentary activity you'll have to get out and find a gym close to were you live. You have to combine 'sit a lot' with 'exercise a lot', otherwise you will gain a lot of weight in no time.

[Mistra]

No free time. Time is money. "Free time" is used to sleep.

[roycerus]

Okay... some good ideas:
1) Get a dog.
2) Get an old sports car and fix it.
3) Join a gym.

Yeah development of the website takes up some time. I have actually hired a writer and an editor to help me with the content.
I do go out to shop and to meet my girl friend who lives about 45 mins out of town. She is a lawyer!
My main concern is health. I guess anyone who has shifted to this lifestyle has gone through this and eventually worked out a schedule of doing things. Or rather what all to do.
What all do you do? I heard someone mention going to fairs and conferences - somehow I just can't spot any happening nearby.

[jema]

Very little free time here. But then I am not at a stage where I can sit back and relax, and probably wouldn't anyway. Self employment does tend to favour those who are driven to work themselves hard.

[bts111]

Exercise. Don't sit for too long :)

[vincevincevince]

First, use some of your free time to find a way to quit smoking! Not only will you feel more healthy, but it is a form of work.

If you smoke a pack a day at £5 (sorry, I have no idea how much they cost), and if your average income is £5 an hour (also have no idea what adsense gives you) - that's a whole extra hour every day. A penny saved is a penny earned.

[roycerus]

Hi jema, I think you are right. I guess I have lost a bit of that drive after I left the job. While on the job I was working about 14 hours a day - about 9 hours office work and about 5 hours website development. I think this sudden change and this freedom has made me lazy.

bts111, :-) Yes... I am going to go join the gym today. Promise!

vincevincevince, Yeah I know it costs £5 a pack in the UK. I have a few friends working in UK and they always stock up whenever they come to India. Oh! I am from India BTW. My problem is that I have devloped this habit of smoking while working. Hard to get rid of.

Okay.. so I have figured out that I am probably going to get a dog [a Beagle :-)] - did a bit of research on dogs. And I am joining the gym today!

[cerebrum]

Get some girl friends.

[roycerus]

:-D I do have a girl "friend".
Okay here's what I have been doing the last couple of hours. Went and bought some nice furniture. A table, a very nice big lamp shade and a rack to organize stuff on the table. Just finished setting it all up. I think having a nice place to work also makes a lot of difference.
I also went and found out about the gym. Slightly expensive - about $40 per month. Which in india is a high end gym. Three days a week - with a personal instructor.
I think I need this.

[jenkers]

don't buy a beagle - they smoke like crazy so you'll never be able to give up (sorry). I find gardening can be a good form of exercise (I have an allotment)...There can also be quite a sense of achievement when it all takes shape.

[andye]

I volunteer for a local youth charity. There's a couple of web databases you can search for volunteer opportunities.

This works well with working at home, because I can decide my own hours.

beset, a.

update: oh, and I have a g/f (now my wife)... and a non-web business... and founded a networking organisation for local entrepreneurs... not much free time left now! ;)

[roycerus]

don't buy a beagle - they smoke like crazy so you'll never be able to give up (sorry).

Haha... you weren't serious were you? :-D
I do a bit of gardening and I do enjoy it.

[ronin]

vincevincevince>

A penny saved is a penny earned.

Ah yes, but a cigarette smoked is a rare satisfaction.

I tend to work from when I get up to when I go to bed, but I noticed that I was having long periods of procrastination in the middle of the day and only working well in the morning and evening.

So at the beginning of this week, I signed up to the gym and I'm now going every day. It's a good use of the time in the middle of the day when I don't usually get that much done anyway and it's given my day a lot more structure.

Plus my personal trainer looks like Angelina Jolie.

Right, I'm off there now.

[MyGen]

I eat junk food.
Since going solo so to speak, I've put on 3st....

[Aircut]

start more waste of bandwidth threads like this one

[Fugazi]

Take up hobbys, loads of them, your in such a lucky position, I know loads of my friends that would be so happy to have that kinda time!

I had a fantastic days kite surfing on the sea yesterday as I didnt have to work, life cant get better, and its a thousand times more fun than the gym... :o)

[Tropical Island]

Free time - what's that.

Websites + AS + AW + O/Y, running two businesses, raising an 11 year old, etc.,.,.

Making lots of money..but time?..NO

[Jeremy_H]

Then there's always education. You could take some classes to finish a college degree or build up credits towards a higher one. Or, you could also just go and take some classes for fun.

Education doesnt have to be focused on getting a job, but can be about bettering yourself.

[StuntasticAudi]

get a girlfriend..that will take your time away and probably the money you start making...lol

[natural number]

From an economic point of view, you aren't the only one who has more free time. Since the industrial revolution the work week has been shrinking in developed countries.

[fearlessrick]

Get yourself a backpack and a bicycle. In good weather (which is almost always some places and at least 5-6 months in others) you can ride to do some of your shopping, or ride to your gym, or just go for a ride. It will also save money (gas isn't getting cheaper, ya know?) and the environment (a little). Every time you ride your bike instead of driving your car, you do yourself a world of good, physically, mentally, economically.

