Setting goals for your time off can bring fulfillment, but allow flexibility

Whether it’s the weekend or an upcoming holiday break, a number of studies have shown that people who set personal goals to achieve during their time off—such as seeing friends, pursuing a hobby, or even organizing a closet—report being happier than those who don’t. 

Harvard Business Review reports that part of why this strategy works is because it makes us more intentional about how we will spend our time away from work and not because it allows us to cross things off from yet another to-do list. 

Making the most of this goal-oriented vacation approach requires flexibility, however, as scheduling leisure activities in a strict manner can undermine the enjoyment people experience from such activities, in part because leisure starts to feel like work. When people scheduled leisure activities loosely, they were still able to maintain the enjoyment of leisure time and get the benefit of the intentionality and sense of accomplishment.   

So even though we might look forward to lying around in our pajamas and doing nothing for a while, setting goals can actually help us recharge and ensure we get the most out of our leisure time. Read the full story.