I remember a coworker say one time that he doesn’t mind staying busy and working because when he’s off, he just spends more money anyway. 

I’ve often found that I have the same trouble when we’re on vacation or just bored. Everything that you can normally think of to do costs money. The problem of course is that if you’re trying to save money, it can feel impossible to pick something to do with your time. 

Katie and I, before kids, always really enjoyed going out and shopping. However, if you’re trying to save money, going on a shopping trip isn’t very helpful. Even if you window shop, you’re constantly bombarded with the reminder that you don’t have any money to spend, and even stopping by Starbucks while you’re out could cost you ten bucks or more. 

The amount of places you could go that cost you money is endless. 

So you end up facing the problem that everything that you want to do for fun costs money. How can you feel like you’re still living a full life without having to pay for something every moment you have free?

Digital Minimalism

Cal Newport wrote a great book called Digital Minimalism that may have some great ideas for how to help us with this problem. 

In his book, Newport makes his case for living a more fulfilling life by engaging with the digital world, mostly social media, less. 

If you’ve ever thought, “I should really spend less time on Facebook,” then you’ve got the right idea. 

We’ve probably all experienced the doom scroll, the feeling of helplessness as you scroll through post after post after post as the clock ticks by. I feel like the new video style posts in this new Tik Tok era are even harder to step away from, whether that be in Facebook, Instagram, or Youtube.

So if you’ve decided you want to participate in a digital declutter(which I highly recommend) then you’re faced with the question of what you replace your time with. 

As someone who has participated in this digital detox, I can tell you that it’s a really worthwhile endeavor, but it can also be really unnerving.

You have a free moment, and you instinctively pull out your phone to see what’s going on on social media but then you remember that you’ve deleted it off your phone. 

So now what do you do?

It feels a little awkward. You feel like you’re just twiddling your thumbs. And it almost brings up feelings that feel a little like depression. 

To combat this, Newport recommends that you focus on what he calls high quality leisure. 

Essentially, you’re replacing those low level digital activities with things that actually enhance your life. 

So instead of spending time scrolling, you could read a book. Maybe you take up an activity like woodworking or working in your yard. Maybe you take this opportunity to start a special project like a blog or open up an Etsy shop. 

There are a million different ways that you could add quality activities to your life, and my guess is that you’re thinking of something you’ve always wanted to give a shot right now. 

The goal is that the new activities that you add in your life are ones that are really high quality. Just doing them really enhances your life and makes you feel like you’re really accomplishing something. This is the high quality leisure that Newport is talking about. 

How does High Quality Leisure help with money?

That same high quality leisure that Newport recommends for living a deep life will also help you hit your money goals. Instead of reaching for the first activity that’s going to cost you money, you have hobbies that are fulfilling and worthy of your time to reach for instead. 

Your activities don’t have to be free to be worthwhile. It may cost you money to get the tools to start your woodworking hobby, but those initial investments pay off from the hours of enjoyment you receive. 

It may be worth taking a hard look at how you spend your precious free time. Focus on finding out what activities you’d be interested in adding to your life so that the way you spend your time feels more fulfilling and you may find that it makes reaching your financial goals easier.