I live up North, so I have a stationary bike which I peddal indoors during the cold months. I already have cabin fever, but at least I'm staying in shape.

[billcale]

My treadmill is only a few steps from my computer. I try to walk and exercise 3-4 times a week for 30 mins. or more. Gardening and outside activity concerning my websites round out my time. A sedentary life is not good, particularly for those of us upon whom age is weighing...

[ogletree]

Play golf, sleep in, read, travel.

[alwaysthinking]

billcale - I have a very similar set-up as you, apparently.... I have my recumbent cycle set-up right in my bed room facing the wall where I aim my NEC LT245 DLP projector to watch CNBC LIFE size (well, maybe bigger than life size)... I can also monitor my Google Adsense earnings while pumping miles on the cycle via wireless remote, since my Laptop is networked with the projector...

Just some of the "toys" that Google Adsense has paid for....

Google AdSense has literally changed my life! On average (we all know it varies day-to-day; month-to-month), I am earning a VERY nice income - ALWAYS can be better). But for the most part, I laid the ground-work for most of my site years ago... back in 1996-97 (dang - it's going on 10 years I've been doing this Internet thing), so I don't devote much time to "web development" anymore... just some infrequent updates. My site(s) are pretty much on auto-pilot (unless some "smart @#!$" messes with it... then it takes a few hours to recover. BUT luckily, that doesn't seem to happen much anymore....

So the key is... what to do with spare time? I've been on a health kick lately, as even I am getting older! I stopped smoking - as noteed by other posters, bad for you and it STINKS up your room, house clothes, etc... But between giving upo smoking, the onset of age, and a lathargic lifestyle in front of the laptop... my weight BALOONED the past few years... But I have been steadily melting the pounds off with cycling 1+ hours duration/2x daily, while watching Music Videos (VH1 Classics - told you I'm an oldster). I also workout 3 times a week with the "mini gym" I set-up in the garage, so fat 4 pieces of equipment courtesy of Google AdSense...

BUT I think the BEST part of all... is how I have the time to "leverage" some of my Google AdSense earnings & create more wealth (somewhat limited so far). I began invest "Google Money" in the stock market around November, 2004. I quickly doubled... but as the market goes... it took most back... right now I'm only a few thousand dollars up... BUT the market seems to be perking-up (except for today)...

For those of youn that think checking Google AdSense is adictive... try daytrading! I have most of my money now in semi-long term stock positions (unless I see something ready to POP), but I keep a few tousand "liquid" so I can pounce in a heartbeat on a stock that's on a run... Usually I can catch at least the tail-end... It's a learning process and I am certainly a novice... and LOVING it!

I never had an oportunity to try investing in the stock market before my partnership with Google. I just didn't have the financial wear-with-all that Google AdSense now provides me - THANK YOU GOOGLE!

I see some publishers turning negative on Google again... all I can say is that Google has ALWAYS done right by me, except during the one search update where they completey eliminated my information. Naturally I pointed out their "accidental mistake" and Google quickly remedied the situation in less than 2 days.

Morale - Google offers a wonderful lifestyle for publishers willing to work hard & develop USEFUL content.... I just happened to have done so for "FREE" before Google even existed, let alone their AdSense program (which I belatedly joined about a year after its debut). I'm just a "small publisher" but I make above USA average earnings...

YOU can too!

Don't get discouraged... get working! Then someday maybe you can be like me... an old fat guy with a lot of FREE time and making more money than he had ever in his life... and battling the bulge so he can go out into the world with his new assertiveness (lost it immediately after University - but that's a different story)

GO GOOGLE! GO GOOGLE ADWORDS ADVERTISERS! GO GOOGLE ADSENSE PUBLISHERS!

"COME" GOOGLE SEARCH USERS, SO THE GOOGLE MARKETING TRIAD CAN GO!

[Scurramunga]

alwaythinking

That was a great post. I can see why you enjoy Adsense so much. In my short time as a publisher, I consider that google has worked out well for me both for Adsense and over a longer period in the SERPS.

I see many negative posts here about Google. But people forget that google doesn't promise you anything and when you do well, that's a bonus.

Sure Google are in it for the buck. I can not understand why people whinge about that. I might not agree with all the spammy sites that get in and yes Google might be in it for the buck, but what other corporation allows people to enter and paticipate in a potentially lucrative portion of their market? On top of everything they do help you when you request help are pleasent to deal with. Adsense is what you make it.

[billcale]

alwaysthinking... I coulda wrote your post!

I made my current website back in 1997 and it's still going strong. I had my own advertising on it before AdSense and it doesn't need much day-to-day effort to bring in a good living. But AdSense certainly puts me over the top, now. Instead of going the stock market route, I decided to expand and invest in my business - always considering those tax consequences of profits to a business. I found that my private life and my company life could move on parallel paths of interest wherein what I like to do (or need to have) benefits the company and the company pays the tolls. So I'm very much enjoying the constant expansion of my websites.

And kudos on the smoking thing... I just can't seem to get there.

[twist]

Have a kid, they will be more than happy to take every single solitary moment of free time (and work time) away from you.

or

Be happy that you don't have a kid yet and enjoy this time. You will forget what it was like and wonder what you did all day before having a kid.